They say that every cloud has a silver lining and in the case of Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, the cloud comes from the fact that Felipe Massa had to have a new engine for this race and therefore drops ten places on the grid. The silver lining is that a fresher engine meant the Brazilian was able to do more laps today than Michael Schumacher - 40 to 21 and thus was able to carry out a useful evaluation of the Bridgestone tyres.

As usual in Malaysia the heat, but especially the humidity, is the main point of conversation and makes life very tiring, not only for the drivers but also for the mechanics who probably work harder on a Friday than at any other time of a grand prix weekend. The Scuderia crew was rewarded for its efforts with a strong performance from both its drivers, as Felipe and Michael ended the day in fourth and seventh places respectively.

Two Friday-only test drivers, Anthony Davidson for the Honda team and Alexander Wurz for Williams-Cosworth, topped this afternoon's time sheet, ahead of the Renault of F1 World Champion Fernando Alonso in third spot. In between Massa and Schumacher, fifth place goes to the McLaren-Mercedes of Kimi Raikkonen and sixth, to the second Renault of Italian Giancarlo Fisichella. In general, the two Ferrari drivers' were happy with their performance and consistency, which backs up Schumacher's contention that the team's Bahrain performance last weekend was not just down to the fact the team tested extensively at that track in February.

Tomorrow's official qualifying session will present an interesting challenge for the team's strategy experts, as Massa's qualifying fuel load has to take into account the fact he will drop ten places down the grid because of his engine-change penalty.

Jean Todt: "I am happy to be here in Malaysia, a country which in recent years I have really learnt to love and that I find fascinating. As usual, Friday is mainly for comparing the two kinds of Bridgestone tyres we have available. Today this work was done mainly by Felipe, because, unfortunately, he had to fit a fresh engine on his car. The track results seem to have confirmed the considerable potential that was shown by the cars and the Bridgestone tyres in Bahrain and during the winter testing. We're competitive in race trim and we count on looking good in qualifying tomorrow as well in that I think that, as on the Sakhir circuit last week, it's going to be a close battle for pole. As usual here in Malaysia the weather conditions are tough for the cars, the drivers and for the people working in the pits."
 

Michael Schumacher: "In general we're pleased with the way things went during free practice. Towards the end of the session we managed to improve the balance of the car. As far as times are concerned, apart from what the third drivers do, who do a different job compared to the others, I think that the situation is quite clear. I could have been a bit quicker with my new tyres when I went out on my first run, but I lost a lot of time in a corner of the third sector. The consistency of the Bridgestone tyres looks pretty good, which of course is very important. The actual time recorded is of less importance at this stage because the times improve as the weekend progresses. I reckon that we're competitive and that, like in Bahrain, here in Malaysia we can fight for pole position and for a win on Sunday."

Felipe Massa: "I think it went very well. We worked for the race by doing quite a few long runs. The car went well both with used and new tyres and I am very pleased with our race pace. In my opinion we have a good car for the race. Qualifying will of course be a bit difficult for me because I have to pay the price for the engine change, but considering the pace we had during the long run, I think we're in good shape for a good result on Sunday."

Ross Brawn: "I'd say that it was a good day during which we made a really extensive assessment of the two Bridgestone tyres we had available. The overall balance of the 248F1 is very good. There are a couple of details we need to sort out but we've got plenty of time to do it. The drivers were quite happy with the cars that looked very consistent."

Malaysia Free practice - First session: Michael Schumacher: 6th 1.37.043 4 laps chassis 253; Felipe Massa: 7th 1.37.557 18 laps chassis 252; Temperatures: air 31/32°C, track 37/39°C

Malaysia Free practice - Second session; Felipe Massa: 4th 1.35.924 22 laps chassis 252; Michael Schumacher: 7th 1.36.617 17 laps chassis 253; Temperatures: air 34°C, track 42/43°C