The 2009 Formula 1 cars were back on track today as 12 of the hottest young chargers tried to top the timesheets.

And it was Spanish driver Andy Soucek who took the spoils in the Williams-Toyota, with the fastest time of 1m19.158 from 87 laps of Jerez.

It wasn’t all plain sailing for the current FIA Formula 2 champion, however, as he spun forcing a red flag during the test session.

Scottish Paul di Resta was second in the Force India-Mercedes followed by Brit Gary Paffett in the McLaren.

Mike Conway, who competed in Indy Cars for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing last season, was behind the wheel of the Brawn GP car and managed 6th place, behind Jules Bianchi in the Ferrari (5th) and Daniel Ricciardo in the Red Bull-Renault (4th).

On today’s drive in the F60 Bianchi said:

“I am really proud to have made my Formula 1 debut at the wheel of a Ferrari, for the greatest team in the world. At the start, I was being careful not to make any mistakes, then once I felt confident, I pushed harder. The team spirit here is incredible and I hope I have made a positive impression on them and I want to do even better tomorrow.”

British Formula 3 Champion Daniel Ricciardo was delighted with his outing in the Red-Bull Renault. The Australian red Bull junior driver said:

“I don’t think I stopped smiling all day.”

“Working with the team was great and they let me go at my own pace until I built up some confidence. After that, we began working on things that will be useful for next season.

“This was the first time I’ve ever driven a Formula One car round corners, having previously only done a straight line test and I have to say, it’s got more grip than anything else I’ve ever driven.”

In seventh place was Alexander Rossi in the BMW Sauber. The American said:

“I very much enjoyed this day. It is impressive what the car does, how predictable and precise its reactions are, and how high the overall grip level is. But I have to admit I am also a little bit disappointed because being a racing driver you always want to be the fastest!

“I think in the afternoon we didn’t manage to find the perfect balance. Physically I have to say it was as demanding as I expected it would be.

“The power steering is a great help compared to GP2, but the g-forces obviously are higher.”

Belgian driver Bertrand Baguette secured the Renault F1 test drive after winning the 3.5 category of the World Series by Renault earlier in the year. After completing 105 laps, in 9th place, Baguette said:

“This was my first time in an F1 car and I really enjoyed it. There’s a huge difference between the F1 car and a World Series car, especially the efficiency of the brakes, which is incredible, and the speed you can carry through the quick corners.

“Also, it’s a completely different world and I’ve been getting used to working with five or six engineers instead of just one. We started the day with a long run so that I could get used to the car and then we started the technical programme as I worked on improving the set-up of the car.

“It was an amazing experience for me and I hope to do this again in the future.”

Testing continues at Jerez tomorrow.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009: Jerez testing
1. Andy Soucek (Williams-Toyota) 1m19.158s (@87 laps)
2. Paul di Resta (Force India-Mercedes) 1m19.369s (@46 laps)
3. Gary Paffett (McLaren-Mercedes) 1m19.426s (@54 laps)
4. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull-Renault) 1m19.534s (@113 laps)
5. Jules Bianchi (Ferrari) 1m19.626s (@91 laps)
6. Mike Conway (Brawn GP-Mercedes) 1m19.920s (@58 laps)
7. Alexander Rossi (BMW Sauber) 1m20.227s (@82 laps)
8. Marcus Ericsson (Brawn GP-Mercedes) 1m20.333s (@50 laps)
9. Bertrand Baguette (Renault) 1m20.511s (@105 laps)
10. JR Hildebrand (Force India-Mercedes) 1m20.537s (@49 laps)
11. Oliver Turvey (McLaren-Mercedes) 1m20.856s (@27 laps)
12. Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso-Ferrari) 1m21.325s (@69 laps)

Images from today’s test are in our gallery.