Prac 2: Davidson edges JB

The session began as a BAR-Honda show and ended the same way as the hard-charging Davidson put in a blistering lap to repeat his top form from morning practice. His best lap of 1m33.289s was 0.885 seconds faster than Button and more than two seconds quicker than he had gone in first practice.

The Briton was lucky his session was not brought to an abrupt end after an early spin in the first 10 minutes of the session. Eager marshals were quick to get him moving again and he was able to resume. Just minutes later, though, and team-mate Takuma Sato hit trouble, his though of a more serious nature for the Japanese driver suffered a blown Honda engine just before the entry to the pits. It came despite covering just nine laps in the first session earlier today (Friday). Sato will be docked 10 places after Saturday's qualifying session.

BAR's Jenson Button gave the team a glimmer of hope just a few minutes later, though, by topping the times with a 1m36.126s lap.

The Briton was forced to relinquish the top spot, though, first to Sauber's Felipe Massa and then to Kimi Raikkonen, who was out on track setting lap times in the first quarter of an hour, unlike the first session when he completed just five laps. Button reclaimed his place at the top only for Raikkonen to snatch it back. Button then sliced nearly half a second off to take it back only for team-mate Davidson to beat the squabbling duo.

Button had to settle for second while Raikkonen was third to prove that a lack of mileage in first practice would not hinder his pace. Team-mate David Coulthard consolidated the McLaren effort with the fourth quickest time while Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello and Sauber's Giancarlo Fisichella were the fastest Bridgestone runners on track in fifth and sixth respectively.

The Schumacher brothers were seventh and eighth respectively, both improved on their times in the first session, but were unable to make any inroads on their rivals up ahead.

Juan Pablo Montoya had a scrappy session in the second Williams-BMW running wide and sliding all over the place. The Colombian finished the session down in 14th. Renault's Jacques Villeneuve didn't fare much better, the French-Canadian seemed unable to find a balance on the R24 and could manage no better than 15th.

Team-mate Fernando Alonso was only two places higher than him in the charts, though, the team obviously struggling on this first day.