24/04/2009
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's second free practice session the air temperature is 37 degrees, and the track temperature is 50 degrees. It remains bright, sunny and very hot.
Both BMWs were at the top of the timesheets this morning just behind Hamilton, however, these times were set on the super-soft tyres, the German team being the only team to use them in anger. With a raft of updates to be introduced in Spain, the German outfit is at pains to point out that this morning's times do not represent a turnaround in fortune.
The lights go green and the Toyotas lead the way. Within minutes there are twelve cars on track, all getting straight down to serious work and none of the installation lap nonsense.
Trulli posts the first time of the afternoon, crossing the line at 1:37.591. As Glock posts 38.333, Bourdais goes third ahead of Sutil and Buemi.
As Vettel posts 37.841 to go second, both BMWs are back on track and still running the super-softs, which we will hereafter refer to as softs. The other tyre option available this weekend being the medium.
Sure enough, Kubica goes quickest with a 36.538, however, this is soon beaten by Button who crosses the line at 35.935. Heidfeld takes second from his BMW teammate with a 35.964.
Kovalainen goes fourth with a 36.441, subsequently improving to second with a 6.202. Elsewhere, his teammate gets it all wrong, locking up and going wide at Turn 9/10.
As Heidfeld re-takes second, Hamilton goes quickest in the final sector but can only manage 37.209 to go twelfth. Next time around, the World Champion goes quickest in the first and final sectors, but still he actually drops to fourteenth on the sheets having gone wide in the second sector.
At the next attempt Hamilton goes second to Fisichella - yes, Fisichella - who posts a 35.343 in the Force India.
Piquet's front wing is dislodged when the Brazilian clouts the kerbing. Elsewhere, Rosberg goes fifth with a 35.871.
As Fisichella continues to top the timesheets, Barrichello goes sixth with a 35.907.
Trulli, running on the softs, goes quickest in the first sector, as teammate Glock, also on softs, goes quickest in the second. Glock posts 34.977 to go quickest, however this is almost instantly beaten by Trulli who crosses the line at 33.967.
Glock re-takes the top spot with a 33.787, as Webber moves up to third with a 34.451.
Grip has been a real issue in both of these sessions, with almost every driver having gone off the track at one point or another.
Barrichello improves to third as more drivers switch to the soft tyres. The Brazilian demotes Adrian Sutil to fifth.
As Trulli goes quickest with a 33.699, the Renaults remain firmly rooted to the bottom of the timesheets having completed 14 laps between them.
Kimi Raikkonen gets his rear end all out of shape as teammate Massa complains that his tyres have no grip left.
Approaching half-time, Nakajima goes third with a 34.088 as the majority of drivers continue long runs as opposed to fat times.
The order is: Trulli, Glock, Nakajima, Button, Barrichello, Webber, Sutil, Vettel, Hamilton and Rosberg.
A 33.661 sees Vettel go second splitting the Toyotas. Meanwhile, Piquet has a big spin, the Brazilian still rooted to the bottom of the timesheets with his Renault teammate.
Adrian Sutil (softs) goes quickest in the first sector, finally crossing the line at 33.767 to go fourth.
Raikkonen posts personal bests in all three sectors but remains fourteenth, 1.451s off the pace of the front-runners.
Hamilton on the softs, improves from thirteenth to tenth with a 34.367, as Piquet posts 34.526 to go twelfth.
Rosberg (softs, natch!) posts a personal best in the first sector, followed by outright bests in the second and third to go quickest with a 33.339. Hamilton improves to eighth with a 34.157.
Alonso posts a personal best in the first sector, as does Kovalainen. The Spaniard maintains his pace in the second sector, finally crossing the line at 33.722 to go fourth.
With fifteen minutes remaining, Button, on softs, posts personal bests in the first two sectors, and again in the third, finally crossing the line at 33.694 to go fourth.
Having been the early pace-setters, the BMW duo are now at the bottom of the timesheets, as Webber goes eighth with a 33.945. Massa, Raikkonen and Kovalainen also at the wrong end of the timesheets. The top thirteen covered by 0.974s.
Webber improves to fourth with a 33.676, as Heidfeld makes a couple of mistake in his eagerness to post a more competitive time.
With 34 laps under his belt, Trulli is the busiest man thus far, ahead of Nakajima and Buemi (31), Massa and Rosberg (30) and Kovalainen and Button (29). Fastest through the speed-trap is Sutil, ahead of Raikkonen, Massa, Fisichella, Vettel and Barrichello.
When Vettel goes third with a 3.661, it gives Red Bull a 3-4, while Brawn are currently fifth and ninth. Toyota second and seventh.
Barrichello and Hamilton both on hot laps, as Alonso goes quickest of all in the first sector. The Englishman fails to improve as Alonso goes second (33.530) having gone quickest in the final sector.
As the chequered flag is waved, Sutil improves to seventh while teammate Fisichella just misses out on the Top Ten.
A late improvement sees Nakajima go tenth as his teammate remains quickest overall.
The session ends with Rosberg quickest ahead of Alonso, Trulli, Vettel, Webber, Button, Sutil, Glock, Barrichello and Nakajima.
Hamilton is eleventh, ahead of Fisichella, Buemi, Bourdais, Piquet, Massa, Kubica, Raikkonen, Kovalainen and Heidfeld.
With just 1.451s covering all twenty drivers and 0.560 covering the Top Ten, we could be in for a very interesting weekend.