Ahead of today's second free practice session, the air temperature is 24 degrees C, while the track temperature is 25 degrees. It is now overcast, but it is unlikely that there will be rain in the next hour.

First out, after a couple of minutes, is Yamamoto, with Zonta, Doornbos, de la Rosa, Karthikeyan, Trulli, Albers, Ralf, Monteiro, Liuzzi, Villeneuve and Pizzonia in hot pursuit.

As the drivers post times, the McLaren crew works feverishly on Kimi Raikkonen's car, the Finn waits impassively. We understand that the team has changed his engine, following the failure in the first session, which means that (yet again) he forfeits ten grid spots.

Zonta posts the benchmark (30.948), but moments later Michael Schumacher goes second quickest, crossing the line at 1:33.299, 2.3s slower.

With ten minutes of the session gone, nineteen drivers have posted times.

Raikkonen leaves the McLaren garage and immediately goes seventh quickest (33.849), as Zonta raises the benchmark ever higher, crossing the line at 1:30.824. Meanwhile, the session is already over for Liuzzi, who pulls to the side of the track with flames shooting out of the back of his Red Bull.

As Raikkonen improves (32.849), Trulli goes fourth with a 1:33.122, however, moments later they are both bumped down by de la Rosa, who crosses the line at 1:32.578. Ralf Schumacher goes fourth.

With seventeen minutes gone, only Coulthard and the two Renault drivers have yet to post a time.

As Kimi returns to the McLaren garage, team boss Ron Dennis, watches the TV monitors, two of his drivers are almost atop the timesheets, the third (Montoya) currently seventeenth.

Rubens Barrichello goes fourth with a 1:32.267, as Coulthard can only manage 1:33.834, which puts him eleventh.

As Fisichella makes a practice start from the end of the pitlane, Jenson Button is on his way to posting a 1:33.543, which nets him eighth. Fernando Alonso is also on track.

Out on the grass banks a couple of spectators raise their umbrellas, looks like we could have some rain after all.

Fisichella can only manage fifteenth, crossing the line at 1:34.833, however, his teammate goes eighth with a 1:33.259.

There is no real sign of rain on the track, but more and more spectators are raising umbrellas or putting on plastic macs, so clearly it is beginning to spit.

Michael Schumacher goes second with a 1:31.716, closing to within 1.03s of Zonta's benchmark.

At 'halftime', it's: Zonta, Michael, de la Rosa, Barrichello, Raikkonen, Ralf, Trulli, Alonso, Button and Webber.

Montoya appears to have a problem. He has only done five laps thus far in this session, and is currently twenty-second, over six seconds off the pace. The mechanics are working on his car.

Giancarlo Fisichella prepares to make another practice start, but there appears to be a problem, the Renault crew run down the pitlane to 'rescue' him. No such problems for teammate Alonso however, who blasts out on to the track following his practice start.

With twenty minutes remaining, there are only five cars on track, the top four - Zonta, Michael, de la Rosa and Barrichello - plus Massa.

Zonta, Michael and de la Rosa continue lapping the unique figure-of-eight track, but there are no improvements. Though there is still no sign of rain on the track, the pace has clearly dropped off.

Michael goes off at Spoon but is able to continue - once back on track he returns to the pits.

Both Sauber go out for an exploratory lap, but soon return, now the rain is visible, it's not too heavy and mainly at the top end of the circuit.

With ten minutes remaining, Button goes out, his red rear light blinking furiously as he winds his way around the track.

There are a couple of drivers on track, but they all appear to be doing straightforward exploratory laps then coming back in. Giancarlo Fisichella appears to have another problem as he carries out another practice start, but he finally gets going.

Kimi Raikkonen is on track, however, he's also ready 1.3s off the pace at the first split. Kimi, like most of the other drivers, is losing time in the second sector, where the rain is falling.

As the session comes to an end, the rain is far more noticeable and is no falling over the whole circuit.