Rosberg fastest in practice for Australian GP

Motorsports news from Formula One's season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
Williams driver Nico Rosberg ran quickest in both practice sessions on
Friday.

Williams Formula One driver Nico Rosberg of Germany speeds down the pit lane during the third timed practice session for the Australian Formula One Grand Prix auto racing at the Albert Park racetrack in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, March 28, 2009. (AP Photo/Oliver Multhaup)

Timo Glock was eighth fastest in the first session with a time of one minute,
27.710 seconds and the Toyota driver improved on that in the second to go
sixth-fastest.

Brawn's Jenson Button is the hot choice to do well in Sunday's G.P., and he
showed good form in his first two outings on the Melbourne circuit. Sixth in the
first session, the British driver improved by one place in the second.

Mark Webber is the only Australian competing this weekend, and the Red Bull
driver steered his car to a fourth-quickest time in the second session, after a
reliability issue in the opening stint, which saw him standing a lowly
17th-fastest.

German Nico Rosberg offered Williams-Toyota the tantalising prospect of breaking its long Grand Prix win-drought with the fastest times in Friday's practice sessions in Melbourne. (AFP/Greg Wood)

Toyota's Jarno Trulli was third fastest in the second session with one
minute, 26.350 seconds, a big improvement on his 12th-placed finish on the
first.

Brawn's Rubens Barrichello went one better than Trulli in the second session,
with one minute, 26.157 seconds, after a fourth-fastest time in the first
session.

The man to beat at the moment seems to be Rosberg. He posted the fastest
times in both sessions, posting a best of one minute, 26.053 seconds in the
second session.

Former world champion Fernando Alonso found conditions difficult and skidded
off the track.

Finally, world champion Lewis Hamilton is finding this season could be a
tough one. He was 16th in the first session and 18th in the second.

Williams Formula One driver Nico Rosberg of Germany speeds down the main straight to clock the fastest overall time during the second timed practice session for the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at the Albert Park racetrack in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, March 27, 2009. (AP Photo/Oliver Multhaup)