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F1: Hamilton fastest in Sepang practice

McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain passes the landmark tower-tribune during the first timed practice session for the Malaysian Grand Prix at the Sepang Formula One Circuit near Kuala Lumpur yesterday. PHOTO: AP

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton edged his Ferrari rivals to post the day's fastest time in the closing moments of yesterday's practice sessions for the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Ferrari had dominated both of yesterday's sessions before Hamilton -- winner in the season-opening Australian GP last weekend -- emerged in the final 10 minutes, taking advantage of cooling track temperatures under clouding skies at Sepang to set the day's best lap of 1 minute, 35.055 seconds.

He was 0.151 seconds ahead of Ferrari's Felipe Massa in session two, with world champion Kimi Raikonnen third best, another two-tenths of a second behind.

The surprises of the second session were Honda's Jenson Button, Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel and Toyota's Jarno Trulli, who filled fourth, fifth and sixth on the time sheets respectively.

That trio was ahead of the second McLaren of Heikki Kovalainen in seventh and BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica in eighth.

Hamilton's late lap was disheartening for Ferrari, with the team looking to rebound from a dismal season start at last week's Australian Grand Prix where they collected just one point.

However, Ferrari could take satisfaction from the reliability of their cars after the mechanical failures in Melbourne. Raikkonen did coast to a standstill in the first practice session, but the team blamed that on a miscalculation on fuel rather than a recurrence of the fuel feed malfunction.

As the clouds rolled in, track temperatures fell markedly, providing relief for the drivers in the cockpit, but also aiding tire life, with drivers complaining through the day how quickly the rubber was degrading on the demanding Sepang circuit.

Like Hamilton, Button completed his time on the very last lap of the 90-minute session. By contrast Vettel, was prominent throughout the session, indicating he could be competitive in today's qualifying and tomorrow's race.

Toro Rosso's Sebastien Bourdais was the main casualty of the afternoon session. His engine failed less than a minute after the start and he did not complete a lap.

Red Bull's David Coulthard took no part in the afternoon session after an off-track excursion in the morning session, with both front wheels snapping off the chassis after hitting a curb. The fact one of the wheels came away from the car totally would be of concern to the team and F1 authorities, as strengthened tethers are meant to prevent such loose wheels endangering crowd and marshals.

Apart from Bourdais and Coulthard, only two other drivers completed fewer than 30 laps in the second session.

Ferrari set the best times in the morning session, with Massa ahead of Raikkonen, though almost all drivers set superior times in the afternoon.

Renault pair Fernando Alonso and Nelson Piquet Jr were sixth and seventh quickest in the first practice session, but sank down the timesheets in the afternoon, adding to concern over the competitiveness of the French outfit.

Red Bull's Mark Webber had an engine failure in the opening session but did take his place in the afternoon. He will not face a grid penalty for changing the engine, as each team is allowed one penalty-free change in the season.
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