World champion Michael Schumacher set a stunning time in Friday’s opening practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix as he started his quest for a record-breaking 12th win of the season.
After early-morning rain, most drivers waited until late in the session to set a time but Ferrari driver Schumacher bettered Fernando Alonso’s pole time from last year with a lap of one minute and 21,552 seconds, 25 minutes from the end.
His effort put him 0,386 seconds clear of Brazilian teammate Rubens Barrichello, who is currently second in the world championship, as Ferrari, who could win the constructors’ title this weekend, proved the class of the field again.
BAR-Honda put their contractual struggles with British driver Jenson Button to one side as test driver Anthony Davidson set the third-fastest time. Button also made it into the top 10 in tenth place.
Scot David Coulthard and Finn Kimi Raikkonen finished fourth and fifth respectively for McLaren-Mercedes with Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya sixth in the lead Williams car, which has been modified with a new nose for this race.
Toyota continued to improve the new car they introduced at the last race in Germany and Frenchman Olivier Panis finished seventh with Australian test driver Ryan Briscoe eighth.
Italian Jarno Trulli finished ninth for Renault, who need to score 10 more points than Ferrari this weekend to keep the constructors’ championship alive. His teammate Fernando Alonso finished 11th.
Hungarian Minardi driver Zsolt Baumgartner’s home race got off to a bad start when he slowed in the final turn after 20 minutes.
He had to be pushed back into the garage but was able to set the 23rd-fastest time later in the session.
Italian Sauber driver Giancarlo Fisichella had led the times ahead of Brazilian teammate Felipe Massa at the halfway mark but both took brief trips across the grass at turn nine.
Davidson then moved to the top of the times but when Schumacher finally headed out he went 2,442 seconds faster and Barrichello then closed in on the German in second place.
Montoya spun at turn 13 and slid backwards towards the tyre barriers but stopped just short and continued to return to the pits. A hare gave drivers brief cause for concern when it ran on track towards the end of the session. — Sapa-AFP