Kovalainen glad to be back in action

And the Finn showed no problems getting back to speed after his crash, finishing as second fastest in first practice for the Turkish Grand Prix.

In the afternoon session the McLaren driver dropped down to fifth, but was still delighted to be back behind the wheel.

"It was nice to get back in the car again and everything was fine," he said. "I was on the pace immediately and was able to set some consistent lap times.

"At the end of the first session I went out on the option tyre but the brake temperature was not quite right, so I was not able to go flat out in that run.

"The second session went smoothly as well, and we focused on tyre evaluation with some long runs as well as looking at the set-up. A very productive and positive day."

McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton was second fastest in the afternoon, just 0.036 seconds behind Ferrari rival Kimi Raikkonen.

The Briton admitted he was pleased with his day's work.

"We focused on tyre evaluation and set-up work today and so far things are not looking too bad," said Hamilton. "Everybody lost a bit of running time in the first session as the track was still wet in places after cleaning. This circuit is constantly evolving which is challenging but also enjoyable.

"In the first session I stayed on the same set of tyres throughout and experienced no problems. In my last run of the day I put on a new set of tyres but had a small moment which cost me some time. Overall I am pleased with our initial pace and consistency."