McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen snatched top spot from Nico Rosberg with a last-gasp flying lap in a tight first practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The Finn continued McLaren's recent recovery by clocking one minute 22.278 seconds to make the most of his car's new diffuser and front wing.
Team-mate Lewis Hamilton was third ahead of Red Bull's Mark Webber.
Brawn's Jenson Button was 10th, while title rival Sebastian Vettel struggled with his Red Bull's tyres down in 15th.
Less than half a second separated the top six drivers in bright and sunny conditions at the Hungaroring just outside Budapest.
Practice performances are rarely the most reliable guide to race results as most teams use Friday's sessions to analyse and assess any developments and modifications they have made to their cars.
All eyes were on Toro Rosso rookie Jaime Alguersuari at the start of Friday's first practice session as the 19-year-old debutant put in his first tentative laps in a Formula 1 car.
The Spaniard traded fastest lap times with team-mate Sebastien Buemi in a quiet opening half hour and improved his lap time by over six seconds, but he still finished the session in 20th position.
Both drivers were looking to benefit from a major overhaul of the Toro Rosso as the team ran with the new diffuser, front wing, nose and top bodywork that has served sister team Red Bull so well since Silverstone.
By Adam Feneley
Motorsport Engineering
www.motorsportengineering.blogspot.com
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