Improvements to Ferrari's car paid off as Fernando Alonso completed the fastest lap on the first day of practice Friday ahead of the European Grand Prix Sunday. The Spanish driver posted a lap of 1 minute, 39.283 seconds in the second session at the 5.5-km Valencia street circuit, as Ferrari's vaunted aerodynamic improvements took effect. The Red Bull duo of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber were second and third fastest, respectively. Vettel was 0.056 seconds behind in the second session and Webber 0.144 seconds behind. McLaren's Lewis Hamilton was fifth-fasted, with teammate Jenson Button ninth. Earlier, Nico Rosberg of Mercedes set the pace in the first session with a lap of 1:41.175. Alonso had played down Ferrari's new aerodynamic package for the weekend, which includes the team's version of the blown diffuser exhaust system, which accelerates air flow and aids grip. It has already helped lift Red Bull into second place in the constructors' championship. Alonso's caution was validated when he was only ninth-fastest in the first session though he was able to pick up the pace in second practice. The Spaniard has not won a race since the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix in March. Hamilton leads the world championship with 109 points. World champion Button is second on 106. Webber is third on 103 points, ahead of Alonso on 94 and Vettel on 90.
