Red Bull’s Sebastien Vettel threw down the gauntlet to Brawn GP pair Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello Friday by topping the times in opening free practice for Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix. 

The German is 26 points behind championship leader Button and 12 adrift of Barrichello with four Grand Prix left and knows he needs a victory here to stay in the hunt.

He hurled his car around the Marina Bay street circuit in 1:48.650 to finish 0.274 behind the late-charging Fernando Alonso, who finally gave the disgraced Renault team something to smile about.  McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen showed good pace throughout to record the third fastest time of 1:48.952, while BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld took fourth with a time of 1:49.098.

Brawn GP had completed a one-two in the first session of practice earlier in the day, with Rubens Barrichello fastest and championship leader Jenson Button close behind in second.  However, neither were able to replicate that in the second session, with Button fifth fastest (1:49.311) and Barrichello down in 11th.