26/09/2008
NEWS STORY
Ahead of the first free practice session of what can only be described as a momentous weekend for Formula One - being that the sport is about to hold its first night event - the air temperature is 28 degrees C, while the track temperature is 30 degrees. It is dry, with humidity nudging 69 per cent. And let's not forget that it is almost seven-o-clock in the evening.
The big news, other an alleged 'bomb scare' in the BMW garage last night, is that, following complains from a number of drivers, race organizers, under instructions from the FIA, have altered the kerbs at Turn 10.
The lights go green, and as ever the Force Indias lead the way. We're heading into the unknown here, because prior to this session nobody has driven the track in anger, not at any level of motorsport, unlike Valencia.
Rosberg talks to his crew on his exploratory lap, the German complaining of "lots of bottoming". Indeed, the track is notably bumpy. "Visibility is no problem," he adds, "just a slight glare from the lights, but no problem".
While the lighting is good, it looks odd, furthermore, the sound is odd, something just doesn't feel right. Still, early days.
Six minutes into the session, everyone has been out barring the two Ferraris.
Race Control announces that there is a "small amount of water at Turn 1", as the camera cuts to three or four small 'streams - for want of a better word - running across the track.
As the Toro Rosso crew prepare to adjust Bourdais' car to better suit the bumpy conditions, the Frenchman says; "millimetres won't be enough boys, we're talking big!"
The incorrigible Flavio Briatore sports a headband with a small light on it, the Italian grinning like a schoolboy.
Thirteen minutes into the session, Button, Bourdais and Glock are back on track. As they lap, it is noticeable that fans and professionals are using flashes on their cameras, could this prove to be an unseen problem?
Button has the honour (?) of posting the first lap time, the Honda driver crossing the line at 1:59.967. Moments later, Glock posts 52.618.
Monza hero Sebastian Vettel is the fifth driver to post a time, the Toro Rosso maestro completing the 5.067 km lap in 57.566 to go fourth.
Bourdais improves to second with a 53.276, but Glock continues to top the timesheets, having improved to 49.942. Elsewhere, Raikkonen is on track.
Nakajima complains that the worst parts for bottoming are from Turns 5 to 7, subsequently admitting that it is "bumpy everywhere, especially in the braking points".
Raikkonen begins his first flying lap, with Trulli running close behind. By the second split the Finn is over 3s down on Glock, crossing the line over 6s off the pace.
As Bourdais closes to within 1.139s of Glock's time, Fisichella cuts the chicane. In the Ferrari garage, Jean Todt watches as Raikkonen closes to within 2.253s of the pace-setting Toyota driver.
Trulli goes second (49.925) as former teammate Fernando Alonso goes third with a 49.985). Massa heads down the pitlane as Coulthard makes use of one of the wide run-offs.
The Scotsman's teammate, Mark Webber, isn't so fortunate, his session comes to an end when he clouts the barriers heading under the bridge. Team boss Christian Horner looks less than impressed, however, the replay clearly demonstrates that at certain corners - as in Monaco - if you get it wrong you pay the price.
As a crane is brought on to the track to remove the stricken car the digital flags are yellow, the session isn't stopped.
Glock has raised the benchmark yet again, the German posting 48.155.
Massa, having gone sixteenth on his first lap with a 55.286, remains sixteenth next time around, despite improving his time (55.179).
A 48.744 sees Rosberg go second, as Felipe Massa lightly brushes the barrier where Webber came to grief.
Kubica goes second and Heidfeld fifth, as BMW is quick to get to grips with the Singapore track. After thirty-seven minutes only the McLaren drivers haven't posted a time.
As Alonso takes the top spot with a 47.344, Kovalainen and Hamilton head down the pitlane.
Massa goes third (48.120), ahead of Glock, Rosberg and Button.
While Kovalainen can only manage nineteenth (53.170), Hamilton goes straight to sixth, crossing the line at 48.418.
On a track which clearly compromises Honda's 'earth dream', Jenson Button goes third (47.928). The irony.
Trulli spins at the start of the pit straight. He then spins the car around, drives a few yards against the flow and turns right into the pitlane. Wonder what the stewards will have to say about that.
Hamilton goes second with a 47.702, 0.358s off Alonso's pace, as Massa drops to sixth and Raikkonen sixteenth. Next time around, the Englishman goes quickest with a 47.160.
Bourdais complains about the white line painted at Turn 3, though it's not entirely clear what he is unhappy about.
Kovalainen spins at exactly the same point as Trulli, however, the Finn opts to continue his lap. The McLaren driver is told; "I want you in this lap, but I want you off the kerbs," is the message, "got that? Off the kerbs".
Raikkonen is back on track, as Rosberg is warned to keep off the white lines due to the low grip. So that's what Bourdais was unhappy about.
Raikkonen improves to twelfth, 1.586s off the pace, as Rosberg goes third.
It's that guy Briatore again, he's wearing slippers on the pit-wall. If he got then from the same guys as Mrs Pitpass Editor gets her husband's they'll have fallen apart before qualifying.
Piquet is the latest to ride his luck at the corner where Webber came to grief. As you run wide, there's a white line, and with no grip…
Meanwhile, Piquet's Renault teammate has re-taken the top spot with a 46.959, with Massa going third.
A 46.415 sees Massa go quickest, as Kubica also improves to take second. Raikkonen goes third, ahead of Alonso and Hamilton, all six covered by 0.745s.
The Finn goes quickest in the first sector, as Bernie Ecclestone wanders the pitlane, the emperor inspecting his kingdom. Meanwhile, Raikkonen takes the top spot with a 46.103.
Hamilton goes quickest in the second sector, crossing the line at 46.035 to go quickest, beating Raikkonen by just 0.068s. Elsewhere, Kubica runs wide.
Piquet gets it all wrong at Webber's corner, however, he sensibly heads down the escape road. Kubica makes another mistake.
Ecclestone continues to stalk the pit-lane and he doesn't look entirely happy.
Having set personal bests in all three sectors, Kovalainen improves to fifth with a 46.743. Meanwhile, the on-bard footage from Hamilton's car shows just how much the Englishman is suffering over the bumps. That said, he posts a personal best in the first sector, and best overall in the third. Nonetheless, a poor second sector means he fails to improve.
As Kovalainen goes fourth, it's interesting to note that ewe have seen little of the super-soft compound thus far. The two tyre options available here this weekend being soft and super-soft, which we will refer to as hard and soft.
A big, big slide from Vettel as he enters the pit straight, the German somehow keeping it all under control and only using a little of the run-off strip that runs alongside the track.
With fifteen minutes remaining, it's: Hamilton, Raikkonen, Massa, Kovalainen, Kubica, Alonso, Button, Rosberg, Vettel and Heidfeld.
It's all over for Barrichello who spins off backwards into the barriers at the entry to the pit straight. This corner, and the entry to the bridge have caused the most problems thus far.
Replay shows one of the Renault backroom boys checking his mobile phone while working at his laptop. "Can't talk, I'm at the Singapore track," one can imagine him saying. "It's rubbish!"
With seven minutes remaining, the yellows are still out in the section where Barrichello went off, and rightly so, as the Honda is carried away on a mobile crane.
Vettel is the first driver - to our knowledge - to run on the soft (super-soft), the German showing extreme caution on his out lap.
As Button struggles for grip, and Kovalainen goes quickest in the first sector, Raikkonen (hard) also looks set to improve. Sure enough, he does improve, but remains second, albeit now only 0.025s shy of Hamilton. However, that gap is extended to 0.443s when Hamilton (hard) crosses the line at 45.518.
At the bitter end, Massa (hard) posts 45.598 to go second, 0.080s adrift of his championship rival.
At the end of the first session, the order is: Hamilton, Massa, Raikkonen, Kovalainen, Kubica, Rosberg, Alonso, Heidfeld, Piquet and Button.
Vettel was eleventh, ahead of Nakajima, Glock, Bourdais, Coulthard, Barrichello, Sutil, Fisichella, Trulli and Webber.
A strange venue, but nothing that strange about the timesheets.