SHANGHAI, Sept 29 - Title rivals Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso were
separated by barely the blink of an eye after a damp start to the Chinese Grand
Prix weekend on Friday.
Less than a 10th of a second split Ferrari's seven times world champion,
fifth fastest in the afternoon practice session at a grey and gusty Shanghai
circuit, and Renault's championship leader.
Alonso is two points clear of his German rival in a Formula One duel with
three rounds remaining and every likelihood of hanging in the balance all the
way to next month's finale in Brazil.
The Spaniard won in China last season, while Schumacher had a nightmare and
spun out, but Ferrari have triumphed in five of the last six races.
"Compared to last year, we are much more competitive and we hope to be able
to pay back the fans with a better result than back then," Schumacher told
reporters.
"The fight with our closest rivals seems to be very tight, even if we have
not yet had time to take a close look at all the data," added the 37-year-old
German, who is retiring at the end of the season.
"I like driving at this track. It is very tough with a big variety of corner
types."
Ferrari are three points clear of Renault in the constructors' standings but
their hopes of increasing that lead were hit when Felipe Massa suffered an
engine failure in the second session.
The unscheduled engine change meant the Brazilian will be demoted 10 places
on Sunday's starting grid.
DESERTED GRANDSTANDS
Schumacher and Alonso had kept out of each other's way in the morning, with
the young Spaniard watching and waiting from the pit wall as a string of test
drivers lapped in front of almost deserted grandstands.
Austrian reserve driver Alexander Wurz was quickest for Williams in both
sessions, with a lap of one minute 35.574 seconds in the morning and 1:35.539 in
the afternoon as the weather deteriorated into a steady drizzle.
"I think we need to be a bit cautious analysing the times because the
conditions today are quite different to what we expect for the race," Alonso
said.
"But so far the Michelins (tyres) seem to be working well"
German teenager Sebastian Vettel, who has set an impressive pace in his two
previous Friday appearances for BMW Sauber, was second on the afternoon
timesheets.
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