Saturday Second Free Practice - Malaysian GP

Rubens Barrichello topped the times for Ferrari at the end of Saturday's free practice sessions in preparation for Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix, the Brazilian clocking a fastest lap of one minute and 36.188 seconds to outpace nearest rival German Ralf Schumacher in a Williams-BMW.

Schumacher, quickest at one stage, ended up just three-tenths of a second down on the Latin American, having proved his speed and the potential of the Anglo-German team's challenge this year. Former champion Mika Hakkinen of Finland, in a McLaren Mercedes-Benz, was third fastest and Schumacher's older brother Michael, the defending triple world champion, fourth in the second Ferrari.

Briton David Coulthard was fifth in the second McLaren ahead of German Heinz-Harald Frentzen in a Jordan-Honda with Italian Jarno Trulli seventh behind his team-mate and Briton Eddie Irvine eighth for Jaguar. Frenchman Olivier Panis again outpaced his BAR-Honda team-mate Candian Jacques Villeneuve for ninth ahead of Kimi Raikkonen of Finland in the top Sauber-Petronas.

The top nine cars were all inside the pole time of Michael Schumacher in his Ferrari set last October before last year's Malaysian Grand Prix. Schumacher is seeking his sixth straight pole and sixth consecutive victory in this weekend's event.

Pos. Driver Team Times 1. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 1:36.188 207.456 km/h 2. R.Schumacher Williams BMW (M) 1:36.475 + 0.287 3. Hakkinen McLaren Mercedes (B) 1:36.519 + 0.331 4. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1:36.548 + 0.360 5. Coulthard McLaren Mercedes (B) 1:36.814 + 0.626 6. Frentzen Jordan Honda (B) 1:37.030 + 0.842 7. Trulli Jordan Honda (B) 1:37.231 + 1.043 8. Irvine Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1:37.360 + 1.172 9. Panis BAR Honda (B) 1:37.391 + 1.203 10. Raikkonen Sauber Petronas (B) 1:37.428 + 1.240 11. Heidfeld Sauber Petronas (B) 1:37.459 + 1.271 12. Villeneuve BAR Honda (B) 1:37.463 + 1.275 13. Montoya Williams BMW (M) 1:37.502 + 1.314 14. Burti Jaguar Cosworth (M) 1:37.636 + 1.448 15. Alesi Prost Acer (M) 1:38.130 + 1.942 16. Fisichella Benetton Renault (M) 1:38.548 + 2.360 17. Button Benetton Renault (M) 1:38.712 + 2.524 18. Bernoldi Arrows Asiatech (B) 1:38.958 + 2.770 19. Verstappen Arrows Asiatech (B) 1:39.401 + 3.213 20. Mazzacane Prost Acer (M) 1:39.651 + 3.463 21. Alonso European Minardi (M) 1:39.956 + 3.768 22. Marques European Minardi (M) 1:40.171 + 3.983 All timing unofficial