Length: 5.443 km
Number of Laps: 56 (310.408 Km)
Best Lap: JP. Montoya - 1'34''223 (2004, Williams)
Record Pole: M. Schumacher - 1'33''074 (2004, Ferrari)
2006 Pole: G. Fisichella - 1'33''840 (Renault)
2006 Podium: G. Fisichella - F. Alonso - J. Button

The Ferrari driver lapped the Sepang circuit in 1:34.972, beating nearest rival Fernando Alonso by a quarter of a second - and his own teammate Kimi Raikkonen by eight tenths of a second.

Massa wasted no time in getting to speed in today's session. The Brazilian went quickest on his very first flying lap, and his 1:35.265 effort after half an hour of the session immediately beat Raikkonen's fastest time by 0.5 seconds.

Next time around, Massa improved to the 1:34.972 that would stand as the best of the morning. Along the way, however, he collected a 4,800 EUR fine for pitlane speeding.

McLaren's Alonso and teammate Lewis Hamilton continued their intra-team battle, with the world champion setting the second fastest time ahead of Hamilton's third fastest.

Hamilton had been quickest early on, and when Alonso's opening offer proved 0.127 seconds slower, it seemed that the rookie would be pressuring the Spaniard yet again.

Alonso soon retaliated, however, and by the end of the session he was half a second ahead of Hamilton.

Raikkonen was only fourth fastest after an untidy final run. He also had a worrying moment in the first half hour when smoke appeared from the rear of his Ferrari.

However, as the Friday running no longer counts towards the two-race engine restrictions, the Finn was not using the engine that is already in questionable health after Melbourne.

Williams showed promising form, with Nico Rosberg fifth and test driver Kazuki Nakajima eighth despite spinning off at Turn 15.

Jarno Trulli, Mark Webber, Ralf Schumacher and Robert Kubica completed the top ten.

It was a less successful morning for Renault and Honda, whose cars were 14th and 15th, and 19th and 20th respectively.

Nakajima's error was the only major incident of the session, although both McLarens had a number of wild moments - with Alonso going off the road at Turn 4 after a major slide on the way into the corner, and Hamilton taking to the grass at the pitlane entry.