Formula One news

Raikkonen shows promising pace in 2nd practice

McLaren continued their return to form on home ground here Friday when Kimi Raikkonen topped the times in opening practice for the British Grand Prix. Finn Raikkonen, who used the team's new MP4-19B machine for the first time in France last weekend, finished half a second faster than third-placed World Champion Schumacher's Ferrari with a time of of one min 18.655 secs.

Italian Giancarlo Fisichella brightened his day after stopping early in the morning session by beating Schumacher to second, just five hundredths of a second behind Raikkonen, in a late run in the dying seconds of the session. The performance, however, will not make up for the fact that the Sauber driver will be demoted ten places on the grid after Saturday's qualifying session after changing his engine before the second session.

Scot David Coulthard gave McLaren even more cause to smile when he finished fourth, 0.632 seconds behind Raikkonen and just ahead of his British rival Jenson Button's BAR-Honda. Button is expected to provide the greatest challenge to Schumacher this weekend after claiming six podiums in the first ten races of the season but he could only finish 0.746 seconds behind Raikkonen.

Last year's winner Rubens Barrichello, in the second Ferrari, finished sixth just ahead of Ralf Schumacher's replacement at Williams Marc Gene, who comfortably outpaced 11th-placed team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya. Italian Jarno Trulli finished eighth in the lead Renault with Japanese driver Takuma Sato ninth in the second BAR-Honda. Brazilian Felipe Massa's Sauber completed the top ten.

Jordan driver Nick Heidfeld and Jaguar driver Christian Klien had offs at Stowe and Club respectively and Jordan test driver Timo Glock had the gravel trap to thank as he escaped a high-speed incident after his car lost a wheel. World champions Ferrari had led the way in opening practice with Barrichello proving the class of the field as he set a time of one min and 19.138 secs to lead Schumacher by 0.076 seconds Williams pair Montoya and Gene finished an impressive third and fourth, 0.364 and 0.549 behind Barrichello respectively, with Davidson 0.610 seconds off the lead Ferrari pace in fifth.

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