Bridgestone on top in Hungarian Friday practice

Round thirteen of the FIA Formula One World Championship got off to a cool start today at the 4.381 km Hungaroring circuit with temperatures barely breaking 20°Celsius. Overnight rain also ensured that the track took longer than normal to develop, giving the drivers and teams plenty to think about overnight as they consider their tyre choices ahead of tomorrow's qualifying session. Of the Bridgestone runners, Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro's Felipe Massa and Michael Schumacher were quickest with Massa topping the times in the afternoon session.

Panasonic Toyota Racing's Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli were sixth and seventh fastest in the second session while WilliamsF1's Alex Wurz and MF1 Racing's Markus Winkelhock completed their customary high number of laps in their roles as Friday test drivers. However, after a run of hot and sunny races, it seems this weekend's outcome could well be decided by those teams who manage to make the most of the changing weather and track conditions.

Hisao Suganuma, Bridgestone Motorsport Technical Manager, said: "We are facing very unusual conditions for this time of year in Hungary. Normally this race is a high temperature event but we are currently experiencing very cool conditions with ambient temperatures not even reaching 20°Celsius in the practice sessions while track temperatures were only in the region of 24°-25°Celsius. In addition, last night's torrential rain meant that the track remained green throughout both practices so the teams are experiencing graining on their tyres. However, once the track rubbers in a bit more tomorrow the graining will reduce and our tyres should operate more competitively.

One of the keys to this weekend will be ensuring that the teams have the right set-ups for their chosen tyre so we shall be checking the tyres carefully tonight and tomorrow before liaising closely with them about how to get the best out of their tyres."