Zoom Hamilton third fastest at the end of day one in Japan

McLaren Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen emerged third and ninth respectively from Friday’s second free practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix. Hamilton completed 40 laps of the Fuji International Speedway, setting a best time of 1:18.463s. Kovalainen did 32 laps and posted a 1:18.803s in a session that saw the top 17 drivers covered by less than a second.

With just three rounds remaining and both the drivers' and constructors' championship up for grabs, Ron Dennis in particular is enjoying the battle and sees the McLaren Mercedes team gaining strength and motivation.

Ron Dennis
"Today we conducted two trouble-free sessions, encountering no problems with either of our cars: a normal day at the office, you could say. Having said that, whomever I talk to in our team, I notice the same thing: we’re more together, more focused, more committed and more motivated than ever before. There’s a tremendous feeling of comradeship - in our garage and in our hospitality units here at Fuji, and of course back in Woking, in Brixworth and in Stuttgart. And that comradeship, that will to win, will persist throughout this race weekend and throughout the final two weekends of the season, too."

Lewis Hamilton
"Fuji is a place I really enjoy: it’s not the easiest of tracks because it requires a good set-up to get the best from the car, but I had no complaints today. We were immediately on the pace and found a very good balance straight away. In the afternoon, I did a promising longer run with no major problems and I feel confident about our pace for the rest of the weekend."

Heikki Kovalainen
"Today was a pretty straightforward practice day with no major problems. We successfully went through our tyre comparison programme, which went well. We made some good progress with the set-up into the afternoon and that also made me feel a lot more confident about attacking this place. I don’t think today’s times are totally representative, but we’re certainly in good shape for the rest of the weekend."

Norbert Haug
"That didn’t look bad, and we are quite satisfied with the outcome of today’s practice. Our long runs in race trim were fast and consistent, with both the option and the prime tyres. It’s all looking positive; however, we don’t yet know what the opposition has in store for us. Only one fact seems to be sure: the weather will be better than it was last year."

E.A. © CAPSIS International