BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) -- Fernando Alonso posted the fastest time in Friday's practice at the Hungarian Grand Prix with the defending champion bidding to overtake the top spot in the standings.

Alonso timed 1 minute 20.919 seconds in his McLaren on the twisting 4.381-kilometer (2.72-mile) Hungaroring circuit to lead Renault's Heikki Kovalainen. Lewis Hamilton, Alonso's teammate and overall standings leader, was third.

Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa were sixth and seventh in the afternoon, as an ongoing dispute between McLaren and Ferrari also heated up again.

On Friday, Ferrari rejected accusations made earlier this week by McLaren team leader Ron Dennis that it used illegal car parts in the season-opening race, saying the claims were "both serious and false."

"Ferrari never illegally gained any advantage," the team said. "The two F2007 cars used in the Australian Grand Prix were deemed by the stewards to be in conformity with the technical regulations, before, during and at the end of the event. If there had been any illegalities, they would have been disqualified."

Dennis had accused the Italian team of having an "illegal competitive advantage" at the March race, saying Kimi Raikkonen may have won in a car using an illegal floor attachment mechanism.

On the track, Alonso explained why he was the only driver to go under 1:21 on Friday.

"We spent the morning working on the setup and limited the number of tires we used," Alonso said. "The track here improves as the weekend goes on, so we chose to do all the tire evaluation in the afternoon session.

"I think we are in a good position and I am looking forward to the rest of the weekend, where we should continue to be strong."

Hamilton spun off the track in the last five minutes of the afternoon session.

"The spin happened as I was catching (Spyker's Sakon) Yamamoto on a flying lap, and I was probably a little too fast going into the corner," Hamilton said.

Poland's Robert Kubica, returning to the site of his Formula One debut, had the best time in the morning practice session but was 10th in the afternoon even though he bettered his morning time. He first clocked 1:22.390, improving to 1:21.906 in the afternoon.

In the morning session, Alonso and Hamilton were third and fourth at 1:22.585 and 1:22.854, respectively. BMW's Nick Heidfeld was sixth and fifth in the sessions.

Ferrari and McLaren have won all 10 races this season, with Alonso and Raikkonen having three wins apiece, and Hamilton and Massa getting two each.

Alonso is hoping to use Sunday's race to overtake Hamilton. Alonso trails by two points, 70-68, after winning the European GP on July 22 where Hamilton finished ninth after crashing in qualifying.

Massa has 59 points for third place, with Raikkonen in fourth with 52 points.

McLaren leads the constructor standings with 138 points to 111 for Ferrari.

Raikkonen complained about the performance of his car.

"I am not very happy with the handling," Raikkonen said. "Obviously, we have a lot to do in order to improve. But this is only Friday and there is no point in making a drama out of it as far as qualifying."

Off the track, Ferrari released a statement saying that it will appear at the FIA appeal.

"Ferrari will fully explain its position on the entire matter," the company said.

The main dispute began when a 780-page technical dossier on Ferrari cars was found at the home of McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan, who has since been suspended. Ferrari mechanic Nigel Stepney was fired, but he claims he was set up.