Friday First Free Practice - British GP

Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello topped the times in Friday's opening practice session for the British Grand Prix as his World Champion teammate Michael Schumacher spun off and the debt-ridden Arrows team failed to make it on track.

As rain continuously drizzled onto the track at the cloudy Silverstone circuit, Barrichello shone as Schumacher sat watching by the side of the track following an early spin at Abbey which left him sidelined for the session.

Brazilian Barrichello's time of 1:33.531 was 1.213 seconds faster than closest rival Jenson Button, in the Renault, who was followed by David Coulthard's McLaren as British drivers claimed two of the top three spots.

The rain strengthened as the session came to a close to leave Finn Kimi Raikkonen fourth fastest as all the cars returned to the pits to finish the session in their garages.

Ulsterman Eddie Irvine was fifth in the newly-modified Jaguar, with his teammate Pedro de la Rosa seventh behind Jordan's Giancarlo Fisichella, but it remains to be seen what the true performance improvement the changes will give.

Schumacher's spin on the damp track saw him come to a halt under the bridge at Bridge corner and his car was pushed into a safe position before he got out and watched the rest of the session in a deck chair.

His Williams-BMW rival Juan Pablo Montoya, of Colombia, also hit trouble when his engine blew mid way through the session and he finished 12th, while Fisichella and Sauber's Felipe Massa both spun twice.

Canadian Jacques Villeneuve was eighth fastest ahead of Jordan's Takuma Sato, with the Sauber of Nick Heidfeld completing the top ten as Ralf Schumacher's usual Friday form for Williams-BMW saw him down in 16th position.

The Arrows pair of Brazilian Enrique Bernoldi and German Heinz-Harald Frentzen were both present with their cars in the garage but they were unable to get out on track.

It is understood that money owed to engine suppliers Cosworth has still not been paid and they will not be able to get on track until it is handed over, because Cosworth will not give the team the electronic boxes required to run the engines.

Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 1:33.531 197.877 km/h 9 2. Button Renault (M) 1:34.744 + 1.213 14 3. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes (M) 1:35.295 + 1.764 10 4. Raikkonen McLaren Mercedes (M) 1:35.407 + 1.876 13 5. Irvine Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1:35.682 + 2.151 15 6. de la Rosa Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1:36.287 + 2.756 13 7. Fisichella Jordan Honda (B) 1:36.325 + 2.794 13 8. Villeneuve BAR Honda (B) 1:36.603 + 3.072 14 9. Sato Jordan Honda (B) 1:36.641 + 3.110 14 10. Heidfeld Sauber Petronas (B) 1:36.661 + 3.130 8 11. Trulli Renault (M) 1:37.204 + 3.673 13 12. Montoya Williams BMW (M) 1:37.651 + 4.120 5 13. Panis BAR Honda (B) 1:37.762 + 4.231 8 14. Massa Sauber Petronas (B) 1:37.774 + 4.243 7 15. Webber Minardi Asiatech (M) 1:37.858 + 4.327 16 16. R.Schumacher Williams BMW (M) 1:38.744 + 5.213 10 17. McNish Toyota (M) 1:39.137 + 5.606 15 18. Yoong Minardi Asiatech (M) 1:43.108 + 9.577 15 19. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) no time 20. Salo Toyota (M) no time 21. Frentzen Arrows Cosworth (M) no time 22. Bernoldi Arrows Cosworth (M) no time All Timing Unofficial