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BUDAPEST - McLaren's Fernando Alonso set the pace on Saturday (NZ time) in free practice for a Hungarian Grand Prix that could send the Spaniard back to the top of the Formula One standings.
The double world champion, fourth in the morning at a circuit where he took his first grand prix win for Renault in 2003, laid down the fastest lap of the day on a sultry afternoon at the Hungaroring.
Renault's Finnish rookie Heikki Kovalainen was second fastest, 0.364 seconds slower, with Alonso's championship leading team mate Lewis Hamilton third.
Hamilton, the 22-year-old rookie sensation who is two points ahead of Alonso with seven races remaining, ended the afternoon session with his car stuck in the gravel after spinning off five minutes from the end.
Poland's Robert Kubica, the 22-year-old BMW Sauber driver returning to the track where he made his Formula One debut last year, was fastest in the morning with a lap of 1:22.390.
Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa was second in that session, ahead of team mate Kimi Raikkonen.
Massa is nine points adrift of Alonso while Raikkonen is 18 off the lead.
McLaren are 27 points ahead of Ferrari, with whom they are embroiled in an increasingly bitter spying controversy, in the constructors' championship.
Kubica has bittersweet memories of last year's race in Hungary, drafted in as a replacement for Canadian Jacques Villeneuve who was then dropped altogether following the Pole's strong showing.
Kubica finished seventh in that race but was disqualified when the car was found to be underweight at the finish.
"Last year was a pretty up and down weekend for me here," he said on his return. "This year I hope for a better weekend. The car is performing much better this year and we are looking pretty strong.
"And of course probably a lot of Polish fans will come so I'm really looking forward to it."
Briton Jenson Button, who took the first grand prix win of his career with Honda in Hungary last season but has scored just one point this year, was eighth quickest in the morning but 16th in the afternoon.
Germany's Sebastian Vettel, who scored a point on his Formula One debut with BMW as a replacement for Kubica at this year's US Grand Prix, made a first appearance for Toro Rosso.
He was faster than Italian team mate Vitantonio Liuzzi in the morning but a fraction slower after lunch.
Japan's Sakon Yamamoto also returned to the grand prix paddock, signed up by tail-enders Spyker for the rest of the season in place of dropped Dutchman Christijan Albers.
Yamamoto, who had not driven a Formula One car at a race weekend since his last appearance for Super Aguri in Brazil last October, was slowest in both sessions.
- REUTERS
