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SAO PAULO : Local hero Felipe Massa of Ferrari was happy with his efforts Friday after clocking the second-best time behind two-time world champion Fernando Alonso in practice for Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix.
The 27-year-old Sao Paulo-born Brazilian was equally delighted with both his own speed and the fact that championship-leading Briton Lewis Hamilton of McLaren was down in ninth place.
Alonso, of Renault, threw a 'spanner in the works' when he clocked the fastest time in second free - but that was not as big a surprise as Hamilton's mediocre afternoon performance.
The Renault driver, who won two of the last three races in an end of season resurgence, secured the top spot with an inspired effort in the closing seconds to outpace home hero Felipe Massa.
Massa is bidding to win and close a seven points deficit on Hamilton.
Massa said: "For sure, we are much more competitive and always when you are competitive it is even better for motivation.
"So, I think it was a good start. We were very strong, very competitive and the pace was very good. In the last race Lewis was very strong on the Friday and today it was the opposite.
"It shows that our car is much more competitive than in Shanghai and that is for sure a very good start.
"We don't have any points yet, but I think we did a good job to set up the car. I think we found the direction, we found a good balance straight away."
Asked about Hamilton, he said: "On a Friday we need to get ready for the battle, but it is always good to be in front. Maybe they can still improve, we need to be ready for the battle and as I said, today was a good day."
Massa added: "We need the weather, we need Fernando and we need the BMWs. So we need everything to come together for me to have a chance."
Hamilton who needs to finish only fifth or better to become the youngest champion and the first black champion in F1 history, finished up with the ninth best time after a session spent evaluating tyres and set-ups ahead of the race.
He said: "Our car was blindingly quick this morning despite the cold weather, which made the track feel quite slippery.
"But this afternoon we focused on our race pace - but we were interrupted by the threat of rain and the changeable wind direction. I flat-spotted my tyres on a couple of runs, but I'm positive that the changes we've made will put us in a good position for tomorrow."
Flu-struck Italian veteran Jarno Trulli was third fastest for Toyota in the afternoon run ahead of Massa's Ferrari team-mate outgoing champion Finn Kimi Raikkonen.
Trulli said he had risen from his sick bed to clock the third-best time after staying in his room on Thursday.
He said: "I was ill with the flu yesterday so I took the time to rest in order to help me recover. Today I have been feeling better and I was able to drive with no problems.
"We had a good Friday session in general, going through the set-up work and looking at tyre choice for the race. We worked on balancing the car and we had some success."
Hamilton was never as competitive as he had been in the morning session and lapped more than half a second slower than he had in the earlier period.
He was also not involved in the rush at the end of the session when the top time was claimed by Massa, then Trulli and German Nico Rosberg of Williams, before Alonso leapt to the top.
Much of the afternoon's running was spoilt by steady drizzle that led to many drivers spinning on the track and it was when Alonso switched back to softer tyres for a final run that he claimed his best time.
Alonso said: "The day has gone well. We have been able to complete our programme without any problems and we have recorded lots of interesting data. We still need to work hard to improve the car in time for tomorrow, but I'm pleased with my day."
Hamilton's McLaren team-mate Finn Heikki Kovalainen was only able to clock the 15th best time as the team concentrated on their own programme of preparations rather than trade times.
Earlier, in the morning session, Massa had clocked the fastest time ahead of Hamilton.
- AFP /ls
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