Although each of the four main players in this year's
Formula One world championship took turns to set the pace in second free practice at the Shanghai International Circuit, their order from session one remained unchanged.
Kimi Raikkonen again pipped
Fernando Alonso to quickest lap, this time by the reduced margin of 0.006secs, while
Felipe Massa and
Lewis Hamilton had to be content with third and fourth, after both again endured excursions into the outer reaches of the circuit. Massa ended the day 0.023secs shy of his team-mate, while Hamilton was comparatively off the pace at +0.269secs.
Raikkonen saved his best for last to ease ahead of the only other driver still able to deprive Hamilton of the world title - stewards enquiry pending of course - and improved on his morning best by four-tenths as the track gained some grip. The frontrunners all experimented with the softer rubber this time around, although there was little discernible advantage in terms of times.
The margin covering the top four was less than that between Hamilton and 'best of the rest'
Jarno Trulli, who failed to break into the 1min 36s by just over a tenth. The Italian, however, was similarly three-tenths clear of next man
Mark Webber, as
Toyota and
Red Bull Racing showed stronger hands than they had earlier in the day.
Ralf Schumacher and
David Coulthard shadowed their respective team-mates in seventh and eighth, while
Nico Rosberg - 'best of the rest' in the morning session, took ninth, ahead of
Giancarlo Fisichella.
The second
Renault, of
Heikki Kovalainen, was eleventh fastest despite the Finn stopping out on track - a fate that also befell
Nick Heidfeld. In a mirror of his morning session, the German was left to help push the
BMW Sauber back towards the pits in an effort to make up for what would have been a lot of lost time, but eventually had to settle for 15th in session, one place and a handful of thousandths behind team-mate
Robert Kubica. Kovalainen was also able to return in the latter stages, but without breaking into the top ten.
