06/05/2011
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's second practice session, the air temperature has risen to 14 degrees C, while the track temperature is 21 degrees.
The rain stopped shortly after the end of the first session, and while the track is still damp the sun is finally beginning to break through. All of which means we should get plenty of running over the next ninety minutes, hopefully all on the dry tyres. Talking of which, the compounds available are hard (prime) and soft (option).
In the Red Bull garage the mechanics are working on Vettel's car following his crash this morning. However, there is talk that he won't be out again today.
The lights go green and d'Ambrosio leads the way, followed by Alguersuari, Trulli, Buemi and Karthikeyan.
As Rosberg, Schumacher and Petrov leave the pits, Alguersuari posts the first time of the afternoon, crossing the line at 1:34.362. Moments later he is leapfrogged by his Toro Rosso teammate who posts 33.022.
As Barrichello goes quickest 32.955), Hamilton is on a hot lap, going quickest in the first sector. At the line the McLaren driver posts 30.970.
All but d'Ambrosio, Schumacher, Vettel, Maldonado and Perez are on track as Buemi goes quickest (30.801) ahead of Massa and Alonso.
Rosberg goes straight to the top of the timesheets with a 30.545 but in no time at all Hamilton, Alonso, Petrov and Button have gone quicker as the drivers make up for this morning's lack of real running. Just twelve minutes into the session there are already twenty names on the timesheets.
Fifteen minutes into the session the McLarens lead the way, Hamilton ahead of Button. Elsewhere, Sutil's Force India looks mighty twitchy.
Button crosses the line at 28.222 to go quickest as Barrichello, running a new front wing, goes third with a 29.493.
Rosberg posts a PB is S1 then goes quickest in S2, crossing the line at 28.215 to go quickest, just seven-thousandths quicker than Button.
Heidfeld is pushing hard, the German posting PBs in the first two sectors before a slower car causes him to lose time in the third. No such problems for teammate Petrov who goes fourth overall (28.472) having been quickest in the final two sectors. On his next lap, Heidfeld improves with a 29.329, slotting in behind his Renault teammate.
Schumacher goes straight to the top of the timesheets, the German posting a 28.165 in the Mercedes. Twenty-seven minutes into the session it's the Mercedes duo ahead of the McLarens and Renaults.
Hamilton takes to the escape road after locking up into Turn 12. Elsewhere, Button's car is taking a real pounding over the bumps.
Another mistake from Maldonado, the Venezuelan spinning off at Turn 8, as Massa complains of all manner of problems, including brakes, most of them totally inaudible. Nonetheless, he goes quickest with a 27.959.
Petrov, one of the first drivers to switch to options, goes quickest in the final two sectors, crossing the line at 27.517 to go quickest. Schumacher subsequently takes second with a 27.892.
A 27.352 sees Rosberg, like his teammate still on the prime tyre, go quickest.
As Rosberg goes quickest in S1, Webber (currently eighteenth) leaves the pits on a set of options. The Mercedes driver is quickest again in S2, crossing the line at 26.961, the first driver to break the 1:26 barrier.
Just after half-time, it's: Rosberg, Petrov, Schumacher, Massa, Button, Hamilton, Barrichello, Buemi, Heidfeld and Perez. No sign of Vettel coming out this afternoon, indeed, there is no sign of any activity in his garage.
Webber improves to second with a 27.270, watched by an impassive Vettel. Meanwhile Alonso loses the back of the Ferrari at Turn 6. Though he gets the car going again, he subsequently grinds to a halt at the pitlane entrance.
Button, now on the options, goes quickest in S1, maintaining his pace in the second sector. At the line it's 26.456, over half-a-second quicker than his nearest rival, Rosberg.
More and more drivers switching to softs now, including Rosberg who immediately goes quickest in the first sector. The German loses time in the final sector, but still closes to within 0.065s of Button.
At the other end of the timesheets, we have the usual suspects, though both Hispanias are ahead of the Virgins. Kovalainen is nineteenth, while Trulli is seventeenth ahead of Kobayashi. The Williams duo is fifteenth and sixteenth.
Replay shows a number of drivers, including Hamilton, being punished by the notorious bumps here, their cars taking a real pounding.
With just over twenty minutes remaining, the drivers are now looking ahead to Sunday afternoon and the opening stages of the Grand Prix. In other words, heavy fuel loads as opposed to qualifying pace.
More misery for Maldonado - a winner here in GP2 last year - as he runs wide in Turn 8 and loses control on the still damp Astroturf, subsequently giving the barriers a slight clout. Moments later, as the Venezuelan climbs from his car, Schumacher spins after being caught totally off-guard by a quicker Force India.
D'Ambrosio improves from twenty-third to twenty-first with a 31.913. The Belgian still running the old exhaust layout while teammate Glock, now twenty-third, has the updated version. Both drivers have the new nose and floor.
Yet more bad news for Williams as the Grove outfit reveals that Barrichello has a KERS water leak and will play no further part in this session.
Having previously had a fright from a Force India, Schumacher now finds himself at the mercy of d'Ambrosio, the Belgian on a low fuel run.
With seconds to spare, Rosberg crosses the line to begin another lap, the Mercedes driver appearing to be on softs. Teammate Schumacher is on a longer run on primes.
The session ends with Button quickest, ahead of Rosberg, Hamilton, Schumacher, Webber, Massa, Petrov, di Resta, Perez and Sutil.
Alonso was eleventh, ahead of Buemi, Heidfeld, Alguersuari, Maldonado, Barrichello, Trulli, Kobayashi, Kovalainen, d'Ambrosio, Glock, Karthikeyan and Liuzzi.
To check out our Istanbul practice gallery, click here.