McClaren serve notice on Silverstone win

McLaren have served notice the British Grand Prix is theirs for the taking on Sunday.

Home hope Jenson Button yesterday categorically stated Kimi Raikkonen would sweep to victory at Silverstone, and the Woking-based team made an early point by dominating practice.

Test driver Pedro de la Rosa posted the fastest timed lap of the day at the end of the first two hour-long sessions, clocking one minute 18.530 seconds for 3.194 mile circuit.

Toyota tester Ricardo Zonta denied McLaren a potential one-two-three as the Brazilian was half a second down on de la Rosa, with the duo completing 37 and 31 laps respectively.

But then came McLaren duo Juan Pablo Montoya and team-mate Raikkonen, proving to be the quickest of the race drivers, with Toyta’s Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli completing the top six.

World championship leader Fernando Alonso, currently 24 points clear of Raikkonen with nine races remaining, was down in seventh, with Red Bull Racing’s David Coulthard, Michael Schumacher in his Ferrari and the BAR of Button in ninth, 10th and 11th respectively.

Coulthard’s Red Bull team-mate Christian Klien clearly found the exit out of Chapel not to his liking as he drifted off the track on three occasions throughout the second hour.

Earlier in the day, Button had raised hopes of the home crowd by going faster than his racing rivals in first practice, finishing third overall behind de la Rosa and Zonta.

That session was notable for an incident when world champion Schumacher gently ran into the back of Nick Heidfeld’s Williams in the pit lane, neither car suffering any damage.