David Coulthard topped sunny Barcelona's time sheet, but likely 2005 team-mate Christian Klien was lucky to emerge unscathed from an horror 300km/h shunt after brake failure.
'The car spun all the way round,' said the Austrian, 'but it still hit really hard. I'm lucky because I'm ok.'
In Williams' shootout contest, Antonio Pizzonia easily outpaced Nick Heidfeld, but not until new bits had arrived from Grove HQ.
France's Olivier Panis, now in a test-only role, returned to the Toyota cockpit and went faster than Jarno Trulli and Ralf Schumacher, not to mention Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello, who suffered an engine failure.
In the Ferrari garage, meanwhile, the Brazilian driver met Spanish 'three tenors' member Placido Domingo.
McLaren, Renault, BAR and Sauber ran at nearby Valencia, Minardi at Misano, and - at Fiorano - Ferrari shook down the 'F2004M'-designated car that will kick off 2005 at Melbourne.
