F1 title rivals content after Friday practice

LONDON, England (CNN) -- The two Formula One title rivals expressed their satisfaction after Friday practice for the Japanese Grand Prix.

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari driver Felipe Massa are separated by seven points in the standings but there was little to choose between the two on day one at Fuji.

Hamilton just shaded the Brazilian in both sessions, but the indications are that the fight will be close in round 16 of the 18-race championship.

"Fuji is a place I really enjoy: it's not the easiest of tracks because it requires a good set-up to get the best from the car, but I had no complaints today," said Hamilton after topping session one and trailing only Timo Glock's Toyota and Fernando Alonso's Renault in session two.

"We were immediately on the pace and found a very good balance straight away. In the afternoon, I did a promising longer run with no major problems and I feel confident about our pace for the rest of the weekend."

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Ferrari arrived in Japan with their final batch of modifications on their 2008 car and Massa immediately felt the benefit of the upgrades.

"I am pleased with this first day in Japan. The balance of the car is very good, both on the first timed lap and over a distance," said the Brazilian, who is looking for his sixth win of the season.

"The times are very close and maybe I could have been a bit further up the order in the afternoon session if I had not encountered traffic on my last run on the soft tires.

"These seem to be very quick, which is no surprise, but also very consistent. I really want to do well this weekend and we will try and win and bring home the best result possible for the two championships."

The role of the title rivals' team-mates could prove important. Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen still has a mathematic chance of retaining his crown, but is paying for a lackluster second half of the season by being cast as Massa's wingman.

Heikki Kovalainen has been supporting Hamilton's title challenge for even longer and the duel between the 'number twos' could provide a fascinating subplot.

"Today was a pretty straightforward practice day with no major problems," said Kovalainen.

"We made some good progress with the set-up into the afternoon and that also made me feel a lot more confident about attacking this place .We're certainly in good shape for the rest of the weekend."

Raikkonen added: "It seems very finely balanced with the lap times all very close. This means it will be very important to have a good qualifying otherwise you run the risk of being a long way back on the grid.

"I think our car is going well on this track and I am reasonably satisfied. My weekend? I will try to do the best I can for myself and for the team."