04/04/2008
NEWS STORY
Ahead of this morning's free practice session, the air temperature is 27 degrees C, while the track temperature is 34 degrees. It is bright and sunny, as one would expect from a circuit located in the middle of a desert. Thankfully, it's not too windy.
You have our word that the next ninety minutes will be entirely Max-free.
The lights go green and Sebastian Vettel leads the way, followed by Bourdais and Glock. In the Ferrari garage Felipe Massa puts his fireproof balaclava on as he prepares to go out and begin his championship fight back.
Kovalainen is an eager beaver, the Finn is one of the first to take to the track, albeit for the obligatory installation lap.
Massa is on track, as are Fisichella and Sato, and we are still only four minutes into the session.
Hamilton, Piquet, Webber, Davidson, Alonso, Coulthard, Button and Barrichello get to work, leaving Kimi Raikkonen as the only driver still to make an appearance.
Finally, ten minutes into the session, Raikkonen heads down the pitlane, meaning that everyone has now made an appearance and completed a lap.
Adrian Sutil is the first driver to come out for a lap proper, followed, moments later by Fisichella and Vettel. Sutil has had a miserable time of it thus far this season, having only completed 13 race laps.
The German posts the first time of the day (1:36.483), but this is soon eclipsed by Fisichella (36.306), while Vettel goes third.
A 35.980 sees Bourdais go quickest, as the three other drivers return to the pits, where Jean Alesi is an interested observer in the Toro Rosso garage. The Frenchman is competing in the Speedcar event here this weekend, as are Heinz-Harald Frentzen and 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve.
After a few minutes of inactivity, several cars take to the track, and once the smoke has cleared Trulli leads the way (34.134) from Glock, Bourdais, Nakajima, Fisichella and Sutil.
Rosberg improves with a 34.627, as his teammate consolidates fourth place. However, Trulli and Glock also improve, the Toyotas looking as though Malaysia was no fluke. A 33.959 sees Rosberg split the Toyotas, as Alonso climbs into his R28.
Massa and Kovalainen head down the pitlane as Trulli reports problems with his rear wing. Moments later, Hamilton also is heading down the pitlane.
Massa and Kovalainen trade fastest sector times, with the Brazilian finally crossing the line at 33.047, and the Finn at 33.285.
While getting instructions regarding his brake balance and rear wing from his crew, Hamilton goes quickest in the first two sectors, finally crossing the line at 32.705 to go quickest.
Massa improves (32.876) as Alonso gets all out of shape. Kovalainen consolidates third place with a 32.934. Next time around it is the Brazilian who goes quickest, crossing the line at 32.400, that's 0.043s quicker than last year's pole winning time. Elsewhere, Bourdais goes wide.
All eyes on Raikkonen who goes fourth with a 32.950. Next time around the Finn improves in the first sector, goes quickest in the second, and finally takes the top spot with a 32.356. Replay shows Massa going very wide and kicking up a loud of sand.
Massa goes quickest with a 32.233, as Coulthard begins his first flying lap of the session. Teammate, Mark Webber, has just gone eighth with a 33.950.
BMW rarely go for quick times on Friday, but Kubica goes sixth with 33.422, which puts him ahead of Trulli, Coulthard, Alonso and Glock.
Just after half-time, it's: Massa, Raikkonen, Hamilton, Kovalainen, Kubica, Trulli, Coulthard, Alonso, Glock and Webber. No times from the Super Aguri or Honda drivers.
Glock is another driver to go wide, the sand blown on to the track, together with the lack of driver aids, causing all manner of problems.
The McLarens are back on track, as Fisichella has a moment. In the BMW garage, Kubica talks of degradation (DO NOT GO THERE!) and the car going sideways.
The tyre options this weekend are soft and medium, though we haven't seen much of the softs today.
Button goes seventeenth and Barrichello eighteenth, meaning, that with twenty-four minutes remaining, only the Super Aguris haven't posted times.
Mark Webber is back on track, but still no sign of the soft tyres.
With just under twenty minutes remaining, Vettel and Bourdais have both completed the most laps (22), ahead of Glock (21) and Trulli (20). Quickest through the speed-trap is Massa, followed by Piquet, Raikkonen, Kovalainen, Alonso and Hamilton.
Raikkonen, Hamilton, Alonso, Fisichella, Button and Sutil are the only drivers on track, with just ten minutes remaining. It's about to get very, very busy.
Raikkonen posts a personal best in the first sector, going on to close to within 0.117s of his teammate. The Finn is on the harder (medium) compound, as are his rivals.
A big lock-up in the final corner for Hamilton, as Jean Todt watches from the Ferrari garage.
With just over six minutes remaining, the Super Aguris are on track.
Bourdais, currently fourteenth, is on track, and on of the first (we've seen) on the soft compound. Nakajima is also on the softs, while his teammate, Rosberg, is on hards. However, it is the Japanese driver who goes fifth with a 33.121. That said, Rosberg goes third with a 32.415.
There a slight misunderstanding involving the Toro Rosso drivers, who almost trip over one another.
The (low-key) session ends, with Massa quickest, ahead of Raikkonen, Rosberg, Hamilton, Kovalainen, Nakajima, Kubica, Trulli, Coulthard and Alonso.
Glock is eleventh, ahead of Webber, Piquet, Heidfeld, Bourdais, Vettel, Fisichella, Button, Barrichello, Sutil, Davidson and Sato.