ISTANBUL, May 9: Ferrari’s Felipe Massa led first free practice for the Turkish Grand Prix on Friday while a gearbox problem left championship-leading team-mate Kimi Raikkonen at the other end of the timesheets.

Brazilian Massa, chasing a Turkish hat-trick after winning from pole position at the Istanbul Park circuit for the past two years, set the pace with a fastest lap of one minute, 27.323 seconds.

McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen was second fastest, 0.133 behind.

The Finn, passed fit to race on Thursday, was making his return to the cockpit after a big crash at the previous race in Barcelona.

Britain’s Lewis Hamilton, nine points behind world champion Raikkonen in the standings after four races, was third fastest for McLaren.

Renault’s double world champion Fernando Alonso was fourth in another sign that the French team were making up ground after failing to win a race last year, while Honda’s Jenson Button clocked the fifth fastest time.

Kazuki Nakajima, now the only Japanese driver on the starting grid after the withdrawal of Takuma Sato’s Super Aguri team for financial reasons, was sixth for Toyota-powered Williams.

Raikkonen completed only three laps, with the Ferrari mechanics having to work on his gearbox.

Poland’s Robert Kubica, third in the championship for BMW Sauber, completed only seven laps after struggling with a rear suspension problem that the team could not fix during the session.

The opening 90 minute practice, on a chilly and overcast morning, was low key with teams waiting for the track to dry out and nobody setting a timed lap until Toro Rosso’s Sebastian Bourdais went out on the 40 minute mark.

First free practice times: 1. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Ferrari one minute 27.323 seconds; 2. Heikki Kovalainen (Finland) McLaren 1:27.456; 3. Lewis Hamilton (Britain) McLaren 1:27.752; 4. Fernando Alonso (Spain) Renault 1:28.284; 5. Jenson Button (Britain) Honda 1:28.919; 6. Kazuki Nakajima (Japan) Williams–Toyota 1:29.002; 7. Nick Heidfeld (Germany) BMW Sauber 1:29.024; 8. Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Honda 1:29.068; 9. Nelson Piquet (Brazil) Renault 1:29.082; 10. Timo Glock (Germany) Toyota 1:29.103; 11. Jarno Trulli (Italy) Toyota 1:29.329; 12. Robert Kubica (Poland) BMW Sauber 1:29.330; 13. Nico Rosberg (Germany) Williams–Toyota 1:29.367; 14. Adrian Sutil (Germany) Force India–Ferrari 1:29.756; 15. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Force India–Ferrari 1:29.811; 16. Mark Webber (Australia) RedBull–Renault 1:30.088; 17. David Coulthard (Britain) RedBull–Renault 1:30.340; 18. Sebastien Bourdais (France) Toro Rosso–Ferrari 1:30.388; 19. Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Toro Rosso–Ferrari 1:30.426; 20. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari 1:30.732.—Reuters