Brawn's Rubens Barrichello top after opening free practice at European GP

Brazilian veteran Rubens Barrichello topped the times for Brawn GP after the opening free practice session for this weekend's European Grand Prix.

The 37-year-old Barrichello clocked a best time of one minute and 42.460 seconds around the Mediterranean harbour street circuit with 15 minutes remaining on a hot morning in eastern Spain.

Finn Heikki Kovalainen was second fastest for McLaren ahead of his team-mate, defending drivers world champion Lewis Hamilton of Britain, who won his first race of the season at last month's Hungarian Grand Prix.

Championship-leading Briton Jenson Button was fourth in the second Brawn at the conclusion of an eventful morning's action which ended with Barrichello's car struggling with gearbox problems as he went for an even faster lap time.

Button was fastest for a long period during the morning, but ended up six-tenths of a second off Barrichello's pace, but the duo's overall performance suggested that Brawn have rediscovered some of their best form after three races in the doldrums.

German Sebastian Vettel was the top Red Bull driver in fifth position ahead of compatriot Adrian Sutil, who was sixth for the much-improved Force India team.

Japanese Kaazuki Nakajima was seventh for Williams ahead of Australian Mark Webber in the second Red Bull with two-times champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso of Renault and Finn Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari completing the top ten.

The session saw a flurry of incidents, but no serious accidents, as many drivers ran wide over the kerbs on the dusty asphalt circuit.

French debutant Romain Grosjean of Renault was 17th, more than a second slower than team-mate Alonso and veteran comeback driver Italian Luca Badoer, replacing injured Brazilian Felipe Massa for Ferrari, was 20th, two seconds down on Raikkonen.

New TAG Heuer ad pitches Steve McQueen against Lewis Hamilton

McQueen and Hamilton : two legends duel at Le Mans

To celebrate the 40th Anniversary of its Monaco watch, TAG Heuer has gone down the fantasy road and imagined who would have won the race between Steve McQueen and Lewis Hamilton. They’ve used footage from McQueen’s Le Mans in which they’ve inserted Hamilton, a technique we remember getting great results in movies like Forrest Gump. It’s not as well done as the latter and the 3D cars could have used more work. Thinking about it, excerpts from Bullitt were used in a Ford ad in 1996 (!) for the Puma and, even though it’s much older, the transition between newer and original sequences seems much more seemless! Same for the 2004 Ford Mustang ad (also starring Steve). What happened TAG Heuer? All the money went to Hamilton and the McQueen family and you couldn’t afford a good producer? Anyway… it’s always nice to see old Steve. Considering he left us years ago, he’s been getting a lot of work in commercials lately.

Save our GP, say Button and Hamilton

Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton on Thursday issued an emotional rallying cry to preserve the British Grand Prix.

As Silverstone prepared for possibly its final weekend as the host circuit for the British race, the two Britons united to call for the traditional race to remain on the calendar.

The British Grand Prix is scheduled to move to the troubled venue of Donington Park next year after that track's new management won a 17-year deal to host the event.

But money and development problems have left the project in limbo and F1 commercial supreme Bernie Ecclstone has stressed that there is no way he would return to Silverstone after this weekend.

Defending world champion Hamilton, of McLaren Mercedes, said: "We just want to show our support and show the importance of the British Grand Prix.

"I think perhaps people look at the British Grand Prix and perhaps don't realise what it would be like without it - I think we should all step back and realise what motorsport would be like without it and understand that and then take action.

"We just all need to pull together and support it. I think we need support from the (British) government. We need support from other backers wherever we can get it.

"As long as we have a British Grand Prix then Formula One will always remain a great sport."

Championship leader Button of Brawn GP was equally keen to see his home race retained.

He said: "We both agree that we would love a British Grand Prix and we obviously want it to be at a good venue, but having a British GP is the point that we're trying to push.

"It's not us two sat here I think it's the whole of Formula One. There are a lot of British people that work in Formula One on the racing side of things and on the journalism side of things.

"So to not have a British race would be a real shocker for all of us involved and surprising I think for the fans, especially when we have packed out crowds for the races here."

Button admitted he would be sad not to race at Silverstone again.

"It is a very special race. The British fans are fantastic and we have so many fans in Britain for motorsport and Formula One," said Button.

"Last year was a sell-out crowd and I'm guessing it's going to be the same this year and you don't get that in many circuits around the world, especially with the way the economy is at the moment.

"This is a circuit that I love. It's a fantastic fast-flowing circuit like Spa, Suzuka - it's one of the true greats and has been through the last few decades."