Lewis Hamilton declared himself happy after his first test in McLaren’s new car despite lagging behind Felipe Massa’s Ferrari in Valencia. “It’s a different feeling compared to the first lap of the first test day of 2009,” said the 2008 champion. “It’s a positive feeling. I’ve kept a close eye on the development of this car. I’ve seen it evolve and had input into it which is very exciting. “I got out smiling. The problems I had [last year] I don’t have in this car.” Problems with Hamilton’s 2009 McLaren left him well off the pace last season, although they were eventually resolved, allowing him to win two races. He added: “The encouraging thing [about the new car] is the reliability. We’ve not really had many problems so that’s a huge bonus for us.” Brazil’s Massa topped the times for the second day running at Formula 1’s first major test of 2010 at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo circuit. Hamilton was third fastest behind the Sauber of Japanese Kamui Kobayashi and 0.534 seconds adrift of Massa. Headline lap times from testing are not necessarily an accurate indication of the pace of the cars, as fuel loads, tyres and track condition can have a dramatic effect on performance. The Ferrari, though, has looked consistently quick throughout the two days of testing in Valencia so far. Massa recorded a best time of one minute 11.722 seconds, with Kobayashi on 1:12.056 and Hamilton on 1:12.256. Massa’s new team-mate, the double world champion Fernando Alonso, is due to take over the car for the final day’s running on Wednesday, when Hamilton will be handing the McLaren over to team-mate Jenson Button, the world champion. This week’s test is the first time the new 2010 F1 cars have run on the track, and all the major teams bar Red Bull are in Valencia. Red Bull – who ended last season second in both the drivers’ and constructors’ world championships to Button’s former Brawn team, who have been taken over by Mercedes – are waiting until the second test, in Jerez next week, before giving their car its debut. 606: DEBATE ” So far the score seems to be 2 for ferrari, and nil for Mclaren ” RogerMellie66 Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg was fourth fastest for much of the day. The surprise of the test so far has been the pace of the Sauber. Spanish veteran Pedro de la Rosa was second fastest with it on Monday and his team-mate, the Japanese rookie Kamui Kobayashi, occupied the same position for much of Tuesday. The team are back under the stewardship of founder Peter Sauber following the decision of former owner BMW to quit F1 at the end of last season.

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