Formula One news

'I expected a difficult day' - Badoer

Luca Badoer coped well to keep all four wheels on the road as the Italian replaced the injured Felipe Massa at Ferrari for the first time in Valencia. The reserve driver wound up twentieth and eighteenth fastest in the first two practice sessions and hopes to fine tune his car's setup on Saturday.

With an in-season testing ban imposed for 2009, Friday marked the first time test driver Badoer - Ferrari's long-serving pilot - had driven the F60 competitively since pre-season testing, notably before several major aerodynamics updates had been applied.

Michael Schumacher followed his friend's progress from the pit wall

"I am happy with the way things went today," 38-year-old Luca, the oldest driver in the field, said at the end of second practice. "I expected a difficult day and so it was. It was vital that I did not make any serious mistakes so that I could get through the programme we had established; now we can begin to work on the car setup to try and adapt it to my driving style.

"The team has not set me any specific goal for this weekend and I am pleased about that consideration because it is important I return to having full confidence in the car and with the world of the Grand Prix weekend. I am also grateful to Michael (Schumacher), who wanted to be here this weekend; it is important for me to be able to count on his support, especially from the human point of view and, of course, also in terms of technical matters."

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