(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-09-08 02:46

MONZA, Italy - World champion Fernando Alonso put troubled McLaren on top in free practice for Ferrari's home Italian Grand Prix on Friday.

The Spaniard, whose team risk exclusion from the championship they currently lead after allegations that they benefited from leaked Ferrari technical information, lapped the Monza circuit in one minute 22.386 seconds.

Lewis Hamilton, the rookie who is five points clear of team mate Alonso at the top of the standings with five races remaining, was second on the afternoon timesheets with a lap 0.823 seconds slower.

"We were very quick last week (in testing), we were quick today. So there are no real surprises. I am quite confident with this race," Alonso told reporters.

"Reliability is very important. Any mechanical problems that any of the four (title chasing) drivers have in the remaining races will probably be the end of their chance to win the world championship."

Kimi Raikkonen had led Ferrari team mate Felipe Massa in a one-two in the opening session at the oldest and fastest circuit on the calendar.

The Finn, preparing for his first race in Italy as a Ferrari driver after replacing now-retired seven-times champion Michael Schumacher, clocked 1:22.446 seconds in the morning but was only eighth in the afternoon.

"The first session went well but in the second one I lost a lot of time with an hydraulic problem and I only managed to do one run of laps on new tyres in the final moments," said Raikkonen.

"We therefore don't have much of a reference point on where we actually are ... the balance of the car is not bad but we definitely have work to do to improve the performance, especially for qualifying."

HAMILTON POSITIVE

Massa, who led Raikkonen in a one-two in Turkey two weeks ago to revive his title hopes, is 10 points adrift of Alonso with five races remaining. Raikkonen is fourth and a point further back.

However the McLaren drivers could find their title challenge halted if a hearing in Paris next week finds against their team in the spy saga that has gripped the sport since July.

Hamilton said he remained positive, however.

"I still feel quite relaxed. Everyone else should feel the pressure as they have more work to do than me," said the 22-year-old Briton.

Williams's Nico Rosberg raised the Toyota-powered team's hopes with the fifth best lap in both sessions.

Italian Giancarlo Fisichella, hoping for a new contract with outgoing champions Renault, was seventh quickest in the morning and third in the second session.

BMW Sauber's Polish driver Robert Kubica, who finished third last year in a race won by Schumacher, clocked the fourth best time of the afternoon.

The afternoon session was halted for nine minutes to allow Briton Anthony Davidson's stricken Super Aguri to be moved safely from the track.