Today is the 12th February 2009 and this is F1Minute.

Hamilton led the way in Jerez, for new machinery, with Bourdais leading the timesheets overall in last year’s car. The McLaren driver was encouraged by his day in the car and said the real test for the drivers is getting used to slick tyres. Vettel was behind him, then Nakajima, and once again, Renault were half a second behind the rest of the pack, although Alonso did complete a mighty 133 laps.

Over in Bahrain, yet another sandstorm halted any running at all for the three teams, with just one solitary installation lap each. Trulli admitted that with Portugal a washout and Bahrain covered in dust, he’s itching to have a good run in the car. Maybe tomorrow.

Finally today, Autosport is reporting that Sato is in talks with Red Bull to perhaps be a reserve driver for both teams. He missed out on the Toro Rosso drive but could still be signed up by the company.

That’s it for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1Minute.