14/03/2008
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's second free practice session, the air temperature is 35 degrees C, and the track temperature is 46 degrees C. It remains hot and sunny.
In the opening session, it was pretty much business as usual for Ferrari and McLaren, while Nick Heidfeld was sidelined by an electrics problem. There was limited track time for Coulthard and Rosberg also.
The lights go green, and after a slight pause Trulli leads the way, followed by Kubica, Bourdais and Rosberg. Glock, Vettel and Nakajima are also keen to get back to work.
Hamilton and Kovalainen are also keen to resume their preparations for the race, and it isn't long before they're joined by Alonso and Heidfeld. Just ten minutes into the session there are already eleven names on the timesheets, with Hamilton (27.742) leading the way from Kovalainen, Kubica and Alonso.
As in the first session, several drivers fall foul of the dusty Albert Park track surface, including Hamilton.
As Massa and Raikkonen head down the pitlane, Webber goes fifth, ahead of Heidfeld and the two Force India cars.
On his first flying lap of the afternoon, Massa goes fourth (29.315), while teammate Raikkonen can only manage eleventh (30.259). Next time around the Brazilian improves to second (28.219), while Raikkonen goes fourth (28.850). Elsewhere, Rosberg complains of 'graining' and locking up at the rear.
Vettel goes seventh (29.193), ahead of Alonso, Heidfeld and Sutil. Meanwhile, teammate Sebastien Bourdais improves to thirteenth.
The Williams duo remains worryingly rooted at the wrong end of the timesheets, with Rosberg fourteenth and Nakajima sixteenth, despite both drivers having completed more than ten laps.
With almost half an hour of the session gone, Coulthard, Piquet and the Super Aguri duo have yet to post times. That said, moments later Davidson goes nineteenth with a 31.883.
As Alonso improves to fourth (28.779), local hero Mark Webber is on a hot lap, finally crossing the line at 27.614 to go quickest. However, Hamilton is back on track.
All twenty-two drivers are on the timesheets now, with Sato nineteenth, ahead of Piquet, Davidson and Coulthard. The Scot getting very out of shape as he struggles with a Red Bull that won't do as it's told.
A 27.683 sees Kovalainen improve to second, leapfrogging his McLaren teammate. However, both Ferraris are back on track.
Rosberg, currently sixteenth, posts personal bests in the first two sectors and again in the third, thereby improving to fifth with a 28.495. Elsewhere, Coulthard improves to nineteenth.
Heidfeld is on track, running the softer compound. He posts personal bests in the first two sectors, finally crossing the line at 28.731 to go seventh. Elsewhere, Coulthard improves to seventeenth. Little by little.
Webber consolidates top spot with a 27.473, the gap to Kovalainen now back up to 0.210s. Elsewhere, Trulli, Massa and Sutil all have problems keeping on the 'black stuff'.
As Rosberg seeks to improve on fifth, Nakajima goes tenth (29.077), the Williams looking much better in this session. The same cannot be said for the Hondas, which are fifteenth and nineteenth, while the Super Aguri duo has only completed thirteen laps.
Rosberg goes off on to the grass, as Bourdais appears to be lapping very, very slowly. Meanwhile, having posted personal bests in the first two sectors, Coulthard improves from seventeenth to tenth. His teammate remains at the top of the timesheets.
As Fisichella goes off track, Rosberg complains of balance problems. He doesn't appear to be alone. Meanwhile, Coulthard improves to seventh.
Hamilton goes quickest in the second sector, however, he fails to improve in the final sector and remains third. All eyes on Massa who goes quickest in the first sector, finally crossing the line at 27.640 to go second. Meanwhile, Trulli goes fifth with a 28.292.
Fisichella is really having problems keeping the Force India on track, the Italian still down in seventeenth place, 2.5s off the pace.
Coulthard complains that he's not getting the maximum out of his tyres on the first lap, admitting that he's done "bugger all running".
Button posts personal bests in all three sectors, improving from seventeenth to twelfth. Meanwhile, Hamilton is on track on the softer compound, as is Glock. The German goes eighth, just three places behind his Toyota teammate.
With fifteen minutes remaining, Massa, on the softer compound, goes off and for a moment it appears that he might be trapped in the gravel trap. However, he somehow gets out again and is able to continue.
Barrichello goes thirteenth, having posted personal bests in all three sectors. With less than twelve minutes remaining we can expect to see further improvements as more drivers try the softer compound.
It's all over for Trulli who gets totally out of shape and slides backwards into the gravel trap that almost captured Massa a few minutes ago. The Italian begins the long walk back to the pits.
Ross Brawn is supervising the situation in the Honda garage, Barrichello and Button having dropped to thirteenth and fourteenth on the timesheets. Elsewhere, Massa is out of his car and chatting to his crew having appeared to settle for second.
On-board footage shows Kovalainen really struggling for grip, as Sato takes a detour across a gravel trap.
As Piquet improves to eighteenth, Hamilton goes quickest in the first sector. He's quickest again in the second sector, finally crossing the line at 26.559 to go quickest. Elsewhere, Fisichella, Rosberg and Button are all on hot laps.
Fisichella goes sixth but is immediately bumped down by Rosberg, as Button goes tenth. Coulthard improves to fifth, but all eyes are on Raikkonen who posts a personal best in the second sector. The Finn improves to sixth, but remains 1.6s off the pace. Coulthard stops on track, which means that either the Scot was running on fumes or else he's encountered another technical problem.
An interesting session, particularly with regards Red Bull, while BMW and Renault were both disappointing.
That said, it's Friday, and you know what the teams always say in their Friday press releases.