Motor racing-Kubica quickest in first Hungarian GP practice

BUDAPEST, Aug 3 (Reuters) Poland's Robert Kubica, returning to the track where he made his Formula One debut last year, set the pace in the first free practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix today.

The 22-year-old BMW Sauber driver lapped the Hungaroring in one minute 22.390 seconds, 0.129 faster than Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa.

Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, a winner in Hungary in 2005, was third on the timesheets ahead of McLaren's double world champion Fernando Alonso and overall leader Lewis Hamilton.

British rookie Hamilton leads Alonso by two points in the championship, with seven races remaining including Sunday.

Massa is a further nine points adrift of the Spaniard while Raikkonen is 18 off the lead.

McLaren are 27 points ahead of Ferrari in the constructors' championship.

It was the first time this season that BMW had led a practice session.

Kubica has bittersweet memories of last year's race in Hungary, drafted in as a replacement for Canadian Jacques Villeneuve who was then dropped altogether following the Pole's strong showing.

Kubica finished seventh in that race but was disqualified when the car was found to be underweight at the finish.

''Last year was a pretty up and down weekend for me here,'' he said on his return. ''This year I hope for a better weekend.

The car is performing much better this year and we are looking pretty strong.

''And of course probably a lot of Polish fans will come so I'm really looking forward to it.'' Briton Jenson Button, who took the first grand prix win of his career with Honda in Hungary last season but has scored just one point this year, was eighth quickest on a bright and hot morning.

Germany's Sebastian Vettel, who scored a point on his Formula One debut with BMW as a replacement for Kubica at this year's US Grand Prix, made his first appearance for Toro Rosso and was faster than Italian team mate Vitantonio Liuzzi.

Japan's Sakon Yamamoto also returned to the grand prix paddock, signed up by tail-enders Spyker for the rest of the season in place of dropped Dutchman Christijan Albers.

Yamamoto, who had not driven a Formula One car at a race weekend since his last appearance for Super Aguri in Brazil last October, was last on the timesheets with a time of 1:28.118.

REUTERS TB DS1705