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Hamilton tops second practice in China

SHANGHAI, China — Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton recovered from an early suspension problem to set the fastest practice time at the Chinese Grand Prix on Friday, narrowly edging Fernando Alonso of Ferrari.

Hamilton only completed nine laps in the morning session due to problems with the car, but came back to set a best time of 1min38.315sec around the Shanghai International Circuit.

MERC ON TOP

Alonso, who had the fastest time during the first practice session, was 0.141 seconds behind Hamilton under the watch of new team principal, Marco Mattiacci, who arrived in Shanghai to take charge following Stefano Domenicali's abrupt departure this week.

Hamilton's team mate, Nico Rosberg, had the third-fastest practice time, with Red Bull drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel fourth and fifth, respectively.

Mercedes has been the team to beat so far this season, with Hamilton winning in Bahrain and Malaysia and Rosberg in Australia. Only an engine problem on Hamilton's car in the opening race in Melbourne has prevented three successive one-two finishes.

But Alonso, the defending Chinese GP champion, kept pace with both drivers in the cool conditions of Shanghai, indicating his struggling team may just emerge as a challenger in Sunday's race.

Ferrari has lagged behind Mercedes this season following the sport's switch to new V6 turbo hybrid engines and new fuel-saving regulations. The slow start prompted Ferrari to part ways with Domenicali after six years, replacing him with Mattiacci, formerly president of Ferrari North America.

Felipe Massa of Williams was sixth-fastest in Friday's second practice session, followed by Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, who missed the morning session due to a mechanical problem with his car.

McLaren's Jenson Button, Lotus' Romain Grosjean and Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat rounded out the top 10.

Heavy smog had hampered visibility at the Shanghai International Circuit on Thursday, but conditions were relatively clear for Friday's practice rounds. Rain and cool temperatures were forecast for Saturday's qualifying session.

2nd Free Practice Session from the Chinese Grand Prix:

1. Lewis Hamilton (Britain) Mercedes 1:38.315
2. Fernando Alonso (Spain) Ferrari 1:38.456
3. Nico Rosberg (Germany) Mercedes 1:38.726
4. Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) RedBull - Renault 1:38.811
5. Sebastian Vettel (Germany) RedBull - Renault 1:39.015
6. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Williams-Mercedes 1:39.118
7. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari 1:39.283
8. Jenson Button (Britain) McLaren 1:39.491
9. Romain Grosjean (France) Lotus - Renault 1:39.537
10. Daniil Kvyat (Russia) Toro Rosso - Renault 1:39.648
11. Nico Huelkenberg (Germany) Force India - Mercedes 1:39.736
12. Kevin Magnussen (Denmark) McLaren 1:39.744
13. Jean-Eric Vergne (France) Toro Rosso - Renault 1:39.759
14. Valtteri Bottas (Finland) Williams-Mercedes 1:39.830
15. Sergio Perez (Mexico) Force India - Mercedes 1:40.124
16. Esteban Gutierrez (Mexico) Sauber - Ferrari 1:40.359
17. Adrian Sutil (Germany) Sauber - Ferrari 1:40.395
18. Pastor Maldonado (Venezuela) Lotus - Renault 1:40.455
19. Jules Bianchi (France) Marussia - Ferrari 1:42.327
20. Max Chilton (Britain) Marussia - Ferrari 1:43.473
21. Kamui Kobayashi (Japan) Caterham - Renault 1:43.530
22. Marcus Ericsson (Sweden) Caterham - Renault 1:43.679

First practice session results
Stay with Wheels24 for the 2014 Chinese GP this weekend.
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