BARCELONA, May 10 (Reuters) – Local favourite Fernando Alonso led a Ferrari one-two in a damp first practice for the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix on Friday while Jenson Button failed to set a lap time in his heavily updated McLaren.

Alonso produced a lap of one minute 25.252 seconds right at the end of the session on a drying track but the time – more than five seconds slower than the fastest in pre-season testing at the Circuit de Catalunya – was purely a crowd-pleaser.

BARCELONA (Reuters) – Kimi Raikkonen has played down any setback to his Formula One championship hopes as a result of the departure of Lotus technical director James Allison.

“For me it doesn’t really make a difference,” the 2007 champion, second in the standings after four of the 19 races, told reporters at the Spanish Grand Prix on Thursday.

BARCELONA (Reuters) – Pastor Maldonado has put his faith in Williams to provide him with a winning car and silence those who fear he could be destined to join the ranks of one-hit wonders.

A year on from his Spanish Grand Prix victory, the Venezuelan returned to the Circuit de Catalunya on Thursday with fighting talk despite his team’s failure to score a point in four races so far this season.

BARCELONA, May 9 (Reuters) – Kimi Raikkonen has played down any setback to his Formula One championship hopes as a result of the departure of Lotus technical director James Allison.

“For me it doesn’t really make a difference,” the 2007 champion, second in the standings after four of the 19 races, told reporters at the Spanish Grand Prix on Thursday.

BARCELONA, May 9 (Reuters) – Pastor Maldonado has put his faith in Williams to provide him with a winning car and silence those who fear he could be destined to join the ranks of one-hit wonders.

A year on from his Spanish Grand Prix victory, the Venezuelan returned to the Circuit de Catalunya on Thursday with fighting talk despite his team’s failure to score a point in four races so far this season.