Page updates automatically every minute

Final Order: Michael Schumacher ahead of Rubens Barrichello and Mika Hakkinen. Jenson Button, Jacques Villeneuve and Alexander Wurz make the top 6.

58 min: Michael Schumacher improves with a time of 1:14.927 while Mika Hakkinen moves back into 3rd.

56 min: Villeneuve improves to 4th while Wurz moves into 6th.

55 min: Button sets a time under 1:16 while Villeneuve moves back into the top 6.

53 min: Top 10 - M Schumacher, Barrichello, Button, Hakkinen, Trulli, Irvine, Heidfeld, Villeneuve, Diniz and Frentzen.

50 min: Nick Heidfeld moves into 7th place with a time of 1:16.626!, his teammate Jean Alesi is in 21st position!

49 min: Rubens Barrichello improves his time but stays in second 0.3 seconds behind Michael Schumacher.

47 min: Michael Schumacher is the first driver to go under the 1:15 mark with a time of 1:14.997. Eddie Irvine moves into 6th!

45 min: Top 6 - M Schumacher, Barrichello, Button, Hakkinen, Trulli and Diniz

45 min: Barrichello improves but still in second and so does Button!

42 min: Michael Schumacher lapping in the 1:15's while Jenson Button moves into third with a time of 1:16.358.

40 min: McLaren are not having the best of days, David Coulthard suffered problems very early on and Hakkinen is stuck in the pits with a problem too!

38 min: Jarno Trulli moves into 4th position with a time of 1:16.667. Barrichello goes back out on the track.

36 min: Jarno Trulli and Michael Schumacher are back on the track. The Ferrari at this stage appears more suited to the track than the McLaren.

34 min: Top 10 - M Schumacher, Barrichello, Hakkinen, Villeneuve, Salo, Button, Frentzen, R Schumacher, Zonta and Wurz

32 min: Ricardo Zonta moves into 9th position while his teammate Jacques Villeneuve is 4th. The BAR is looking strong at the stage.

30 min: It is very interesting to see both Minardi's (15th & 16th) ahead of both Jaguar's (17th & 18th) and both Arrows (19th & 20th)!

29 min: Barrichello moves into second while Mika Salo improves to 5th. Top 6 - M Schumacher, Barrichello, Hakkinen, Villeneuve, Salo, Button.

27 min: Eddie Irvine sets his first time of the day (1:18.365) and is in 15th place.

25 min: Michael Schumacher improves further to 1:15.283 while Rubens Barrichello moves into third with a time of 1:16.638.

23 min: Michael Schumacher improves to 1:15.800. Eddie Irvine and David Coulthard are the only two without timed laps.

19 min: Michael Schumacher retakes the top spot with a time of 1:16.000 almost half a second ahead of Hakkinen. Fisichella spins into the gravel and hits the tyre barrier. Session over for him.

17 min: Michael Schumacher is back on the track while Fisichella improves to 7th.

15 min: Top 10 - Hakkinen, M Schumacher, Villeneuve, Button, R Schumacher, Trulli, Salo, Zonta, Wurz, Fisichella

15 min: Mika Hakkinen goes fastest with a time of 1:16.475 and Villeneuve goes third with a time of 1:16.907

14 min: Button moves into 2nd place and Fisichella into 5th. The order is changing by the minute!

12 min: Mika Hakkinen goes second with a time of 1:17.105 while Villeneuve moves into 4th with a time of 1:18.228

10 min: Top 6 - M Schumacher, Trulli, Button, Gene, Wurz, Frentzen

10 min: Jarno Trulli goes second with a time of 1:17.668 followed by Button with a time of 1:17.890.

9 min: David Coulthard driving around slowly and stops at the pit entry. Session over for him!

8 min: Heinz Harald Frentzen sets the second time of the day with 1:19.123. Several other drivers are now on their first timed laps.

6 min: Frentzen and Gene are back on the track. It is very interesting to see Michael Schumacher go out this early, the extra tyres are proving a success!

5 min: Michael Schumacher improves to 1:16.962. All other drivers have come in after their installation laps.

3 min: Michael Schumacher sets the first time of the day with a time of 1:18.008.

2 min: Johnny Herbert stays out for 2 installation laps while Michael Schumacher stays out as well

Pit lane opens and Frentzen is the first to go out followed by Herbert, Villeneuve, Fisichella, Wurz and Coulthard.

The teams will be given two extra sets of tyres for today only, add to that the fact that this is a new circuit and we should see a lot more action than usual on Friday - 2 minutes to go

5 minutes to the start of the session. The weather is partly cloudy and the temperature is 20 degrees