06/04/2007
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's second free practice session the air temperature is 24 degrees (C), and the track temperature is 52 degrees. It remains sunny and humid (49%).
The teams that really need to make a step forward this afternoon are Renault and Honda, both of whom were disappointing this morning.
When the pitlane opens, Anthony Davidson is first out, closely followed by Schumacher, Sato, Heidfeld, Sutil, albers, Kovalainen, Fisichella and Wurz. All the teams are using their race drivers in this session, Williams and BMW having used Nakajima and Vettel, respectively, this morning.
This time around there are no installation laps, it's straight down to business. Once the dust has settled, Trulli leads the way, ahead of Webber, Liuzzi and Kovalainen.
Speed tells his crew that his brakes feel strange, "spongey" even, and that he wonders if there's something underneath the pedal. Suggestions on a postcard…
Just seven minutes into the session and there are fifteen or sixteen cars on track. Hamilton goes quickest (37.323), but is way of this morning's pace. Moments later, Alonso takes the top spot with a 37.053.
In the Ferrari garage the mechanics are using a torch to look inside Massa's car. Back on track, teammate Kimi Raikkonen goes third (38.014).
Jenson Button goes fourth, giving Honda, and indeed the Englishman himself, hope that things are improving. Elsewhere, Kubica goes quickest in the first sector. The Pole finally crosses the line at 36.717 to go quickest. His boss, Mario Theissen, watches impassively from the pit wall.
No times yet from Schumacher, Heidfeld, Speed, Massa or Coulthard, the Scot having missed most of this morning's session.
The onboard shots make it very easy to see who is on the soft compound, now that Bridgestone has painted a white line in the second groove. As Raikkonen gets well and truly crossed up, Schumacher goes fourteenth with his 'stripey' soft tyres.
Massa is finally on track, which leaves Coulthard as the only driver that hasn't posted a time. The Brazilian, on his first flying lap, goes seventh with a 37.783.
It's Kubica, Alonso, Hamilton, Kovalainen - who is still complaining of understeer, especially on his early laps - Raikkonen, Fisichella, Massa, Heidfeld, Button and Schumacher.
As Coulthard begins his first flying lap of the afternoon, teammate Webber goes second with a 36.906.
As Massa lock up big-time, two-time World Champion Mika Hakkinen watches proceedings from the McLaren garage.
As Alonso prepares to begin a hot lap, he weaves from side to side generating as much heat into his tyres as possible. Judging by those white stripes he's on the soft compound. Elsewhere, Fisichella goes second (36.827).
Raikkonen takes the top spot (36.669), as Alonso fails to improve. Button is on track, attempting to improve on eleventh, while teammate Barrichello languishes in last place, 4s off the pace and having completed just 5 laps.
Just under an hour remaining; Raikkonen, Kubica, Fisichella, Webber, Kovalainen, Alonso, Hamilton, Massa, Coulthard and Heidfeld.
Barrichello is back on track, as Webber goes quickest in sector two. The Australian loses a load of time in the final sector, and consequently fails to improve, while the Brazilian can only manage twenty-first, crossing the line at 1:40.292.
Massa is on a hot lap, going quickest in the first two sectors. The Ferrari driver crosses the line at 1:35.780, beating the previous best time (Raikkonen) by 0.889s.
Nico Rosberg goes second, splitting the two Ferraris. Meanwhile, his teammate, Alexander Wurz, who didn't take part in this morning's session, is down in seventeenth, over 3s off the pace.
Both Spykers remain at the bottom of the timesheets, along with Barrichello, the new aero package not having the effect the Dutch team had hoped for. The Silverstone-based outfit was the only team not testing here last week.
In his enthusiasm to improve on sixth, Webber goes wide, the Australian appearing to overdrive the car.
It's looking good for Williams, as Wurz goes third, slotting in behind Massa and Rosberg. Meanwhile, the 2005 GP2 Champion is clearly frustrated at the antics of Raikkonen, who appears - note the use of the word 'appears' - to brake test the Williams driver, who shakes his first in frustration.
Raikkonen had been quickest in the first sector, but lost time in the second. Much to the delight of Rosberg no doubt.
With thirty minutes remaining, the Spykers are stuck at the bottom of the timesheets, along with Barrichello, Speed, Davidson, Heidfeld and the Toyotas.
Hamilton is on track, but it's Fisichella who looks set to improve.
As Heidfeld struggles to improve on sixteenth, 2.242s off the pace, Sebastian Vettel watches intently from the pit-wall.
Raikkonen improves, posting 36.160 to go second, making it a Ferrari 1-2, ahead of a Williams 3-4.
As Button and Barrichello wait in their cars they look as though they have the whole world on their shoulders. You can make up your own punchline.
Heidfeld is on track and pushing hard, at times a little too hard. Nonetheless, he posts 36.862 to go eighth, three places below his Polish teammate.
Liuzzi complains that there's "muck" on the track, which is why times aren't as good as this morning. On the other hand, he's pleased with his set-up. "I think we're just about right," he says. Elsewhere, Coulthard goes very wide.
Renault engineers are working on Webber's engine, as, back on track, Fisichella has a big lock up.
Scott Speed is still having problems with his braking, as Albers slowly makes his way back to the pits, his right rear tyre having blown. The flailing rubber doesn't do the rear bodywork on his Spyker any good. The Dutch driver, who fails to make it back to the pits, was on the hard compound at the time.
As marshals clear Albers' car, rubber and shards of carbonfibre from the track, the session is red flagged, with just over twelve minutes remaining.
The lights still red, Hamilton waits at the end of the pitlane. As they turn green, Alonso cheekily nips past… just to re-establish the pecking order.
On track, Hamilton is told that there's a car right behind him (Webber) and that he should do his best to leave a gap to the car ahead (Alonso). Part of the problem is solved when Webber's Red Bull come to halt with flames pouring out of the back, having almost collected Sutil.
The timing screen shows lots of green but no purple.
That said, Kovalainen goes second (36.106), despite not having gone quickest in any of the sectors. Moments later his teammate demotes him, crossing the line at 35.910. A late, but impressive, improvement from Renault.
Raikkonen is pushing hard, keen to steal some of the limelight back from his teammate. Try as he might the Finn cannot improve, much to his obvious frustration. Mind you, if Kimi's frustrated imagine how the McLaren duo feel, they're down in ninth (Hamilton) and twelfth (Alonso).
The session ends with Massa quickest, ahead of Fisichella, Kovalainen, Raikkonen, Rosberg, Wurz, Kubica, Schumacher, Hamilton and Heidfeld.
Once again, the Hondas have been disappointing, as have the Spykers and the Toro Rossos, then again, the Faenza outfit had other things on its mind.
It will be interesting to hear what the McLaren drivers have to say, especially in light of the improvements from both Renaults.
An interesting session, but what does it all mean?
To check out our Sepang free practice gallery, click here