Trulli struggling with tyre performance

The Italian was 1.4 seconds off the pace, and four tenths of a second slower than his teammate Ralf Schumacher.

"From the start of the first session the car wasn't as I wanted it so that was a difficult day for me," Trulli said.

"We will have to look into why that is because it seems we have a few problems. It is not really a question of balance but it is more that we haven't been able to make the tyres work properly. So it has not been a particularly good day."

Having not taken a points finish since Indianapolis in June, Trulli added that he was extremely keen to end his season on a positive note.

"It's been a long time since my last result so I am determined to go home happy on Sunday," he said. "For that we need to score some points."

At the start of his last weekend as a Toyota driver, Schumacher was 11th quickest, having been sixth in the damp conditions of the morning session.

He hopes to maintain the promising form that he showed early in the Chinese Grand Prix, when he had charged through the field following an early spin, before eventually spinning out.

"It was an exciting day of practice because we had every kind of track condition, starting off wet and then ending up dry," Schumacher said. "But everything went well today so we can be happy with what we have achieved.

"This is my last race for Toyota and I'm pushing as hard as I can for a decent result both for myself and for the team.

"We were competitive at the last race and even though we didn't finish it was enjoyable. So we can hope for more of the same here and aim to finish off the season on a high note."