Double whammy for Benetton

Giancarlo Fisichella was forced to conclude his practice sessions early when his Renault V10 expired in a haze of smoke due to a failure with its water system. Jenson Button, meanwhile, was forced out minutes later with a fuel leak that sparked a spectacular fire.

"I was quite quick until the engine problem," said Fisichella. "I just lost power and that was it for my session. We have lost some very important set-up time, but I'm quite optimistic for tomorrow."

Fisichella will start his final Grand Prix for the Benetton team in Japan on Sunday after a four-year relationship with the Enstone squad.

"I'm honestly very sad to be leaving the team," he said. "I have a good feeling about the guys here and about the car. I'm aiming to qualify in the top 10 tomorrow [Saturday] and score points if possible."

Button said: "We have made some major improvements with the brakes, which was good. This morning my car had a bit of understeer, but we sorted that out and afterwards the set-up was good."