Ferrari retained their grip on the Sakhir timesheets on Tuesday, as Kimi Raikkonen again set the pace in testing. Raikkonen’s time of 1m 30.595s put him over 1.5 seconds clear of tester Luca Badoer in the second F2008.

While Badoer concentrated his efforts on evaluating different set-ups in the Italian team’s new challenger, Raikkonen carried out a Grand Prix simulation, which included all three qualifying sections and an entire race distance. The Finn, who completed over 77 laps in total, will continue to drive on Wednesday alongside team mate Felipe Massa.

The only other squad in action were Toyota, who fielded Timo Glock and Jarno Trulli in two TF108s. Despite the perfect testing conditions, the Japanese team found their progress hampered by gearbox issues.

“Our focus today was again on developing the baseline set-up by trying different mechanical solutions but unfortunately we lost a bit of time on both cars due to gearbox issues,” explained Pascal Vasselon, senior general manager chassis. “This was a shame but we have been testing various parts, including the new gearbox, and we will learn from these issues to improve our package before the season starts.”

Both teams will be back in action at the track on Wednesday.

Unofficial Tuesday times from Bahrain:
1. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:30.595
2. Luca Badoer, Ferrari, 1:32.230
3. Timo Glock, Toyota, 1:32.889
4. Jarno Trulli, Toyota, 1:33.379