After two races in which they have lost points because of engine failures, Ferrari had every reason to be a mixture of fretful, rueful and confident on Friday.

The most rueful man was defending world champion Kimi Raikkonen, who crashed heavily in the afternoon second free practice session.

He needed the track time to try and find improvements after a winless period stretching back to April — as he goes for his fourth consecutive Belgian Grand Prix win on Sunday.

The team were fretful, because they are not sure if their power units will hold out again on the demanding and majestic Spa-Francorchamps track while, under the surface, they know they have the speed to win.

But that confidence, augmented by Felipe Massa's form in clocking the day's fastest time, is fragile.

And they need a clean untroubled race to restore total faith in their machinery.

Raikkonen said: "When I went off the track at Turn Nine, I clipped the kerb and the surface was a bit slippery there because of the rain. I ended up spinning and then hitting the barrier.

"Unfortunately, not only did the rear wing break, but the floor was also damaged and it could not be repaired in time. It is a shame as already earlier, when I had gone onto new tyres, it had begun raining and I lost a bit of time.

"Let's hope tomorrow morning there's no rain so that I can run more consistently in the dry. In the morning, apart from a few little electrical problems, the car wasn't bad."

Massa — who is six points behind Lewis Hamilton of McLaren in the championship — said: "It was an unusual day because of the changing weather.

"Overall, I am happy with the work we did over the three hours. The car is working well and responds positively to the set-up changes we have made.

"We tried various solutions and now we must study the data to draw the right conclusions. The tyres worked as we had expected them to: the softer ones seem to offer more performance. I think we are moving in the right direction."

After his imperious victory in the European Grand Prix in Valencia, Massa knows he needs another similar performance to push for the leadership in the title race.

With Ferrari troubled, it was two-time world champion Fernando Alonso who paraded his lavish talents on Friday, taking advantage of the rain to dominate afternoon practice for the Belgian Grand Prix.

The 27-year-old Renault driver proved that if the circumstances are right he can still be as fast as anyone on the circuit.

"That was not a real guide to anything," he said after the session.

"We cannot beat the others and the best we can hope for in qualifying is a good top ten place.

"For me now the motivation is not to win the races or the title but to do well, score points and help the team to beat Toyota. That is what keeps me going."

AFP

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