Alonso quickest under Singapore floodlights

Formula One : Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso produced a sparkling performance under the floodlights to top the timesheets…

Formula One: Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso produced a sparkling performance under the floodlights to top the timesheets in the second session of free practice ahead of the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix.

The Renault driver left it late to produce a scintillating lap and clock a time of one minute 45.654 seconds to edge championship leader Lewis Hamilton by 0.098secs.

McLaren's Hamilton, who came out on top in first practice earlier in the evening, had led for the majority of practice until Alonso took charge.

Ferrari's Felipe Massa finished third with a time of 1:45.793 while Heikki Kovalainen of McLaren and Williams' Nico Rosberg took fourth and fifth respectively.

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BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica finished sixth while Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, who had at one stage topped the timesheets, took seventh.

Honda's Jenson Button improved on his showing in first practice by taking eighth place while Kazuki Nakajima of Williams and Toyota's Timo Glock rounded off the top 10.

David Coulthard once again finished 15th in his Red Bull while BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld, who had claimed eighth in first practice, was a lowly 16th.

All eyes had been eagerly anticipating exactly how the circuit would look under floodlights and, as expected, it didn't disappoint with all sections of the track brightly lit.

The rain and thunderstorms that had lashed Singapore in the morning failed to materialise in the evening meaning only a small section of standing water remained at the first corner ahead of first practice.

After Rosberg had set the early pace, Hamilton continued from where he had left off in the first session when he clocked a time of 1:46.835 in his third lap to go top.

That was where the Stevenage-born driver remained until Massa briefly toppled him in the closing stages but Hamilton produced a superb lap to retain his place at the top.

It seemed the 23-year-old was likely to set the fastest time for the second successive session but Alonso, who had finished seventh in first practice, had other ideas.

Earlier, the circuit had taken its first casualty when Red Bull's Mark Webber ploughed into a barrier at Turn 18 in only his fourth lap of first practice.

Honda's Rubens Barrichello also crashed out in P1 when he spun off the track at the final turn while Glock collided with a barrier late in second practice.

Jarno Trulli was fined 10,000 euros for driving in the wrong direction on the track after a spin in first practice. The Toyota driver decided to drive back up the circuit in order to enter the pits.

Times
01 F. Alonso Renault 1:45.654 30 laps
02 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:45.752 28 laps
03 F. Massa Ferrari 1:45.793 31 laps
04 H. Kovalainen McLaren 1:45.797 31 laps
05 N. Rosberg Williams 1:46.164 34 laps
06 R. Kubica BMW 1:46.384 36 laps
07 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:46.580 25 laps
08 J. Button Honda 1:46.901 32 laps
09 K. Nakajima Williams 1:47.013 32 laps
10 T. Glock Toyota 1:47.046 22 laps
11 M. Webber Red Bull 1:47.137 15 laps
12 N. Piquet jr. Renault 1:47.145 35 laps
13 S. Vettel Toro Rosso 1:47.300 33 laps
14 S. Bourdais Toro Rosso 1:47.487 24 laps
15 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:47.640 31 laps
16 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:47.760 36 laps
17 G. Fisichella Force India F1 1:47.965 12 laps
18 R. Barrichello Honda 1:48.009 25 laps
19 J. Trulli Toyota 1:48.059 28 laps
20 A. Sutil Force India F1 1:48.311 36 laps