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SAO PAULO, Brazil : World championship rivals and Brawn GP team-mates Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello said they were cautiously confident of success Friday after opening practice for Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix.
Button, who needs only to finish in the top three to lift the drivers' title, wound up fifth at the end of the day, two places behind local hero Barrichello.
Ferrari-bound, two-time champion Fernando Alonso topped the charts after a flying late lap for Renault in the closing seconds.
Button, who has made clear he is staying calm despite so much expectation, said: "We achieved more running than we had expected today with just a few little showers rather than the rain that was forecast.
"That was good because it gave us some time to assess things properly. The car seems to be working well on the prime tyre, which is encouraging and the pace was good.
I'm struggling a little with the balance on the option tyre over one timed lap so hopefully we can resolve that overnight to be ready for qualifying."
Barrichello, boosted by great support from his home city fans, said: "It's great to finally get the track action underway and I'm pleased with our progress and happy to be starting my home Grand Prix weekend at the top end of the field.
"But our main focus here today was on evaluating our set-up for the race and whilst the times may not have always looked competitive, the data that we gathered will be very useful when we study all the options this evening.
"For me, the car felt better when we put the softer option tyre on towards the end of the day and I was able to put in a good lap. So I am happy with the way things are going."
Team chief Ross Brawn, who needs just half a point to celebrate the constructors' title, added: "We had two good practice sessions today and are reasonably happy with our position at the end of the day.
"The balance of the cars improved this afternoon and both Rubens and Jenson are fairly comfortable with the set-up over longer runs.
"We still have some work to do overnight and ahead of qualifying to ensure that we achieve the best one-lap pace tomorrow. And after that, who knows?"
- AFP /ls
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