Ferrari quickest in Turkish GP practice

By Alan Baldwin

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Ferrari set the pace in Turkish Grand Prix free practice on Friday, with Brazilian Felipe Massa fastest in the morning and world champion team mate Kimi Raikkonen top of the timesheets in the afternoon.

In a second session halted briefly after Australian Mark Webber crashed his Red Bull, Raikkonen lapped in one minute 27.543 seconds.

That compared to Massa's best time in the morning of 1:27.323.

Ferrari are chasing their fourth win in a row on Sunday.

Championship leader Raikkonen, winner of two races this season already, had completed only three laps before lunch due to a gearbox problem but he made up for the setback with 30 laps in the afternoon.

"Not the best of Fridays," commented the Finn, who also struggled to find the right settings in the afternoon.

"One of the main problems today was getting the tyres up to the correct temperature but I think that tomorrow -- partly as the grip level on the track improves and partly as we work to improve the set-up -- it will be a different situation."

Massa, chasing a Turkish hat-trick after winning from pole position at the Istanbul Park circuit for the past two years, was only third fastest in the second session but happier than his team mate.