JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA, Spain (AP) -Lewis Hamilton, racially taunted by fans 10 days ago in Barcelona, returned to Spain on Tuesday and was the fastest in opening a three-day test session. The 23-year-old McLaren driver completed 89 laps and had a best time of 1 minute, 19.102 seconds. Teammate Pedro de la Rosa was second, less than 0.2 seconds behind the Englishman. BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica, Williams' Kazuki Nakajima, BMW's Nick Heidfeld and Renault's Nelson Piquet Jr. all finished under 1:20. Hamilton, the first black driver in Formula One, was jeered and insulted when he moved between the McLaren motorhome and the team's garage at the Montmelo circuit in Barcelona on Feb. 2. Motor sport's governing body - FIA - said those actions could result in sanctions. Under FIA's statutes, punishment can include removing races from the Grand Prix calendar. The Spanish Grand Prix is scheduled for April 27 at the Montmelo circuit and the European GP is at Valencia on Aug. 24. Last season, Fernando Alonso of Spain failed to clinch a third straight championship after he joined McLaren from Renault. Alonso finished third in the drivers' standings, while rookie teammate Hamilton was second behind winner Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari. Alonso rejoined Renault this season.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. |
