27/03/2009
NEWS STORY
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Ahead of today's second free practice session, the air temperature is 18 degrees C, and the track temperature is 31 degrees. Thanks to the fact the sun has finally broken through, it is a little warmer than this morning.
The big news this morning, was the two Williams drivers taking first and second on the timesheets, while 2008 World Champion Lewis Hamilton could only manage sixteenth. The question this afternoon is, was this morning's session a fair form guide for this weekend and beyond?
When the lights go green it is the Toyotas that are first out. However, Alonso, Rosberg, Vettel, Webber, Bourdais, Nakajima, Fisichella, Kubica and Buemi are close behind.
Trulli momentarily tops the timesheets, but he is almost instantly demoted by his teammate who posts a 31.466. However, a 30.662 sees Webber go quickest, as Fisichella goes second and Nakajima fourth.
The tyre options this weekend are super-soft and medium, which we will refer to a soft and medium. This morning, only Raikkonen really used the soft to any real affect, while Rosberg's time was set with well-worn mediums.
Sutil goes quickest with a 29.335, however, Rosberg and Kovalainen soon go quicker. It's very busy out there.
A spin from Alonso is proof that the track condition is still far from ideal. One of the Force Indias takes an excursion.
Ten minutes into the session, all but the Brawns are on track, or have been out.
A 28.995 sees Hamilton go tenth, the Englishman improving to third next time around (28.158). Moments later Button posts 28.002 to go quickest, while teammate Barrichello goes thirteenth with 28.703. Raikkonen goes eighth and Massa twelfth.
Jarno Trulli, one of the first drivers to use the soft option in this session, goes quickest overall in the first and third sectors, crossing the line at 27.168 to go quickest. Hamilton consolidates third with a 27.958.
Trulli improves with a 27.050, as Barrichello moves up to sixth (28.215). Meanwhile, the Renaults, BMWs and Toro Rossos languish at the bottom of the timesheets.
Fisichella (softs) goes third with a 27.539, ahead of Button, Hamilton, Kovalainen, Barrichello, Glock, Webber and Rosberg.
Glock (softs) goes quickest in the second and third sectors, crossing the line at 26.689 to take the top spot, demoting his Toyota teammate to second. Almost unnoticed, Vettel goes third in the Red Bull. The German was sidelined for much of this morning's session following a hydraulic pressure problem.
A big lock up sees Kovalainen take to the grass at Turn 1, as Glock improves with a 26.443. Moments later, Rosberg (soft) takes the top spot with a 26.293, improving to 26.142 next time around.
As Massa goes seventh and Webber sixth, Button gets all out of shape in the Brawn, kicking up a big cloud of dust. Shortly afterwards, teammate Barrichello has a similar moment t Turn 1.
Trulli complains of a lack of downforce, claiming that there are times the car feels "empty". Meanwhile, Rosberg continues to rack up the laps and shave fractions from his time, consolidating his position with a 26.053.
At 'half-time', it's: Rosberg, Trulli, Barrichello, Glock, Button, Nakajima, Vettel, Sutil, Massa and Webber.
Kubica, who has moved up to twelfth, says he doesn't feel like he is driving the car such is his lack of control over the F1.09. He is a very unhappy chap. Teammate Heidfeld, the only BMW driver running KERS this weekend, is twentieth.
Webber improves to seventh with a 26.712, then posts a 26.370 to move up to fourth. Teammate Vettel remains eighth.
Fifty-five minutes into the session drivers are concentrating on long runs as opposed to times. Glock (27) has completed the most laps, ahead of Webber , Trulli and Piquet (26). Raikkonen (15) has completed the least number of laps.
Vettel has stopped again, his car abandoned on the grass. The German walks away as the marshals recover the Red Bull. He lost the back end of the car, however, it appears to have been a failure as opposed to driver error.
Sutil, who is still on track, thinks there is something wrong with his car, "it's undriveable" he complains.
No improvements anywhere on the timing sheets as drivers continue to complete lap after lap after lap. Trulli is the busiest having completed 34 laps thus far. Hamilton, currently sixteenth, complains that his car is bottoming.
With fourteen minutes remaining, we finally see a splash of green on the timing screen as Massa (soft) posts a personal best in the second sector. He almost comes to grief shortly the F60 getting horribly out of shape. Even Michael Schumacher, watching from the pit-wall, takes a deep breath.
Raikkonen (soft) posts personal bests in all three sectors, moving up to fourteenth with a 27.334. Behind the Finn, Kubica, Bourdais, Kovalainen, Hamilton, Piquet and Buemi make up the bottom six.
Having improved to eleventh (27.204), Raikkonen posts a personal best in sector two , however, a poor final sector see him fail to improve again. The Finn is the only driver who appears to be making progress, time-wise. Six minutes remain.
Barrichello posts a personal best in the second sector, but has a poor final sector. Next time around he posts 26.157 to go second while Sutil posts personal bests in the first two sectors but loses time in the third.
Hamilton, currently eighteenth, posts personal bests in the first two sectors, but a poor final sector sees him fail to improve.
There's a late charge from Button, but to no avail, like so many others in the last few minutes he loses out courtesy of a poor final sector.
Interestingly, as the chequered flag is waved, it's worth noting that six of the top seven on the timesheets are running the 'questionable' diffusers, Mark Webber (fourth) being the exception.
The final order: Rosberg, Barrichello, Trulli, Webber, Button, Glock, Nakajima, Vettel, Sutil and Massa. Raikkonen is eleventh, ahead of Alonso, Fisichella, Heidfeld, Kubica, Bourdais, Kovalainen, Hamilton, Piquet and Buemi.