Date:11/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/11/stories/2008101155831900.htm

Sport - Racing : Motor

Glock upstages big names, clocks the fastest time in practice

OMAYA (Japan): Toyota’s Timo Glock upstaged bigger names to claim the fastest time in practice on Friday ahead of Sunday’s Formula One Japanese Grand Prix.

On the track owned by his team’s parent company, Glock set a time of 1 minute, 18.383 seconds, putting him ahead of Singapore GP winner Fernando Alonso of Renault and title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa.

Alonso was just 0.043 slower than Germany’s Glock.

McLaren’s Hamilton, who set the fastest time in the opening session on Friday, was third best in the afternoon and importantly ahead of the Ferraris, boosting hopes of back-to-back wins for the Briton at the Fuji Speedway. Hamilton leads Massa of Brazil by seven points in the drivers’ championship with three races to go.

Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, whose chances of defending his world title are mathematical rather than realistic, was fifth quickest in the afternoon, ahead of Red Bull’s Mark Webber, home crowd favourite Kazuki Nakajima of Williams and Toro Rosso’s Sebastian Vettel.

Toyota considers the Japan GP on its own track to be its most important of the year, and duly changed Glock’s engine ahead of the race weekend, using up his one chance to do so without incurring a grid penalty.

Glock’s best qualifying performance this year is fifth in Hungary, and his best race finish was second at the same venue.

Fine conditions

Fine conditions prevailed throughout the sessions, in contrast to the downpour that blighted last year’s race — the first since the Japanese GP had returned to Fuji from the Suzuka circuit.

The top 10: First practice: 1. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) 1 minute, 18.910 seconds; 2. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 1:19.063; 3. Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren) 1:19.279; 4. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 1:19.399; 5. Fernando Alonso (Renault) 1:19.473; 6. Nelson Piquet Jr. (Renault) 1:19.743; 7. Sebastian Vettel (Toro Rosso) 1:20.121; 8. Robert Kubica (BMW) 1:20.160; 9. Sebastien Bourdais (Toro Rosso) 1:20.182; 10. Kazuki Nakajima (Williams) 1:20.217.

Second practice: 1. Timo Glock (Toyota) 1:18.383; 2. Alonso, 1:18.426; 3. Hamilton, 1:18.463; 4. Massa, 1:18.491; 5. Raikkonen, 1:18.725; 6. Mark Webber (Red Bull) 1:18.734; 7. Nakajima, 1:18.734; 8. Vettel, 1:18.761; 9. Kovalainen, 1:18.803; 10. Jarno Trulli (Toyota) 1:18.863. — AP