Briton Lewis Hamilton topped the times for McLaren in yesterday’s second free practice session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix tomorrow.

The 2008 world champion outpaced his three rivals in this weekend’s championship showdown by more than two-tenths of a second.

Hamilton, 25, who claimed pole position and then led last year’s race for 19 laps until forced to retire with a braking problem, clocked a day’s best of one minute and 40.888 seconds.

It was a bold statement of intent from the clear outsider among the four men in contention for the drivers’ title, but his McLaren team-mate 2009 champion Jenson Button, who is hoping to help his partner take the crown, was unable to match him and was only eighth fastest.

Hamilton’s time lifted him clear of German Sebastian Vettel who was second fastest for Red Bull ahead of current leader Fernando Alonso, of Ferrari, and Mark Webber. The Australian was fourth in the second constructors’ championship winning Red Bull car.

Pole Robert Kubica was fifth quickest for Renault, Brazilian Felipe Massa sixth for Ferrari, after stopping out on track due to suspected fuel problems, and Russian rookie Vitaly Petrov seventh in the second Renault.

Hamilton’s progress was not without incident either.

In the early stages, he flat-spotted his tyres when pushing hard and later he narrowly missed a collision with Brazilian Bruno Senna’s Hispania car when he cut back across the circuit to go down the pit lane.

For that, he was called to the stewards’ office for an investigation after the session.

In addition to Massa’s stoppage, Spaniard Jaime Alguersuari, of Toro Rosso, abandoned his car at Turn 19 after an hour’s action and just as the ‘twilight’ session’s action intensified.

Before dusk descended, when German rookie Nico Hulkenberg signalled the start of competition in earnest by switching to the ‘super soft’ tyres for his Williams, Alonso had been the quickest man on track, ahead of a variety of rivals.

The two-times champion Spaniard clocked a lap of one minute and 41.164 seconds after 16 minutes of the 90 and remained top until Hamilton, also on softer tyres, went top again after an hour.

The two McLarens had been among the early cars out when Hamilton recorded an early quick lap before trading the leading position with Alonso until his longer-lasting marker was set down.

At that time, the track temperature was 31 degrees Celsius and the air temperature 28 degrees – cooler than usual, following a heavy rainstorm in the morning.

The Red Bulls did not appear until the 17th minute of the session when Webber ran wide at Turn Nine, but still clocked a lap fast enough to go fourth as Vettel joined the fray.

The young Red Bull tyro had been quickest in the earlier practice session following a morning rainstorm, but for the first time, on a Friday, in 2010 Hamilton had the speed to succeed him as the day’s fastest man.

Only by winning and seeing his rivals fail can Hamilton, who is 24 points behind Alonso, take the title.

He proved yesterday that he is ready to give it his best shot.

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