Hakkinen happy to be back on top

Mika Hakkinen shot back to the top of the time sheets during Friday practice for the US Grand Prix and handed himself an early birthday present as the Finn attempts to win the final two races of the year before his sabbatical in 2002

Hakkinen, 33 today (Saturday) and heading for a year off and perhaps retirement after the final round of the championship in Japan next month, was jubilant after heading practice at the end of the first day at Indianapolis.

"Today was a great day," said an enthusiastic Hakkinen. "And not just because it was my birthday."

The McLaren ace's fortunes did a complete about face on a day which started by his car breaking on his very first lap. He was only able to complete four laps during the first hour of running, but came back to beat rival Michael Schumacher to the top spot in the second session.

"We did good with the car and it responded well to the changes," he said. "The balance is really good. The day didn't start well because we had technical problems and lost most of the first hour, but later we made up for it. Then the mechanics did a great job to change the engine in 35 minutes."

Hakkinen was almost two-tenths of a second clear of Schumacher while the German's Ferrari team mate Rubens Barrichello was third.

David Coulthard was fourth quickest in the second McLaren after finishing in second spot after the first hour. The Scot urged caution at reading too much into the practice times and said they could end up meaning nothing.

"I don't want to sound like a broken record, but the fact is that we don't know what level of fuel our competitors are running," said Coulthard. "We know where we are, but we don't know what it means compared to their [Ferrari's] times."

For combined practice results, click here.