Force India's Adrian Sutil lapped quickest in free practice for the Italian Grand Prix Friday while former teammate Giancarlo Fisichella was slowest on his first day as a Ferrari driver. Sutil, who has yet to score a point this season, lapped the Monza circuit in one minute 23.924 seconds after being third quickest in the morning. French rookie Romain Grosjean was second in a Renault. McLaren duo Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen topped a sunny first session, with the world champion setting a best time of 1:23.936. Fisichella, who put Force India on pole at the Belgian Grand Prix and finished second for the team's first points, had a mixed debut with the Maranello team he has always longed to drive for. The experienced Roman was eighth quickest, two places ahead of 2007 world champion and teammate Kimi Raikkonen, although he had switched to the softer and quicker tyres for the late run that produced the best time. Before then, he had been among the last on the timing screens and he returned to the bottom of the list in the afternoon. Fisichella has replaced struggling compatriot Luca Badoer, himself a stand-in for injured Brazilian Felipe Massa, at Ferrari. Championship leader Jenson Button, who has scored just 11 points in his last five races after winning six of the first seven, was seventh fastest for Brawn in the morning but then 19th. Button leads Brazilian teammate Rubens Barrichello by 16 points with five races remaining. Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi, replacing Fisichella at Force India, managed the 12th best time in afternoon on his return to a full Formula One race seat for the first time since 2007. Renault takes Piquets to court The Renault Formula One team accused its former driver Nelson Piquet and his father of attempted blackmail Friday and said they had commenced criminal proceedings in France against the two Brazilians. The team face a hearing in Paris on Sept. 21 after allegations were made that they ordered Piquet junior to crash deliberately at last year's Singapore Grand Prix to help teammate Fernando Alonso win the race. If found guilty, the team could be kicked out of the championship. Renault broke their silence on the matter at the Italian Grand Prix after documents were leaked detailing Piquet's allegations to the governing International Automobile Federation. Alonso told reporters at the Italian Grand Prix Thursday that he had been unaware of any plan cooked up by his team in Singapore. Nelson Piquet has, meanwhile, been offered immunity from prosecution if he tells the truth about his former Renault Formula One team, FIA President Max Mosley said Friday. The offer is similar to one made to McLaren drivers in 2007 when that team was being investigated over Ferrari documents found in their possession. McLaren was fined a record $100 million and stripped of all its points in that case but Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, now with Renault, faced no sanctions after giving evidence.
