Raikkonen hit by engine failure

McLaren can win the title on Sunday if they finish one-two, as they did at the last race in Brazil, with Renault failing to score more than a point. Otherwise the title will be decided in Shanghai on October 16. The engine failure will cost Raikkonen 10 places on the starting grid, the fourth such penalty he has suffered this year.

“Obviously I’m disappointed with the engine failure,” said the Finn, a winner six times this year but already beaten to the drivers’ title by Renault’s Fernando Alonso. However, we managed to get some running in the second practice and there is still plenty of time left tomorrow morning.”

Raikkonen pulled off the track halfway through the session with smoke and flames coming from his engine. He was hit by similar misfortune in France, Britain and Italy but still finished on the podium in the first two.

McLaren’s Spanish test driver Pedro de la Rosa posted the fastest time in the first one-hour session, lapping the Honda-owned circuit in one minute 30.532 seconds and 0.543 faster than Toyota’s Brazilian reserve Ricardo Zonta.

Zonta, who was driving an older specification car than team mates Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli, was quickest in the wet second session in 1:30.682 ahead of Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher and De la Rosa. “The ‘B’ car is a slight improvement on the TF105 that we have been running this year and the balance felt okay today so it should be good for Sunday,” said Ralf.

Briton Jenson Button, in a Honda-powered BAR, was the quickest race driver in the morning with the third best lap more than a second and a half slower than De la Rosa. “A quick downpour at the end of the session gave us an early opportunity to try the wet tyres, which is just as well because I think we’ll be needing those tomorrow,” said Button of the afternoon run.

Alonso, who became Formula One’s youngest champion at the last race in Brazil, lapped sixth fastest in the morning and eighth in the afternoon.

Ferrari, who have won the last five races at Suzuka, looked out of sorts in the first session with seven-Times world champion Schumacher languishing in 18th place and Brazilian Rubens Barrichello 16th.

Narain’s prayers answered

The weather gods granted Narain Karthikeyan’s wishes as it poured heavily at the Suzuka circuit, but it soon turned out to be more than what the Indian had asked for on the first day of free practice at the Japanese Grand Prix here. An excessively wet track combined with minor work needed on the car meant that Karthikeyan lost out valuable lap time, denting an otherwise satisfying day at office for the Jordan driver.

“I had a first good session this morning but then in the afternoon I lost of bit of time as we wanted to change some parts of the car and also because the rain started,” said the 28-year old Indian.

— Reuters