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FUJI - Formula One leader Lewis Hamilton showed he learns as fast as he drives yesterday, lapping quickest in Japanese Grand Prix free practice at the new Fuji circuit.
The 22-year-old British rookie, who had never seen the circuit before he walked around it with his McLaren mechanics
for the first time on Thursday, lapped in one minute and 18.734 seconds.
Double world champion team mate and title rival Fernando Alonso was next on the timesheets, 0.214 seconds slower, with Ferrari's Felipe Massa third.
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, the third man in a title battle dominated by Hamilton and Alonso, had been quickest in a bright morning session with a time of 1:19.333.
Massa, whose slender title hopes could finally fade away this weekend, was second fastest in that opening hour and a half long stint.
"It's obviously always a challenge to get to know a new track, but I have tried that three times this year already," said Hamilton, who leads Alonso by two points with three races left.
Alonso said he was not paying too much attention to the times.
"We saw in the last couple of races in P1 (first practice) Ferrari are very quick, in P2 we are very quick and then on Saturday we are fighting for pole position in one tenth all four drivers," he said.
"So I expect tomorrow will be again very, very close."
Close fight
Raikkonen, who led a Ferrari one-two at the previous Belgian Grand Prix, is 13 points adrift of Hamilton. Massa is a further seven behind his team mate.
"It's very early to say where we are compared to our main rivals but in any case, I think it will be a very close fight," said the Finn.
Toyota-owned Fuji, which last hosted a Formula One grand prix in 1977 when McLaren's James Hunt won a crash-scarred race that killed two fans, has replaced Honda's Suzuka circuit after an extensive revamp.
Italian Jarno Trulli gave big-spending Toyota, coming to the end of their sixth season in Formula One without a win, something to smile about with the fourth best time in the afternoon.
"I am confident about our chances and tomorrow I expect again to be fighting in the top 10 in qualifying," said Trulli.
Germany's Nico Rosberg, who had been fifth fastest for Toyota-powered Williams in the morning, suffered a setback when his team confirmed he would take a 10-place penalty on Sunday's starting grid due to an engine change.
Although drivers do not use their race engines in Friday practice, a day that is exempt from the rule forcing drivers to use their engines for two races in a row, the one used by Rosberg in Belgium was found to be damaged.
Williams are chasing Renault for third place in the constructors' championship, with the outgoing champions 11 points ahead.
Ferrari have already won the title after McLaren were stripped of their 2007 constructors' points and fined a record $100 million for having Ferrari technical information in their possession.
- REUTERS