Hamilton sets early pace in Japan

FUJI, Japan -- World championship leader Lewis Hamilton grabbed the early initiative ahead of Sunday's crucial Japanese Grand Prix by setting the fastest time in practice on Friday. Hamilton clocked a time of one minute 18.734 seconds on the 4.563 kilometer Fuji Speedway circuit which is being used for a Grand Prix for the first time.

His McLaren team-mate and nearest championship challenger Fernando Alonso was two tenths of a second slower in the afternoon session.

The morning practice had been a story of Ferrari dominance as Kimi Raikkonen topped the timesheets followed by team-mate Felipe Massa, with the McLaren pair over half a second off the pace.

But rookie sensation Hamilton upped the ante in the second session by setting fastest times of the day in all three sectors.

Massa claimed third but was nearly three-quarters of a second adrift and Jarno Trulli gave the home fans cause optimism for this weekend with a surprise fourth place in his Toyota ahead of Raikkonen.

The race is being held against the backdrop of increasing tension between Hamilton and two-time champion Alonso, with the pair being involved in a series of incidents in the battle for the Formula One crown.