Practice 3: Schu back on top

Renault's Fernando Alonso broke into the 1m13s barrier for the first time in the Canadian Grand Prix weekend this morning in free practice at Montreal, but Ferrari's Michael Schumacher beat his time by just 0.081sec to top the timesheets

Alonso set his 1m13.946s lap after just three tours of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, but Schumacher topped it with 1m13.865s on his last lap of the session. Jenson Button was also in the hunt for BAR, just failing to make it into the 13s with a 1m14.047s. His team-mate Takuma Sato, who set the pace yesterday, failed to record a time after his car required a major adjustment which required the removal of the engine.

Rubens Barrichello was fourth fastest, but embarked on a scary flight at Turn 8 when he took too much kerb which launched the Ferrari into the air. The chassis was damaged in the impact, and Barrichello will now use the spare for the rest of the weekend.

Jarno Trulli was fifth for Renault, ahead of the McLarens of Kimi Raikkonen and David Coulthard. Williams duo Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher again failed to shine, ending the session eighth and ninth respectively. Montoya also suffered a big spin at Turn 6.

Toyota and Sauber look set for a massive scrap for the final spots in the top 10. Giancarlo Fisichella and Felipe Massa were 10th and 12th for Sauber, while Toyota's Cristiano da Matta and Oliver Panis were 11th and 13th.

In the Jordan camp, Nick Heidfeld was kept on his toes by grand prix newboy Timo Glock. Heidfeld's 1m16.305 was six-tenths faster than the German.