Things got off to a worrying start though when the car, based on a four-year-old ex-Arrows chassis, stopped on the circuit after just three laps due to a hydraulic problem.

After lengthy repairs, Sato spun into the gravel after just five laps of his second spell at the wheel and a repeat of the morning problem prevented any further testing.

Super Aguri’s chief technical officer Mark Preston said: “Although our reliability was not great today, it is the reason why we are here, to test and sort these kinds of problems out.

“This morning’s running was cut short due to a small hydraulic problem which was soon rectified.

“However, in the rain-drenched afternoon, Taku spun at the hairpin, with no damage to the car, while experimenting with new traction control software.

“This afternoon’s running was cut short by a similar problem to the one we had this morning. We will now be working overnight and are hoping for a successful day’s running tomorrow.”

Sato’s team-mate Yuji Ide is expected to test for the first time tomorrow as he makes the step up from Formula Nippon.

The rain curtailed running in Spain and Williams’ Mark Webber set the pace, just ahead of McLaren driver Kimi Raikkonen. Red Bull test driver Robert Doornbos pipped Midland’s Tiago Monteiro to third spot.

Bad weather also disrupted testing at Imola, were Scuderia Toro Rosso had test driver Neel Jani behind the wheel.

However, their chief engineer Laurent Mekies claimed the rain had given Swiss driver Jani, who has stepped up from GP2, a chance to learn.

He said: “It was quite a useful day in a way, as Neel had never really handled a Formula One car in the wet.

“He never made a mistake and drove on both the wet and extreme wet tyres and that will be valuable experience for him if he encounters these conditions during the season.”