SHANGHAI, Oct 5, 2007 (AFP) - Kimi Raikkonen set the fastest time for Ferrari in Friday´s practice, indicating he will not give up on his title hopes without a fight in Sunday´s Chinese Grand Prix.

The Finn, who was quickest in the morning session, was down in fifth for much of the second session before scorching round the track to displace McLaren´s Fernando Alonso by just 0.006 seconds.

Raikkonen´s team-mate Felipe Massa was third fastest, and within 0.023 seconds of the one minute, 36.607 seconds clocked by his fellow Ferrari driver.

Britain´s Championship pacesetter Lewis Hamilton was fourth quickest in the other McLaren, though he was almost three-tenths-of-a-second down on Raikkonen´s best time of the day.

Race stewards have yet to announce whether Hamilton has been found guilty of erratic driving in last Sunday´s Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji.

Hamilton was called before the stewards over an incident behind the safety car in the rain-lashed race, in which Red Bull´s Mark Webber and Toro Rosso´s Sebastian Vettel collided.

If found guilty, he faces being stripped of the race win, banned from Sunday´s penultimate round of a thrilling but controversial title fight, or demoted 10 places down the starting grid.

Hamilton leads Alonso by 12 points, with Raikkonen five points further behind in the drivers´ standings.

Alonso, who has also complained of his team-mate´s driving behind the safety car, dominated the afternoon session until the last few minutes, when Raikkonen flew round the 5.451-kilometre track.

Massa, whose title ambitions were ended in Japan, went off the track twice during the 90-minute session, as he had in first practice.

Hamilton also skirted onto the gravel at turn two after the rear of his Mercedes-powered car briefly snapped out of control, though he managed to continue.

The likelihood is that Saturday´s crucial qualifying session will be another battle between McLaren and Ferrari for pole position which has proved vital throughout the season.

Toyota´s Jarno Trulli finished fifth fastest just ahead of Raikkonen with Webber sixth quickest.