Superb Alonso goes quickest in Singapore

(CNN) -- Double world champion Fernando Alonso produced a sparkling performance under the floodlights to top the timesheets in the second session of free practice ahead of the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix.

The Renault driver left it late to produce a scintillating lap and clock a time of one minute 45.654 seconds to edge F1 championship leader Lewis Hamilton by 0.098 seconds.

McLaren's Hamilton, who came out on top in first practice earlier in the evening, had led for the majority of practice until Alonso took charge.

Ferrari's Felipe Massa finished third with a time of 1:45.793 while Heikki Kovalainen of McLaren and Williams' Nico Rosberg took fourth and fifth.

BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica finished sixth while world champion Kimi Raikkonen, who had at one stage topped the timesheets, took seventh.

Honda's Jenson Button improved on his showing in first practice by taking eighth place while Kazuki Nakajima of Williams and Toyota's Timo Glock rounded off the top 10.

The rain and thunderstorms that had lashed Singapore in the morning failed to materialise in the evening meaning only a small section of standing water remained at the first corner ahead of first practice.

After Rosberg had set the early pace, Hamilton continued from where he had left off in the first session when he clocked a time of 1:46.835 in his third lap to go top.

That was where the Briton remained until Massa briefly toppled him in the closing stages but Hamilton produced a superb lap to retain his place at the top.

It seemed the 23-year-old was likely to set the fastest time for the second successive session but Alonso, who had finished seventh in first practice, had other ideas.

Earlier, the circuit had taken its first casualty when Red Bull's Mark Webber ploughed into a barrier at Turn 18 in only his fourth lap of first practice.

Honda's Rubens Barrichello also crashed out in P1 when he spun off the track at the final turn while Glock collided with a barrier late in second practice.

Jarno Trulli was fined 10,000 euros for driving in the wrong direction on the track after a spin in first practice. The Toyota driver decided to drive back up the circuit in order to enter the pits.