McLaren's David Coulthard and Mika Hakkinen laid down the gauntlet to Ferrari in Budapest yesterday with the duo setting the top times in free practice on a day when the adversaries' technical directors also went on the offensive over team tactics.

Coulthard and Hakkinen left it late to venture out onto the twisting and dusty Hungaroring circuit, but when they did they quickly rocketed to the top of the timesheets, leaving the Ferraris of Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello struggling in their wakes.

Coulthard admitted he was pleased with the team's progress and said leaving their runs late was part of the weekend's strategy.

"We wanted to leave it late for a number of reasons, partly to conserve tyres and also because we knew that there would be a number of drivers, like Jenson (Button), who hadn't raced here before and would go out early and clean up the track for us," he said.

"We wanted to make sure we got good value from the laps we did. At this stage of the season, it's about quality of laps, not quantity."

While the Scot admitted it was pleasing to top the timesheets, he added the cautionary note that the Hungaroring has been a Ferrari stronghold in the past, with Schumacher twice a winner here.

"Of the three remaining races, this is definitely the one where Ferrari represent the biggest threat," he said. "It's a very technical circuit, and that doesn't necessarily suit our car, it's more about flow here. We're quick, but that may not be enough."

Schumacher, meanwhile, said the positions were of little important and he felt confident that the closeness that has been a feature of the Ferrari-McLaren rivalry through most of the mid-season would continue here.

While the four championship contenders continue to make life difficult for each other on the track, in the garages the inter-team sniping continued.

The first salvo was delivered by Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn, who hit out at critics of Michael Schumacher's driving style, a group which most notably includes David Coulthard, saying that the barbs aimed at the Ferrari number one were "vindictive".

"It's (Schumacher's driving) acceptable to the FIA who are the judge of these things and I think the level of criticism is starting to get vindictive," he said. "I think people have got a different agenda about it. They're not trying to stop Michael doing anything about his starts. They have a different objective.

"I'm very unhappy about it," he said. "It's down to the individuals who are saying these things to stop. They're quite at liberty to go and talk to Michael about it but they choose to air their opinions in public."

The Ferrari strategist then went on the offensive over recent suggestions that Rubens Barrichello will be forbidden to challenge for the world championship, saying that while the Brazilian was number two at the team he will be allowed to win if the opportunity presents itself.

"We have no decree that it's only Michael who can win the world championship," said Brawn. "Our efforts go towards what's best for Ferrari. We've always been very open about our approach.

"I actually think that favouritism exists in other teams, they're just not prepared to admit it," he continued, before attacking McLaren's Hockenheim strategy switch that saw Hakkinen pit before Coulthard, leaving the Scot out late and subsequently in the lurch as he dropped from second to sixth.

"I happen to think that in the last two races McLaren have very heavily favoured Mika (Hakkinen) and not David (Coulthard)."

McLaren technical director Adrian Newey immediately refuted Brawn's allegation, saying the team had not shown any favouritism towards double world champion Hakkinen.

"Ross is entitled to his opinion but I know that inside the team that (favouritism) is not the case," he said. "Take Hockenheim: Mika came in when the pace car came out because he was ahead at the time. The policy is always to get the driver who is in front in first. I can safely say that there is no favouritism between one driver or another."

While the two technical directors slugged it out, the midfield was duelling out on the track for the positions directly behind Ferrari and McLaren, and yesterday it was Jordan's Jarno Trulli who came out best. The Italian claimed fifth spot, two-tenths of a second ahead of Giancarlo Fisichella, who yesterday re-signed for Benetton for next season.

"All in all a positive day," Trulli said. "The track is changing a lot and I was suffering from understeer, but we were quick to solve the problem, which helped me improve a lot. I admit I'm feeling confident, as I have always been very good at this track, and if we don't have any problems I know I can do a good job."

Trulli's senior partner, Heinz Harald Frentzen, also had a productive day, finishing ninth behind the twin Williams of Jenson Button (eighth) and Ralf Schumacher (seventh) and marginally ahead of Eddie Irvine.