Friday Free Practice - Austrian GP

Scot David Coulthard posted the fastest time of Friday practice for the Austrian Grand Prix as he and Renault driver Jarno Trulli claimed the top two positions ahead of Sunday's race.

Coulthard, whose Championship bid has stuttered after he claimed victory in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, set a time of 1:08.836 to lead Trulli by one tenth of a second.

Trulli's position gave his Anglo-French outfit renewed hope after they played down their chances of success this weekend despite an impressive performance in Barcelona. Trulli, who qualified fourth in Spain, finished just ahead of Brazilian Antonio Pizzonia after the Jaguar driver pushed World Champion Michael Schumacher down to fourth in the final seconds of the session.

Pizzonia's teammate, Australian Mark Webber, continued his good form for Jaguar by setting the fifth fastest time, just 0.187 seconds behind Coulthard, with Spaniard Fernando Alonso sixth for Renault. Briton Jenson Button was seventh for BAR Honda, with German Nick Heidfeld eighth in the Sauber, Button's Canadian teammate Jacques Villeneuve ninth and Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya completing the top ten.

Heidfeld was the first of several drivers to make a mistake at the Mobilkom Kurve when he went off the track after 10 minutes and Pizzonia and Michael Schumacher both followed during the session.

Ralf Schumacher, who finished 13th, struggled to get to grips with the Jochen Rindt corner, on which he went off twice and kicked dirt onto the track, while the Remus Kurve caught out Barrichello and Briton Justin Wilson.

Brazilian Cristiano da Matta made a mistake at the Niki Lauda corner and then Michael Schumacher was once again caught out by the final corner, Mobilkom, and Heinz-Harald Frentzen also spun there as the session headed into the final ten minutes.

Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes (M) 1:08.836 226.242 km/h 22 2. Trulli Renault (M) 1:08.944 + 0.108 28 3. Pizzonia Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1:08.961 + 0.125 17 4. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1:08.968 + 0.132 33 5. Webber Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1:09.023 + 0.187 26 6. Alonso Renault (M) 1:09.071 + 0.235 25 7. Button BAR Honda (B) 1:09.374 + 0.538 28 8. Heidfeld Sauber Petronas (B) 1:09.374 + 0.538 26 9. Villeneuve BAR Honda (B) 1:09.429 + 0.593 23 10. Montoya Williams BMW (M) 1:09.530 + 0.694 27 11. Frentzen Sauber Petronas (B) 1:09.800 + 0.964 25 12. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 1:09.826 + 0.990 30 13. R.Schumacher Williams BMW (M) 1:09.961 + 1.125 23 14. Raikkonen McLaren Mercedes (M) 1:10.019 + 1.183 27 15. Fisichella Jordan Ford (B) 1:10.089 + 1.253 20 16. Firman Jordan Ford (B) 1:10.296 + 1.460 24 17. da Matta Toyota (M) 1:10.494 + 1.658 27 18. Panis Toyota (M) 1:10.504 + 1.668 20 19. Verstappen Minardi Cosworth (B) 1:10.903 + 2.067 14 20. Wilson Minardi Cosworth (B) 1:11.060 + 2.224 16 All Timing Unofficial