22/07/2011
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's second session the air temperature is 15 degrees C, while the track temperature is 24 degrees. Although it remains cool it is clearly brighter than this morning.
Fernando Alonso demonstrated that his team's Silverstone win was no fluke this morning, the Spaniard and his Ferrari teammate finishing first and fourth. Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel finished second and third while the McLarens were fifth and sixth just ahead of the Mercedes duo.
A number of teams were trying updates this morning however, it was worth noting that Renault were having overheating problems on nick Heidfeld's car which was running as revised forward facing exhaust layout.
Tyre compounds are medium and soft with some of the best times being set on an experimental soft compound that Pirelli is trying out today.
The lights go green and there is a flurry of activity, within seconds there are nine cars on track all from the lower midfield and below. That said, Perez in on track but it still shown at the very foot of the timing screen.
Alguersuari goes quickest (36.498) ahead of Kovalainen, Chandhok, Glock and Ricciardo as Barrichello returns to the pits complaining that he can feel something in his cockpit.
Chandhok does a 180 in Turn 3 as Hamilton takes to the tarmac run off in Turn 1, the track still green and slippery. Elsewhere, Alonso goes quickest in the first two sectors, finally crossing the line at 32.990.
Meanwhile, it is revealed that Perez left the pitlane before the lights went green… the Mexican can therefore expect to be meeting the stewards at some point this afternoon.
On his first flying lap Vettel goes second, albeit 1.9s slower than Alonso. As Hamilton posts 34.3963 to go second Ricciardo pulls off to the side of the track with smoke pouring from the back of his car.
Heidfeld goes fourth (35.267), the German now running a rearward facing exhaust while his Russian teammate is now running the forward facing version.
Rosberg is advised that his telemetry is not working nor his GPS. As a replay shows the Mercedes running over a piece of carbon fibre, the German is advised that his GPS is functioning again.
Webber moves up to second with a 33.642 as Massa goes fourth (34.369) ahead of Hamilton, Heidfeld and Sutil. After sixteen minutes only Buemi and Petrov haven't posted times.
Michael Schumacher is advised that he's "tending to stay on the throttle whilst braking in turns 1, 3 and 7".
Massa flat spots his front left with a massive lock up as he enters the pitlane. In the Renault garage the crew continues to work on Heidfeld's exhaust. Meanwhile, teammate Petrov goes fourth with a 33.956.
Thirty-five minutes into the session, Massa makes it a Ferrari -1-2 with a 32.466. With Webber and Vettel third and fourth we're pretty much seeing a repeat of this morning's form, Ferrari and Red Bull having the clear edge over their rivals.
A massive lock-up for Maldonado as the Williams driver tries to improve on seventeenth. With teammate Barrichello sixteenth, the Grove outfit looks to be facing a tough weekend.
Buemi's session appears to be over, the Swiss - whose morning session ended in the gravel trap - suffering a chronic misfire.
Alonso says he can see spots of rain, however, his team tell him that they are not aware of it. The TV camera closes in on a monitor which claims that no rain is expected within the next thirty minutes.
At half-time, it's: Massa, Alonso, Webber, Petrov, Vettel, Hamilton, Alguersuari, Kobayashi, Perez and Sutil.
A nasty, very bumpy cross country excursion for Barrichello as Alonso consolidates second with a 32.990. Next time around the Spaniard goes quickest (31.879) having posted purples in the first and final sectors.
Hamilton posts PBs in all three sectors to go third, however, he remains 0.845s off Alonso's impressive pace.
Schumacher (softs) pops up in third with a 32.411 however, moments later he is demoted when Webber goes quickest overall with a 31.770, the Australian mighty impressive in S2.
As more drivers switch from the prime to option the times begin to tumble. Di Resta goes sixth only to be leapfrogged by his Force India teammate moments later.
As the sun finally breaks through, Vettel begins a hot lap on options. The German posts a PB in S1 however, it's all a bit scrappy. Realising it's not a good lap he backs off in S2.
Having posted a PB in S1 on his flying lap, Rosberg runs worryingly wide in one of the fastest parts of the track, the Mercedes driver immediately backing off. Elsewhere, Vettel goes quickest in S3 and third quickest overall (32.084) but remains 0.373s off Webber's pace.
Glock goes cross country in the Virgin between Turns 5 and 6 as Button and Massa almost trip over one another as they head back to the pits.
With 22:15 on the clock, Alonso is on a long run on softs, the Spaniard looking ahead to the opening stint of Sunday's race.
Turn 5 continues to catch drivers out, Kovalainen has got it wrong twice while Schumacher is oh so lucky to get away with it.
McLaren reveals that Button's session is over, the Englishman thought to have suffered a KERS problem.
Alonso gets totally out of shape and takes to the grass as he attempts to avoid Schumacher. Hard to say who was in the wrong, did the German fail to see the Spaniard or was the Ferrari driver pushing too hard and wrong to expect the Mercedes to move aside?
With 8:10 on the clock all but Buemi, Button and Petrov are on track, all of softs, all on long runs in anticipation of Sunday's opening stint.
Alonso makes a pit stop and switches to the prime tyre, Petrov is back on track, also on the primes.
Hamilton makes a late change for a new set of options while d'Ambrosio is one of the few drivers to improve at this stage in the session - the Belgian goes twenty-first with a 37.391.
"We need a couple of tenths in the middle sector," Vettel is told, the German still unable to match his teammate's pace.
The session ends with Webber quickest, ahead of Alonso, Vettel, Massa, Schumacher, Rosberg, Hamilton, Heidfeld, Petrov and Sutil.
Button is eleventh, ahead of di Resta, Perez, Barrichello, Alguersuari, Kobayashi, Maldonado, Kovalainen, Glock, Chandhok, d'Ambrosio, Liuzzi, Ricciardo and Buemi.
To check out our Nurburgring practice gallery, click here