Stray dogs hold up Bahrain testing

Stray dogs running across the track brought out the red flags on Tuesday as three formula one teams continued to test in Bahrain.

The two dogs had found their way into the Sakhir circuit, the scene of the fourth round of the 2009 world championship this April, from the surrounding desert area, local media reported.

A spokesman for Bahrain International Circuit said the animals were captured without incident and released unhurt.

F1's governing FIA took a very dim view of the Istanbul circuit last year after Bruno Senna's GP2 car struck and killed a stray dog during a support race.

Tuesday's action in Bahrain also gave Ferrari reason to test its safety emergency procedures for a KERS failure, after the energy re-use system aboard Kimi Raikkonen's car overheated.

"This unexpected incident was a useful experience for the future," a report on the Ferrari website read.

The Finnish driver nonetheless posted the fastest time of the day, followed by Jarno Trulli (Toyota) and Nick Heidfeld, who also experienced a awkward moment when his BMW-Sauber stopped on track and automatically triggered the fire extinguishing system.