Formula 1: Schumacher sets pace in first practice

Championship pacesetter Michael Schumacher maintained his air of supremacy in first practice for Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paulo.

The Ferrari driver was made to work to keep top spot as he finished the session just 0.050 seconds ahead of the McLaren of Mika Hakkinen.

Home hero Rubens Barrichello was just over 0.1secs adrift in the other Ferrari in third spot with David Coulthard fourth for McLaren but almost a second down on Schumacher.

The German leads Barrichello and Coulthard by 10 points in the championship after winning the opening two races.

Schumacher will be bidding for a seventh successive victory, stretching back to last season, in the race which would leave him just two off the record set by Italy's Alberto Ascari in 1953.

The 32-year-old will be boosted by his display in the first of today's two practice sessions despite the challenge from Hakkinen who has just one point so far this season.

Olivier Panis was fifth for British American Racing with Eddie Irvine a promising sixth for Jaguar Racing, just ahead of team-mate Luciano Burti.

But Jenson Button's season looks unlikely to get any better this weekend as he began his challenge with a lowly 20th spot for Benetton.

The 21-year-old became the youngest driver in history to score a championship point when he finished sixth for Williams on the Interlagos track in only his second race last year.