24/09/2005
NEWS STORY
Ahead of the first of today's free practice sessions, the air temperature is 22 degrees C, while the track temperature is 24 degrees. Once again, it's overcast, though there's no real likelihood of rain.
Bang on 09:00, Christijan Albers heads off down the pitlane, followed by Karthikeyan and Juan Pablo Montoya. Robert Doornbos is also eager to complete an installation lap, as are Monteiro and Raikkonen.
Sato and Villeneuve come out to play, but with ten minutes of the session complete, there are no times on the board.
After a brief return to his garage, Villeneuve is the first driver to go out for a second lap - both Saubers were at the good end of the timesheets yesterday, though Jacques insisted that the times were not representative of a major leap forward in performance.
They're using what appears to be a new camera here - it actually follows the car from the side, as though you're travelling alongside, albeit from a distance. Perhaps someone has been reading Mike Lawrence's recent article on TV coverage.
Anyway, JV completes another installation lap then returns to the Sauber garage, having failed to post a time.
Nineteen minutes into the session, and Christian Klien in on track, having crashed out of yesterday's second session. Having lost so much track-time on Friday, the Austrian is determined to make up for it today, and consequently posts the first time of the day (1:15.060).
As Ralf Schumacher and Giancarlo Fisichella take to the track for the first time today, Albers, Karthikeyan and Montoya head off down the pitlane.
Giancarlo goes quickest with a 1:13.113). As Ralf Schumacher goes fifth (14.229), Fernando Alonso goes straight to the top of the timesheets with a 1:12.738.
As the Spaniard goes quickest in the second sector, Michael Schumacher goes seventh (14.825). Next time around the German improves to fourth (13.952), as Trulli slots in behind.
The reigning world Champion is pushing hard, and locks up heavily, as Button goes eighth (14.508).
Button goes third (13.856), but is quickly demoted by Montoya. Next time around the Englishman improves, but remains fourth.
Barrichello goes seventh (14.035), ahead of Sato, Klien, Ralf and Webber.
With eight minutes remaining, we have yet to see a time from Doornbos, Raikkonen, Villeneuve, Massa or Coulthard.
That said, the Brazilian crosses the line at 1:14.756, to go twelfth. Moments later, Villeneuve goes fifteenth and Coulthard seventeenth.
Karthikeyan locks up big time and slides off across the grass.
The top five remains the same - Alonso, Fisichella, Montoya, Button and Michael. Kimi Raikkonen still hasn't posted a time.
Trulli goes fifth (13.945), edging out Michael. However, moments later the Italian is leapfrogged by Raikkonen (13.424). Pizzonia goes sixth and Ralf seventh, nudging Michael down to ninth, just ahead of his Ferrari teammate.
Juan Pablo goes quickest in the first sector, but pushes just a little too hard and spins at the bottom of the hill. He is able to continue but Ron Dennis looks less than impressed.
Raikkonen is on a hot lap, setting personal bests in the first two sectors, but then returns to his garage.
The session ends with Alonso quickest, ahead of Fisichella, Montoya, Raikkonen, Button, Barrichello, Pizzonia, Trulli, Ralf and Michael.