Ferrari's Raikkonen Sets British GP Pace

Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen and team mate Felipe Massa pushed home hero Lewis Hamilton off the top of the timesheets.

Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen and team mate Felipe Massa pushed home hero Lewis Hamilton off the top of the timesheets in British Grand Prix free practice on Friday.

The Finn, who led a Ferrari one-two in France last weekend, dominated the afternoon session at Silverstone with a lap of one minute 20.639 seconds, ahead of Brazilian Massa in 1:21.138 and Toyota's Ralf Schumacher.

McLaren's Hamilton, the championship leader after an extraordinary eight podium finishes in a row, was quickest in the morning in 1:21.100 but only fourth in the second hour and a half long session.

The 22-year-old rookie still ended up with the second best time of the day however.

McLaren's double world champion Fernando Alonso, 14 points behind Hamilton in the standings, was fourth in the morning and sixth on an overcast and blustery afternoon at the former World War Two airfield.

"The conditions were very difficult, the wind is all over the place," said Germany's Nico Rosberg, fifth fastest for Williams in the morning. "You can really feel it in the middle of the corner."

Briton Jenson Button, who scored Honda's first point of the season at Magny-Cours last weekend, sat out the afternoon after complaining of back pains.

"He had a muscular twinge that reappeared this morning," said a team spokeswoman. "It was decided that it was best to rest him."

Austrian test driver Christian Klien stood in for the Briton, lapping 18th fastest.