Felipe Massa was on hand yesterday at sunny Circuit de Catalunya to help Team SAUBER PETRONAS tune in for the first time to Michelin rubber.

The Brazilian concentrated on adapting the balance of the C23 and defined a new suspension setup in line with the new tires. He covered a total of 71 laps during yesterday’s first day of a three-day test setting the third best time of 1:14.939s.

Declaring it as a success, Chief Race Engineer Jacky Eeckelaert commented: “Today we ran our first test day with Michelin tyres and naturally concentrated on adapting the car’s balance to the new tyres.”

He added, “We defined a new suspension set-up and adjusted the C23 accordingly. Already at Hinwil we ran simulations on the basis of Michelin tyre data and developed a good foundation for our work today. Overall we were able to deliver good test results and are happy with today’s outcome.”

“Tomorrow we will evaluate new brakes and run aerodynamic tests in preparation to 2005. Our target this week is to collect valuable Michelin tyre and downforce data for the next season.”

SAUBER’s Brazilian boy-wonder will continue today before former world champion Jacques Villeneuve takes over the wheels for the first time on Friday.

Here’s a quick look on how Massa fared yesterday: