In a few days' time Virgin Racing will pit their 2010 car against those of their rivals at this week's Jerez test, becoming the first of this year's four new teams to debut their car alongside the more experienced squads. But thanks to a productive shakedown at Silverstone last week, the team are feeling confident that their VR-01 can more than hold its own. “Our shakedown provided our very first opportunity to work together as a trackside operation...

Following Wednesday's online launch of the VR-01, Virgin Racing's 2010 campaign took another step forward on Thursday when the car completed its maiden track run. Driver Timo Glock was charged with giving his 2010 machine its debut at Silverstone, whilst team mate Lucas di Grassi - and assembled guests - watched from the UK circuit's sidelines. Glock was thrilled with his first taste of the car, saying: “It was a fantastic moment for myself and the whole team to see the VR-01 come alive. It's great to be back in a racing car.”

The performance of Ferrari during this week's Valencia test may have prompted many to speculate that they are the team to beat, but team principal Stefano Domenicali is eager to downplay the Italian squad's perceived dominance. And while he's clearly pleased with their progress, he's determined they stay level headed, as March's Bahrain season opener draws closer. Between them, Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso controlled the top of the timesheets throughout the three-day test at the Spanish track. They were the only men to break through the 1m 12s barrier, with local hero Alonso clocking a best time of 1m 11.470s and Massa a quickest run of 1m 11.722s. Domenicali, however, is hesitant to celebrate the F10's domination just yet.