NEXT RACE - 6th July

Prac One: Top and tails for Ferrari duo

Friday 9th May 2008

Ferrari experienced a mixed deal in Friday's opening practice in Turkey with Felipe Massa finishing at the top and Kimi Raikkonen at the bottom of the timesheets.

The session got off to a very slow start with no times set in the opening thirty minutes as the drivers waited for parts of the track, which had been hosed down, to dry.

Sebastien Bourdais finally broke the deadlock and put in the day's first lap time, although it was Heikki Kovalainen who took the early advantage.

Shrugging off any after-effects of his Spanish GP accident, the Finn clocked a 1:28.283 to lead his team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

The McLarens though soon lost out to Massa, the winner of the past two Turkish GPs, who went P1 with a 1:27.675. The Brazilian continued lapping, shaving tenths off his time until in the final minute of the session he posted a 1:27.323.

Kovalainen remained his closest competitor, finishing just 0.133s off the pace with Hamilton in third place.

Fernando Alonso was fourth quickest for Renault, beating Jenson Button and Kazuki Nakajima while Nick Heidfeld and Rubens Barrichello completed the top eight.

Meanwhile Raikkonen, the current Championship leader, finished at the bottom of the timesheets as a gearbox problem limited him to just three laps.

However, it was later confirmed the gearbox would not need to be changed, and that it would be repaired in time for the afternoon session.

Robert Kubica also suffered a mechanical issue, with his BMW sustaining a rear suspension problem, but with the Pole expected to be back on track later today.

Times
01 F. Massa Ferrari 1:27.323 16 laps
02 H. Kovalainen McLaren 1:27.456 17 laps
03 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:27.752 15 laps
04 F. Alonso Renault 1:28.284 16 laps
05 J. Button Honda 1:28.919 12 laps
06 K. Nakajima Williams 1:29.002 19 laps
07 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:29.024 21 laps
08 R. Barrichello Honda 1:29.068 11 laps
09 N. Piquet jr. Renault 1:29.082 23 laps
10 T. Glock Toyota 1:29.103 19 laps
11 J. Trulli Toyota 1:29.329 24 laps
12 R. Kubica BMW 1:29.330 7 laps
13 N. Rosberg Williams 1:29.367 20 laps
14 A. Sutil Force India F1 1:29.756 23 laps
15 G. Fisichella Force India F1 1:29.811 23 laps
16 M. Webber Red Bull 1:30.088 21 laps
17 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:30.340 13 laps
18 S. Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:30.388 19 laps
19 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:30.426 21 laps
20 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:30.732 3 laps

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