You could add competitive to the text as well - a rare expression in Formula One these days; a word that hasn't been used since the start of this season but to describe the pack left trailing in the wake of Scuderia Ferrari and Michael Schumacher's domination.

But, almost predictabily, Ferrari was fastest yesterday as well.

It wasn't Schumacher though - not in the second session. And it wasn't a merciless domination by Ferrari either.

Just 0.038 seconds separated the top three drivers and it was just the portent many were praying for, promising a much closer weekend than the first two Grand Prix of the season.

Gleaming circuit

Rubens Barrichello was the eventual pace setter, lapping the gleaming circuit in one minute 31.450 seconds - just 0.001s ahead of BMW-Williams' Juan Pablo Montoya, and Lucky Strike BAR Honda's test driver Anthony Davidson, showing the team's continued progress, was third 0.038 seconds adrift of the Brazilian.

Schumacher, who claimed the early bragging rights with a fastest lap of 1:32.158 in the first session, finished a modest fourth - 0.282 seconds behind the fastest.

For a change, the Ferraris were not as red hot as is their wont. But the heat - of the atmospheric type this time - still got to their rivals McLaren and Renault.

Kimi Raikkonen's hopes of launching his world championship fightback suffered a massive setback as the Finn's Mercedes engine could not cope with the searing 50 degree Centigrade track heat and blew up. The Espoo-born driver, who has failed to finish either of the first two Grand Prixs, was on his first lap out of the pits when his engine blew up and he was forced to park up with marshals dousing the flames licking from the back of the car.

Renault's Jarno Trulli mirrored Raikkonen's misfortune and pulled over with flames emerging from the rear of his drive.

David Coulthard completed a miserable afternoon for the Woking-based McLaren outfit, stopping with five minutes remaining after a rear tyre came off the wheel rim and pitched him at speed across the runoff. He wound up 11th fastest.

The Scot, who got out and pushed his car off the circuit despite an air temperature of around 31 degrees Celsius, was not the only Michelin driver to have a tire failure.

Renault's Fernando Alonso met the same fate. But he recorded the ninth fastest time ahead of Toyota test driver Ricardo Zonta.

Jaguar's Christian Klien began to show signs of great improvement as he led the Ford-owned team's charge in fifth place. Mark Webber finished eighth with Ralf Schumacher and Jenson Button splitting the two Jaguars.

Raikkonen will now automatically be demoted 10 places down the grid from his qualifying position today because his McLaren team will have to give him a new engine.

The 23-year-old is the first top-line driver to suffer from the one engine regulation which penalises teams forced to change their powerpack during a race weekend.

It is another blow to Raikkonen and the McLaren team who have made a disappointing start to the season. They are currently fifth in the manufacturers' standings with just Coulthard's four points from the opening two races. And their hopes for Sunday look truly diminished.