10/10/2008
NEWS STORY
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Ahead of today's second free practice session, the air temperature is 21 degrees C, while the track temperature is 29 degrees. It remains bright and sunny, however, there are far more clouds in the sky than earlier.
The lights go green and Nick Heidfeld leads the way, followed by Glock, Fisichella, Trulli, Kubica, Webber, Bourdais and a whole host of others.
While Glock and Fisichella are in the 1:24s, Heidfeld immediately posts a 21.147 to set the initial benchmark.
Within five minutes of the session getting underway there are sixteen names on the timesheets, and as Hamilton and Kovalainen head down the pitlane only the Ferraris have yet to make an appearance.
The times quickly tumble, and soon Alonso leads the way, ahead of Vettel, Bourdais, Kubica and Webber. However, it is Hamilton who soon reclaims the top spot posting 19.949 on his first flying lap, just two-thousandths of a second quicker than Alonso.
Raikkonen heads down the pitlane, as Hamilton improves with a 19.636. Moments later Kovalainen makes it a Woking 1-2 when he breaks the timing beams at 19.867.
Raikkonen's first lap is 25.031, and as Massa finally appears, going on to go sixth with a 20.218, Bourdais splits the McLarens with a 19.842. Next time around, Raikkonen goes sixth and Massa fourth (19.874).
Massa takes the top spot with a 19.535 as Sutil goes quickest in the second sector, finally crossing the line at 19.344 to go quickest. The Force India driver was a highly impressive eleventh overall in the first session.
Trulli goes quickest in the first two sectors, finally crossing the line at 18.863. The Italian is running on the soft option, as was Sutil, however, with the (fading) green stripes alongside the 'traditional' white stripe it makes it a little difficult to tell. Indeed, from certain angles it looks like four green, or four white stripes, depending on your point of view. Another gimmick and all very odd.
Anyway, Vettel now heads the timesheets with an 18.761, ahead of Trulli, Glock, Nakajima, Coulthard, Sutil and Rosberg.
Hamilton is back on track and immediately goes second with an 18.763, just two-thousandths of a second shy of Vettel. Kovalainen goes fourth (18.914).
Glock (softs) goes quickest with an 18.383, 0.378s quicker than Vettel. Raikkonen goes quickest in the first sector, however he fails to improve as he loses pace in the two subsequent sectors.
As Kubica improves to fifth, Heidfeld (softs) fails to improve on 19.894 and remains sixteenth. Elsewhere, Raikkonen goes quickest in the first sector again.
These stripes on the tyres are really dumb, on some of the cars it is extremely difficult to tell whether there is a white strip or not. Fact is, there is nothing, absolutely nothing about a couple of green stripes on an F1 would tyre that would make anyone think seriously about changing their attitude towards the environment.
Approaching half-time, Massa posts a personal best in the first sector. However, a mistake in the second sees him lose almost 2s.
As Massa dives into the pits and performs a standing start at the end of the pitlane, Hamilton leaves the McLaren garage on a brand new set of soft boots. For once the white stripe is clear for all to see.
"I'm going nowhere with these tyres," Piquet tells his crew. While we at Pitpass are sympathising with the under-fire Brazilian, his crew responds, "understood".
No fastest sectors, yet Hamilton goes second with an 18.463.
Bourdais (softs) goes quickest in the first sector, however, a poor final sector means he fails to improve on tenth.
Raikkonen (softs) goes quickest in the first sector, and posts a personal best in the second. At the line it's 18.752 as the Finn goes third.
Massa (softs) posts personal bests in the first two sectors, crossing the line at 18.617 to take third from his teammate. Again, it is in the twisty final section where he loses ground.
Despite having completed 25 laps, Heidfeld is still down in seventeenth, while Webber and Alonso have also slid down the timesheets.
Nakajima (softs) is on track and keen to improve on ninth.
Clearly, most of the drivers are going for reliability over pace, with most of them having completed 30 laps or more. Fifth placed Vettel is the driver to have completed the least number of laps, the German having completed nineteen.
Glock, Hamilton, Massa, Raikkonen, Vettel, Trulli, Kubica, Kovalainen, Nakajima and Bourdais, with seventeen minutes remaining.
Massa goes quickest in the first sector, loses pace in the second and then dives into the pits, where he performs another practice start.
Ross Brawn watches as Jenson Button begins his final assault, the Englishman and his teammate at the bottom of the timesheets, both over 1.9s off the pace.
Kovalainen improves to sixth with an 18.803, as Alonso goes second with an 18.426. moments later, Webber leaps up the timesheets, posting an 18.734 to go fifth.
As Massa posts a personal best in the second sector, Webber goes quickest, however, both fail to improve overall.
A last minute improvement from Barrichello, who goes fifteenth with a 19.258. However, as we have reported elsewhere, we hear that this weekend he will be told his services will not be required in 2009.
Raikkonen goes quickest in the first sector, but once again he fails to improve overall.
The chequered flag is waved and all but Webber and Heidfeld are on track.
Raikkonen has a minor scrap with Glock, but still there are no improvements.
Trulli completed 45 laps, while Glock and Fisichella completed 44, Button and Barrichello completed 42, while Alonso, Rosberg, Bourdais and Sutil all did 41. Fastest man through the speed-trap was Bourdais.
Quickest overall was Timo Glock, ahead of Alonso, Hamilton, Massa, Raikkonen, Webber, Nakajima, Vettel, Kovalainen and Trulli.