Friday Free Practice - US GP

Jarno Trulli topped the times for the Renault team for the second time on Friday morning when after finishing quickest in the private testing run he went out and set the best time in a rain-hit first free practice session for Sunday's United States Grand Prix.

The Italian, who had been clearly revelling in the anonymity he enjoyed in downtown Indianapolis in the days preceding the Grand Prix, clocked a best time of 1:11.153.

That put him 0.186 clear of second placed Williams-BMW driver German Ralf Schumacher who thus announced his comeback after an injury-enforced break in the best possible fashion.

Frenchman Olivier Panis was third for Toyota as three Michelin-clad cars topped the lists ahead of the two Bridgestone-clad Ferraris of Rubens Barrichello, fourth, and Michael Schumacher, fifth.

Fernando Alonso, in his Renault, was sixth, again on Michelin as the French rubber manufacturer lived up to its promise of performing very competitively in Indiana.

Five-times champion Michael Schumacher was fastest of the three contenders for this year's title. Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, who had a big following of Hispanic fans in the crowd, was eighth quickest for Williams BMW and Kimi Raikkonen of Finland ninth for McLaren-Mercedes Benz.

The three contenders posed for a photo-call on the bricks on the main straight, with Bernie Ecclestone, at the end of the session. Schumacher, in an impish gesture, pulled off his Ferrari cap and planted it on Ecclestone's head as the flashbulbs went off.

It was a brief moment of levity as the mood grew more serious and competitive and the skies darkened.

On a cool and cloudy day, it was little surprise that the free practice session was halted by a car stranded out on the circuit and then interrupted by the arrival of steady rain.

German Ralf Schumacher, making his comeback to competitive action after pulling out of practice at the Italian Grand Prix, was the early pace-setter in his Williams-BMW in dry conditions.

The session was red-flagged to a halt after 22 minutes when the luckless Italian Giancarlo Fisichella pulled his Jordan-Ford to a halt on the straight, smoke obscuring any clear view of his car as he climbed out.

Jordan team technical director Gary Anderson said that Fisichella had suffered a morning of oil and gearbox problems from the start.

The job of clearing his car from the circuit meant that there was a 20-minutes interruption to the session before it re-started.

When it did re-begin, in earnest, the rain fell and soon afterwards Ralf Schumacher skidded off the circuit and came back on again at turn eight on the infield section. One minute later, Ralph Firman pulled off and stopped at turn 10 in the second Jordan, his difficulties warning of a difficult weekend ahead for the team.

They had struggled badly during the morning's private testing session, finishing up sixth and seventh of the 11 runners with the Swede Bjorn Wirdheim winding up 11th and last.

Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Trulli Renault (M) 1:11.153 212.095 km/h 18 2. R.Schumacher Williams BMW (M) 1:11.339 + 0.186 22 3. Panis Toyota (M) 1:11.388 + 0.235 20 4. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 1:11.499 + 0.346 22 5. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1:11.656 + 0.503 22 6. Alonso Renault (M) 1:11.692 + 0.539 24 7. Webber Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1:11.794 + 0.641 21 8. Montoya Williams BMW (M) 1:11.842 + 0.689 19 9. Raikkonen McLaren Mercedes (M) 1:11.876 + 0.723 26 10. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes (M) 1:11.967 + 0.814 27 11. da Matta Toyota (M) 1:12.084 + 0.931 23 12. Button BAR Honda (B) 1:12.331 + 1.178 28 13. Wilson Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1:12.387 + 1.234 18 14. Villeneuve BAR Honda (B) 1:12.656 + 1.503 29 15. Fisichella Jordan Ford (B) 1:12.849 + 1.696 8 16. Firman Jordan Ford (B) 1:13.167 + 2.014 19 17. Kiesa Minardi Cosworth (B) 1:13.537 + 2.384 19 18. Heidfeld Sauber Petronas (B) 1:13.601 + 2.448 20 19. Frentzen Sauber Petronas (B) 1:13.881 + 2.728 22 20. Verstappen Minardi Cosworth (B) 1:18.255 + 7.102 15 All Timing Unofficial