Published>Sat, Aug 28 10 06:17 PM
Formula One leader Mark Webber set the pace for Red Bull in final practice for the Belgian Grand Prix on Saturday ahead of closest challenger Lewis Hamilton.
Webber, who celebrated his 34th birthday on Friday, lapped the longest circuit on the calendar in one minute 46.106 seconds with the sun making occasional rare appearances on a cold morning in the Ardennes forests.
McLaren's Hamilton, four points behind the Australian with seven races remaining, was 0.117 slower in a session that started off damp, then dried out before ending with a brief downpour.
The top four after the hour of practice reflected the championship standings, with Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel third fastest and McLaren's reigning world champion Jenson Button fourth.
Vettel, who will be chasing his fifth pole position in a row later in the afternoon, and Red Bull's 12th in 13 starts, had a problem with 20 minutes to go and returned to the pits at a crawl before marshals pushed the car back to the garage.
A team spokeswoman said there had been a problem with the Renault-powered car's airbox, with the engine shut down as a precaution, but the issue had since been resolved. Vettel did not return to the track.
Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, who was quickest in both of Friday's session, was sixth on the timing screens behind Renault's Robert Kubica.
Seven times world champion Michael Schumacher, returning to his favourite track with Mercedes for his first race there since he was at Ferrari 2005, was only 14th fastest.
The 41-year-old German will have a 10 place penalty on the starting grid from wherever he qualifies after an incident with former Ferrari team mate Rubens Barrichello at the previous Hungarian Grand Prix.
Source: Web Search
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