UpdateF1 >> Formula 1 News > Massa and Hamilton head to head

Title two top times

The final race weekend of the season began as we should have expected with title rivals Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton, for Ferrari and McLaren, trading fastest times in the opening practice session for the Brazilian grand prix.

On a track peppered with occasional drizzle it was local hero Massa who emerged quickest at the end of the 90 minute session his time of 1:12.305 eclipsing his British rival by almost two tenths, with Ferrari wingman and outgoing world champion Kimi Raikkonen coming in a useful third, just a few one thousandths off the Mclaren drivers best time.

Robert Kubica – looking to round off a season of astonishing consistency at BMW – set the fourth fastest time, albeit over half a second from the fastest time, and Heikki Kovalainen began the weekend with fifth best in the second McLaren.

Fernando Alonso continued the fine form of the Renault team with a competitive sixth best, while Mark Webber brought the Red Bull home in seventh, heading the second Renault of Nelson Piquet, a young man fighting for his drive on home ground this weekend as several young upstarts eye the 2009 Renault drive.

Nick Heidfeld brought the second BMW into ninth position, with his compatriot Timo Glock fastest of the Toyota pair in tenth.

As usual the Force India pair brought up the rear, for what may well be the last time if stories of a Mclaren-Mercedes tie up for next year are on the ball, and David Coulthard, running in a specially liveried Red Bull in what will be his last Formula One race, shaded the faster of those two in a disappointing 18th.

UpdateF1 would like to take the opportunity to apologise for a lack of commentary this session, and explain that the problem resulted from the non-operation of the available timing screens. We would not commentate on nothing, than commentate on nothing. Normal service should be resumed later today, all things being well.

Written: Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:46:17