MOTOR SPORTCHINESE GRAND PRIX:  LEWIS HAMILTON may have been subject to criticism by some of his fellow drivers but he answered his detractors in the only way he knows yesterday by setting the fastest time in both practice sessions for tomorrow's Chinese Grand Prix

While rubbing salt in the wounds of his rivals, Hamilton risked a hostile and unhelpful reaction, not least from Fernando Alonso, who was second fastest.

Alonso is sensitive to the damage done to his reputation last year when he was Hamilton's team-mate at McLaren-Mercedes. A move to Renault this year kept the Spaniard out of the limelight until the last two races when successive victories in a more competitive car moved him to within striking distance of the championship leader.

Hamilton was condemned for his aggressive start in Japan last Sunday when he arrived too quickly at the first corner and caused several drivers to run wide.

Mark Webber expressed concern about the danger of cars touching on the first lap but went out of his way to deny reports he had said Hamilton could "kill someone".

Whatever the interpretation, the emotive language reflects the increasing tension, and Hamilton's unpopularity, as the season reaches the penultimate round with him leading Felipe Massa by five points. Massa, sixth fastest yesterday, was unconcerned about being three-quarters of a second slower than Hamilton, the Ferrari driver saving his best for qualifying this afternoon.

"We did a good job and I think we will be competitive," said Massa. "The performance level improved as the track got more grip. In the first session the car was a bit twitchy but then, especially in the second part of the afternoon session, its handling improved. I think we're working in the right direction. My aim for the weekend? Obviously I'll be trying to win - or at least get as many points as possible."

Massa cannot afford to finish behind Hamilton but yesterday's pair of 90-minute practice sessions, and Hamilton's positive comments, showed Ferrari have much work to do to catch McLaren.

Hamilton said: "From the moment we hit the track this morning the car felt well balanced and positive and that really allowed me to get into my day's programme without any problems. No matter what we changed on the car, it just kept getting better and better and the grip and balance kept improving. This is the best way to kick off any weekend and has given me extra confidence for the next few days: I feel in a very good place right now."

Hamilton's problem is such a statement is seen by some as being smug and grist to the mill for those ready to destabilise the 23-year-old as he attempts to win the championship in his second season.

If Alonso has been happy to make snide remarks, his team boss, Flavio Briatore, has been more direct. "Lewis Hamilton will throw away the title again," he told Gazzetta dello Sport. "He and McLaren were good last year already: to lose it with a 17-point advantage with two races to go is worthy of the Guinness World Records. If someone does that, he can really repeat himself with just five points of advantage.

"In my opinion Massa will win the title. Hamilton hasn't learned anything: we saw that in Japan. He should be told he is a F1 driver, not a martian. He is no Muhammad Ali. He is a youngster who still has to show his worth. He's a good driver but the good drivers are also the ones that bring the results home. There are good forwards in football who always hit the post or the crossbar and they just can't score. It's logical for me to root for Ferrari, as an Italian, as Flavio Briatore and as Renault, for the relationship we have with Ferrari. McLaren, by contrast, accused us of espionage: we went on for four months for a silly thing that didn't exist."

The anticipated pressure on Hamilton from the drivers did not materialise at a briefing yesterday. No comments were made about Hamilton's track behaviour.

At a pep talk Ron Dennis, the McLaren team principal, addressed every team member and encouraged full support for their driver. The harmony within McLaren was in contrast to 12 months ago when, in the same building, Alonso had punched a door off its hinges because of his perceived ill treatment by the team during qualifying. Dennis claimed there were no grounds for Alonso's complaint but the Spaniard's continuing sense of injustice is in danger of resurfacing this weekend.

• Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has ruled out reinstating the Canadian Grand Prix as a replacement for France on what will now be a 17-race calendar next year. Canada was dropped from a revised version of the calendar issued last week but the possibility of a reprieve was mooted when the French Grand Prix was scrapped for economic reasons on Wednesday.  Guardian Service