McLaren: Fuel if you think it’s over

David Coulthard was fourth quickest in today's sessions, 0.4secs quicker than fifth-placed Mika Hakkinen. They were headed by the Ferraris of Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher, plus Jarno Trulli's surprisingly swift Jordan-Honda.

Team boss Ron Dennis, who hit back earlier this week about rumours of constant reliability problems, suggested the McLarens were running heavier than the opposition in Friday's Free Practice sessions.

"As always on Friday, the lap times merely reflect the different fuel loads," he said. "Our performance appears to be quite good and reasonably consistent."

Mercedes motorsport chief Norbert Haug backed up Dennis's comments: "We learned a lot today and had a trouble free opening for the new season. Obviously it is difficult to judge where we are in comparison to our competitors. David's and Mika's positions today do not necessarily reflect what they can achieve tomorrow [Saturday]."

Coulthard was also buoyant after the session, despite trailing the team's arch enemy and a rank outsider: "I'm pleased with our performance today. Considering the levels of fuel we were running I'm comfortable with where we are at the moment."

Hakkinen, who went off on to the grass during the second session, added: "I managed to achieve a good feel for the circuit and get the balance of the car to a level which can help us ensure we are on the front row for Sunday's race."