Daniel Ricciardo was happy to top the timesheet on the first day of pre-season testing in Barcelona, but admits the knowledge gained over the day was limited.

The Red Bull driver set the pace in the latter part of the morning, setting a benchmark time of 1:20.179 on Pirelli's medium compound which would remain unbeaten as conditions went from dry to slightly damp at the end of the day.

The Aussie rued the cold temperatures but welcomed the good performance.

"That was… cold! But apart from that it was good," said Ricciardo.

"In the morning when it was dry everything was fine but in the afternoon the conditions were really tricky.

"It’s hard to get anything working with tyres in these temperatures, especially as they’ve also re-laid the surface.

"When the temperature is there it’s good, but when it’s cold there really isn’t any grip!"

"However, it was still a good day and we got over 100 laps done, with, I think, one run of 35 laps. So reliability was solid and hats off to everyone for that.

"Performance? Yeah, It’s nice to see yourself at the top of the timesheets but in two-degree temperatures you really can’t learn anything!"

Max Verstappen will take over from his team mate on Tuesday, but the paddock may not have seen the last of the cold and damp weather.

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter