Ralf fastest in practice

Ralf Schumacher set the fastest lap of the weekend so far in final practice for the Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona today.

The Toyota driver has been overshadowed by team-mate Jarno Trulli so far this season but hit back today with a lap of one minute 14.280 seconds.

That put Schumacher 0.182secs clear of Kimi Raikkonen, who had team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya close behind in third as McLaren continued to show promise.

Mark Webber was unable to practice yesterday as he waited for an engine change but the Williams driver made up for lost time this morning and claimed fourth.

World championship leader Fernando Alonso, who did not set a time in the first session, was roared on by a massive crowd and delivered fifth place for Renault, one place clear of team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella.

Scotsman David Coulthard continued his strong form this weekend and his ninth place in final practice gave the Red Bull driver hope of his fourth points finish from five races.

World champion Michael Schumacher, who spun in today’s first session, was a disappointing 11th for Ferrari.

After a quiet start to the first session this morning, second practice saw a flurry of drivers on track in the opening minutes.

Raikkonen was the fastest of the early runners before a lull in the action. Alonso gave his fans something to cheer when he set his first flying lap of the day and deposed Raikkonen at the top.

The Finn responded quickly though by becoming the first man this weekend to lap under 1min 15secs before Ralf Schumacher bettered that effort.

Fisichella’s attempts to close the gap on the German resulted in a scrappy lap which saw him touch the grass three times, the last of which on the exit of the final turn cost him valuable time.

With eight minutes to go, Jordan’s Tiago Monteiro lost the rear of his car at turn three and was unable to resume, forcing marshals to push him into the gravel trap.

In this morning’s first session, Fisichella set the pace. His best lap of 1min 15.605secs was just 0.026secs faster than Schumacher.

Schumacher’s brother Ralf enjoyed a productive session and claimed third place while Rubens Barrichello brought the second Ferrari home in fourth.