22/10/2004
NEWS STORY
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As the drivers prepare for today's second free practice session, the ambient temperature remains at 24 degrees C, while the track temperature is now 40 degrees.
First out is Robert Doornbos, closely followed by Bruni, Briscoe, Wirdheim, Klien, Raikkonen - yes Raikkonen - and Baumgartner.
The Finn gets down to business and within minutes of the session getting underway, has posted the benchmark time of 1:13.512. Moments later, David Coulthard goes second with a 1:13.695. McLaren means business.
It's all action, as Michael Schumacher goes third (1:14.362) only to be leapfrogged, almost instantly, by Alonso and Webber.
Meanwhile, DC posts 1:13.145, to go quickest, as Schumacher re-takes third with a 1:13.879.
With just seven minutes of the session completed, twenty-five drivers have posted times.
Jenson Button goes second with a 1:13:406, as Rubens Barrichello goes third.
After ten minutes, Coulthard is quickest, ahead of Button, Barrichello, Trulli, Raikkonen, Sato, Davidson, Zonta, Michael and Massa. Three Brazilians in the top ten.
WilliamsF1-bound Mark Webber goes quickest, the Australian posting 1:13.070, as Jaguar, like David Coulthard, attempts to make a good impression.
Michael Schumacher improves, posting 1:13.442 to go fourth, as Jarno Trulli produces a 1:12.545 to go quickest.
Oddly, the pace-setters in the first session, Montoya and Ralf Schumacher, are currently thirteenth and sixteenth.
As Felipe Massa goes third, Kimi Raikkonen goes quickest in the first sector, then again the second. The McLaren driver crosses the line at 1:11.953, to go quickest, a staggering time.
Meanwhile, Takuma Sato is also on a quick lap, the BAR driver goes quickest in the first sector. The Japanese driver goes second, lapping Interlagos in 1:11.988.
Ralf Schumacher goes fourth (1:12.374), as Bas Leinders posts his first time of the day, the Belgian lapping in 1:15.809.
A 1:11.743, sees Michael Schumacher finally top the timesheets, over 2s faster than lat year's pole-winning time.
Having seen his teammate top the timesheets, Ricardo Zonta posts 1:12.347, to go fifth, as Barrichello goes quickest in the first sector. The Brazilian loses momentum in the second sector, but finally crosses the line at 1:11.962, to go third.
Jacques Villeneuve posts 1:12.879, to go twelfth, while his teammate, Fernando Alonso, languishes in eighteenth. BAR's runner-up spot looks pretty safe at this stage.
That said, moments later the Spaniard posts 1:12.005, to go fifth, though moments later he's bumped down by Davidson who produces one of his typical 'stunners' to go second, just 0.177s off Schumacher's time.
No to be out-done, the German goes quickest in the first sector. He loses a heap of time in the second sector however, and fails to improve.
Despite enduring a 'week from hell', Button puts it all behind him and goes quickest, the Englishman lapping the Brazilian Grand Prix track in 1:11.731, in the BAR-Honda.
With fifteen minutes remaining, Button is quickest, ahead of Michael, Davidson, Raikkonen, Barrichello, Sato, Alonso, Ralf, Zonta and Briscoe. Montoya is eleventh, ahead of Trulli and Coulthard.
Montoya improves to ninth, as his nemesis, Michael Schumacher, goes quickest in the first sector. He's 0.4s quicker than Button in that sector alone, if he can maintain the momentum, it will be a stunning time. He loses ground in the second sector, but is again quickest in the third, crossing the line at 1:11.334, quicker than the BAR driver by 0.378.
However, moments later, teammate Barrichello goes even quicker, posting a 1:11.166. The Brazilian was pole here last year, but once again, his Brazilian GP jinx struck.
With five minutes remaining, twenty-one of the twenty-five drivers are on track.
Felipe Massa improves to eighth, as Briscoe slots in right behind. Kimi Raikkonen goes third with a 1:11.526, but nobody else seems likely to make a big impression.
Despite the frenzied activity of the opening minutes of the session, and some very, very fast lap times, it was a pretty standard Friday session, as driver concentrated on tyres and set-ups. Ominously, even at this early stage, the Ferraris appear to have the upper hand.
Rubens Barrichello is quickest, ahead of Michael Schumacher, Raikkonen, Button, Davidson, Sato, Alonso, Massa, Briscoe and Ralf.
Montoya is eleventh, ahead of Villeneuve, Doornbos, Zonta, Coulthard, Trulli, Fisichella, Webber, Heidfeld, Bruni, Klien, Glock, Baumgartner, Wirdheim and Leinders.