Prac Two: Ferrari back in the game

Friday 15th June 2007

Fernando Alonso reigned supreme in Friday's practice for the United States GP, however, Felipe Massa did signal Ferrari's return to the game.

The Brazilian held the P1 slot until 10 minutes before the end of the session, which was when the McLaren drivers emerged on their softer option Bridgestone tyres.

Lewis Hamilton led the way out of the pits and immediately hit the front of the timesheets, however, his team-mate, Alonso, crossed the finish line moments later and beat his time.

Massa then also pitted for soft tyres, although he was unable to match the blistering pace of the two McLarens, finishing 0.279 seconds off the pace. His team-mate Kimi Raikkonen also put in an improved performance as he claimed P4.

And although they were unable to get ahead of the McLarens, the results will offer much encouragement to Ferrari, who have outdone and outshone by the Woking outfit ever since the Monaco GP.

Nick Heidfeld once again proved BMW's worth, clocking the fifth best time ahead of the surprise of the session, Red Bull's David Coulthard.

The Scot put in a blinding lap in the early part of free practice, posting a 1:13.042.

However, his team-mate Mark Webber didn't fare as well. The Aussie had to pull over on the side of the track and park his RB racer with 30 minutes left on the clock. Webber, though, did finish the session in 12th place.

Nico Rosberg offered plenty of encouragement to Williams as they bid for their second podium finish of the season at the hallowed Brickyard. The German set the seventh best time in practice, a 1:13.057.

Heikki Kovalainen completed the top eight, finishing ahead of Honda's Rubens Barrichello.

Times
01 F. Alonso McLaren 1:12.156 35 laps
02 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:12.309 34 laps
03 F. Massa Ferrari 1:12.435 36 laps
04 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:12.587 38 laps
05 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:13.026 43 laps
06 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:13.042 41 laps
07 N. Rosberg Williams 1:13.057 35 laps
08 H. Kovalainen Renault 1:13.110 48 laps
09 R. Barrichello Honda 1:13.144 40 laps
10 J. Button Honda 1:13.202 46 laps
11 S. Vettel BMW 1:13.217 50 laps
12 M. Webber Red Bull 1:13.263 21 laps
13 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:13.332 41 laps
14 A. Davidson Super Aguri 1:13.364 46 laps
15 G. Fisichella Renault 1:13.394 44 laps
16 A. Wurz Williams 1:13.539 29 laps
17 J. Trulli Toyota 1:13.692 42 laps
18 S. Speed Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:13.712 34 laps
19 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:13.753 46 laps
20 R. Schumacher Toyota 1:13.765 39 laps
21 C. Albers Spyker F1 1:14.225 30 laps
22 A. Sutil Spyker F1 1:14.513 33 laps

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