Private test: Trulli fastest, but only just

Renault's out-going test and reserve driver McNish was only eclipsed at the top of the times late-on when Trulli, who escaped a run across the grass at Turn One while passing a Jaguar, and Alonso both set times less than 0.3s faster and within a thousandth of each other!

Fellow Michelin runners Jaguar Racing were fourth and fifth fastest with Mark Webber again heading Justin Wilson, who has never driven on the Indy GP circuit before, on Ford's home territory. The Australian, and his British team-mate, completed over 100 laps between them but could not get within half a second of the Renaults.

Giancarlo Fisichella sat out most of the session for Jordan-Ford due to a gearbox problem, but strung 17 laps out of the EJ13 late into the second hour to go sixth fastest and quickest of the Bridgestone runners - some 1.2s away from the ultimate pace.

Fisichella's team-mate Ralph Firman returned to action this morning following his forced absence after a huge practice at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Despite completing more than twice as many laps as Fisichella, his time was half a second slower.

Gianmaria Bruni again impressed as test and reserve driver for Minardi, just as he did in Monza two weeks ago. This time the Italian managed to set a lap quicker than the team's two race drivers Jos Verstappen and Nicolas Kiesa and remain ahead of them for the entire session. Verstappen's session was halted minutes before the chequered flag with a technical failure on the pit straight, while Kiesa looked decidedly ragged throughout the session.

Bjorn Wirdheim made his Formula 1 grand prix weekend debut and finished with the slowest recorded time, but he was only 0.02s slower than Kiesa and completed 44 untroubled laps to help Jordan through its data gathering process.

There were hints of drizzle in the second hour of the session but they seemed to have no effect on grip levels or lap times and the only other point of interest was when the session was stopped to pull up a rubber seal between two slabs of concrete on the pit straight that had come loose.