Some concern in the local press
During a break from testing in Bahrain on Wednesday, former world champion Michael Schumacher took his dog `Shiva` for a walk around the Sakhir venue`s paddock.
The big dog`s appearance sparked some concern in the local press, as the German had appeared to have broken strict quarantine laws. But a spokesman said the laws can be sidestepped if the pet-owner carries sufficient documentation.

Peaceful strolling aside, Schumacher endured a troublesome day at the wheel of the new `248` Ferrari - he ran only until about noon, when a problem struck. He will try again on Thursday, the last day of running for Honda and Scuderia Toro Rosso.

Back in Europe, at Valencia in Spain, five teams - including McLaren, Renault, Red Bull and MF1 - continued to test, with Williams` rookie Nico Rosberg on top of things.

``We need to find more performance,`` said Midland`s Christijan Albers, about two seconds off the pace on the short, tight circuit.

Kimi Raikkonen also showed some pace in his striking chrome McLaren, but only logged a handful of laps with yet another Mercedes-Benz V8 failure.

Teammate Juan Pablo Montoya also had problems, but so too did the usually reliable Renault, in the hands of Giancarlo Fisichella on Wednesday.

At a third test venue, meanwhile, Jacques Villeneuve and Nick Heidfeld circulated alone for BMW Sauber at Barcelona, with the latter German driver proving just a tad quicker.

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