DECEMBER 20, 2000

Trulli on top in final day of Barcelona testing

JARNO TRULLI topped the times in the final day of testing in Barcelona on Wednesday as he went over a second-and-a-half quicker than Michael Schumacher's pole position time in this year's Spanish Grand Prix.

The Italian Jordan driver posted a fastest lap time of one minute and 19.586 seconds as he powered to the top of the time sheets ahead of Sauber's Nick Heidfeld.

Heidfeld, who was quickest on Tuesday, held the top time until Trulli produced a dramatic lap late in the session at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello was third fastest, narrowly ahead of McLaren rival David Coulthard with young Finn Kimi Raikkonen, who used a new engine after the one used on Tuesday ran out of mileage, was fifth.

Frenchman Olivier Panis won his first head-to-head shoot-out with new British American Racing team-mate Jacques Villeneuve as he posted the sixth best time. Canadian Villeneuve ended seventh.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen was eighth quickest in his Jordan while Austrian Alexander Wurz, McLaren's test driver, could only go ninth fastest.

Times from Wednesday's testing at Barcelona:

POS DRIVER ENTRANT TIME
Jarno Trulli Jordan 1:19.586
Nick Heidfeld Sauber 1:19.956
Rubens Barrichello Ferrari 1:20.429
David Coulthard McLaren 1:20.476
Kimi Raikkonen Sauber 1:20.606
Olivier Panis BAR 1:20.610
Jacques Villeneuve BAR 1:20.918
Heinz-Harald Frentzen Jordan 1:20.984
Alexander Wurz McLaren 1:21.378