Rossi was a guest of Ferrari at this year's Australian Grand Prix

The 25-year-old Italian completed about 20 laps in one of this year's F2004 cars on Tuesday, the website of Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper said.

It was the first time Rossi, who has often spoken of his desire to race in F1, had driven a Grand Prix car.

According to unofficial timing, Rossi set a best lap of 59.9secs, about three seconds slower than the lap record.

Rossi had a couple of spins, but his speed was impressive considering his total lack of experience.