FEBRUARY 21, 2001

Coulthard hits trouble in Barcelona

MCLAREN's David Coulthard failed to post a competitive lap time during testing at Barcelona on Wednesday, whilst his team-mate Alex Wurz was fastest.

The Scot could only manage five laps before coming to a halt out on the circuit, and a gearbox problem sidelined him for the rest of the day.

Wurz was able to put good mileage on the MP4/16 and by setting a time over a second quicker than his rivals, proved the McLaren is quick when not plagued by reliability problems.

Juan Pablo Montoya was also present to undertake systems checks on his BMW-Williams, and was pleased with the first day of his final test in the car before the team arrive in Melbourne.

"The car feels well balanced and the team's hard effort over the winter months is paying dividends," said the Colombian.

"This is my last chance with the car before my debut race," he added. "I know Melbourne is only ten days away, but it still seems a long way off for me."

Testing times from Barcelona on Wednesday:

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