11/10/2013
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's second free practice session the air temperature is 29 degrees C, while the track temperature is 41 degrees. It remains bright and sunny.
Tyres this weekend are hard (prime) and medium (option). As in 2012 there is one DRS zone and it is on the main pit straight, albeit slightly longer than last year.
The big news is that Jules Bianchi will not be taking part in this afternoon's session, following his crash this morning. While the Frenchman is fine, other than a bruised elbow, his car sustained damage that - according to Marussia - "is repairable but not in sufficient time for him to take part in FP2"
Lewis Hamilton was quickest earlier ahead of teammate Nico Rosberg. Behind them we had the 'Noah affect', in the sense that it was the Red Bull duo ahead of the Ferraris and Lotus'.
Other than the Bianchi incident we also saw Van der Garde crash out, the Dutchman going off at Degner, the same spot where the Marussia driver came to grief, while Maldonado lost his left-rear wheel for reasons yet to be explained.
The lights go green and first out is Maldonado - with all four wheels. He is followed by Hulkenberg and Chilton.
Maldonado gets things underway with a 36.722 but this is soon eclipsed by Hulkenberg's 36.625.
In no time at all there are twelve names on the timesheet, Grosjean heading Ricciardo and Perez, before Vettel bangs in a 34.746 having gone quickest in all three sectors. Just eight minutes into the session all but Webber are on track.
As Webber heads down the pitlane, Rosberg goes quickest with a 34.690.
More misery for Williams and indeed Maldonado, the Venezuelan having gone into the barriers at Degner in an incident very similar to Bianchi's mishap this morning.
Vettel retakes the top spot with a 34.487 ahead of Rosberg, Webber and Hamilton as the Red Bull/Mercedes supremacy continues. Behind them, Alonso heads the Ferrari duo with Ricciardo seventh and Perez eighth.
There's a nasty crash for Perez at Spoon, a corner which, like Degner, has caught out a number of drivers today.
Asked if he's OK, the answer is yes, though it is some time before he climbs from the car.
Replay shows him drifting to the right and getting his right-rear on the artificial grass on the entry to the corner. He hits the barriers hard, side-on.
A 35.065 sees Button go fifth, giving McLaren a slight boost ahead of what promises to be a long, long night.
As the cameras pick up mistakes from Raikkonen (hairpin) and Sutil (chicane), Bottas is the first driver to switch to the option rubber. With Maldonado sidelined, Williams now has to rely on the Finn, much like Button as McLaren.
On his first lap on the options, Bottas improves from sixteenth (36.456) to thirteenth (36.136). Not a big difference but that's the Williams. Webber, on the other hand, improves from 34.693 to 34.020 on the softer rubber.
More problems at Degner, this time for Alonso who spins after hitting the kerb at the entry to the first part of the corner. Great control from the Spaniard who never looks likely to hit the barriers but does wreck a set of options.
Sadly, Alonso's moment not only wrecked his tyres it also destroyed the laps of a number of drivers who had just switched to the softer rubber.
Vettel goes quickest with a 33.852, the Red Bull, as ever, looking as though it is on rails.
Not so Chilton, who is clearly struggling with the Marussia which doesn't appear to have any grip.
Hamilton has a moment in the second part of Degner but gets away with it.
As Raikkonen goes quickest in S2, Ricciardo goes fifth quickest overall (34.473). Moments later he's demoted when Raikkonen posts 34.202 to go fourth.
Grosjean runs wide at the exit of Degner, like Hamilton before him, the corner continuing to catch out drivers.
While most drivers are on long runs on the option rubber, Rosberg is on the harder Pirellis. Teammate Hamilton is told that the team is looking for times in the mid-40s on his long run.
Game over for Raikkonen who beaches his car in the gravel trap at T7 (Dunlop). Replay shows him losing the rear on the entry to the corner. "I'm stuck," he tells his team, ever the mine of information. As he climbs from the Lotus, it means that we are 'minus' four cars with around thirty-five minutes remaining.
Massa is told that his pace is pretty good for "the cars we'll be racing on Sunday", whoever they may be.
Another hairy moment for Alonso, this time at the exit of Degner heading towards the tunnel, the Spaniard does brilliantly to keep the car under control.
Di Resta spins at the chicane and promptly heads back to the pits. The Scot is currently fourteenth (35.275), one place ahead of his teammate.
Shortly after there's some (fairly) uncharacteristic gesticulating from Webber in the direction of di Resta, though it's not clear why the Australian is so annoyed.
Lock-ups for Rosberg and Grosjean with just over ten minutes remaining. Elsewhere, Gutierrez is told to push his tyres. He promptly pits.
As Webber runs wide in T2, Chilton has an absolutely massive lock-up at the chicane.
Webber is told not to short shift out of T9 - the second part of the Degners.
The session ends with Vettel quickest, ahead of Webber, Rosberg, Raikkonen, Grosjean, Hamilton, Ricciardo, Massa, Button and Alonso.
Gutierrez is eleventh, ahead of Vergne, Hulkenberg, di Resta, Sutil, Perez, Bottas, Maldonado, Pic, Van der Garde, Chilton and Bianchi.
Check out our Friday gallery, here.