Renault to seek more speed overnight

Giancarlo Fisichella and Heikki Kovalainen finished down in 10th and 11th in the afternoon practice session after suffering from balance problems.

Kovalainen, who scored his maiden podium last weekend in Japan, was also hit by a mechanical problem that cost him some track time.

"This was a more difficult day than we had at the same point last week, and there is more work for us to do overnight," said chief race engineer Alan Permane.

"We are not yet 100% happy with the balance of the car, and that means we also have some room for improvement in terms of our overall performance.

"Our programme today was fairly standard, conducting tyre evaluations and looking at different aero packages to find the right compromise between the long straights, and grip through the infield section.

"Now we need to improve the balance, and give the drivers the set-up they need to approach qualifying with confidence."