Just as was the case a week ago in Fuji, today during the first day of practice for the Chinese Grand Prix, the two F2008s completed a total distance equivalent to two races in the three hours of free practice available.

The two Friday sessions at all Grands Prix are very much viewed as a test session, after which the teams are allowed to change engines and gearboxes prior to Saturday morning, when they must revert to those units verified by the FIA scrutineers. Therefore there is no need to think about "taking care" of these components and with this in mind, the two Prancing Horse cars were given free rein to complete high mileages, with a total of more than two race distances covered by the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro drivers today. The trend of the day was that our closest championship rivals might have got out of the starting gates slightly quicker than us at the start of practice, but then the situation became more balanced, even if this is not the story told by the time sheets. Series leader Lewis Hamilton ended the day fastest for McLaren-Mercedes, the only driver to go under the 1m 36 second barrier at the challenging and spectacular Shanghai International Circuit. Second and third places went to the newly revived Renault team, buoyed by victories for Fernando Alonso in the last two races in Singapore and in Fuji just a few days ago. The Spaniard was second, with Nelson Piquet third. The Toyota of Jarno Trulli was fourth with Mark Webber fifth for Red Bull. Felipe was sixth fastest in the afternoon, commenting that they were working in the right direction and the car had improved considerably over the day. The Ferrari engine of Sebastien Bourdais' car helped the Toro Rosso man to seventh spot ahead of Kimi Raikkonen in eighth. Our Finn celebrates his twenty ninth birthday today and evidently, the Chinese crowd is quite knowledgeable as there were some crowd banners acknowledging the fact.

Just as was the case a week ago in Fuji, today during the first day of practice for the Chinese Grand Prix, the two F2008s completed a total distance equivalent to two races in the three hours of free practice available. The Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro drivers, Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa did a total of 112 laps (57 for the former, 55 the latter,) double the distance they will have to cover during Sunday afternoon's race. "Today, we completed our usual Friday work, concentrating solely on fine tuning set-up on both cars and on the comparison of the two types of tyres Bridgestone has brought here," commented Team Principal of the Gestione Sportiva, Stefano Domenicali. "We covered a big distance without experiencing any problems. It is always difficult to deliver an instant verdict. We played our part, but I have to say that our main rivals seem to be pretty much on the ball. Now we have to look at all the data acquired to be as well prepared as possible for tomorrow's qualifying, which as usual will be crucial."

Felipe Massa: "We did a good job and I think we will be competitive at the track. The performance level improved bit by bit as the track got more grip. In the first session, the car was a bit twitchy but then, especially in the second part of the afternoon session, its handling improved. I think we are working in the right direction in terms of car set-up. My aim for the weekend? Obviously I'll be trying to win or at least to get as many points as possible."

Kimi Raikkonen: "It was nice to see so many fans in the grandstands to celebrate my birthday. As usual it's difficult to judge the relative strengths of the teams just by looking at the results sheets. At the start, it could have been that our main rivals were quicker but then the situation seemed to balance out and I think that's how it will be for the rest of the weekend. Overall, the car's not bad even if there are still some areas that need to be improved."

Luca Baldisserri: "A Friday just like any other: the only difference worthy of note was the wind which changed in direction and intensity, thus making our track work a bit tricky at times. As for the rest, we got through everything on our programme, which means finding the best set-up on the two F2008s and the comparison, both over a single lap and over a distance, of the two types of tyre we have at this Grand Prix. We definitely face a day of hard work to be as well prepared as possible for the rest of the weekend."

Free practice - First session

F. Massa: 2nd 1.36.020 24 laps chassis 269
K. Raikkonen: 3rd 1.36.052 23 laps chassis 270
Weather: air 24/26 °C, track 25/28 °C. Partially cloudy.

Free Practice - Second session

F. Massa: 6th 1.18.491 40 laps chassis 269
K. Raikkonen: 8th 1.18.725 39 laps chassis 270
Weather: air 26/25 °C, track 29/28 °C. Partially cloudy.