03/04/2009
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's opening free practice session, the air temperature is 28 degrees C, while the track temperature is 32 degrees C. It's hot, humid (68%) and sunny. There are a few dark clouds in the distance, but nothing too serious.
The lights go green, and as ever the Force Indias lead the way. Vettel and Heidfeld are also eager to get to work, or at least complete the obligatory installation lap.
The big news, other than the ongoing Hamilton/McLaren saga, is that both Toro Rosso are running new engines this weekend.
Five minutes into the session, all but the Ferraris, Piquet, Glock and Barrichello have been out. The Toyotas are sporting an extra long 'dorsal fin', as are the Red Bulls.
McLaren is using pain on the right-hand side of the diffuser on Heikki Kovalainen's car, just as it did in the final pre-season test at Jerez. The only difference being that here the paint is white as opposed to green. With no in-season testing, all the teams must make full use of these sessions, especially those, like McLaren, clearly hurting - whilst bearing in mind the four engine limit.
Coming up to fifteen minutes into the session, Felipe Massa relaxes in the Ferrari garage, along with teammate Kimi Raikkonen he is the only driver not to have gone out yet. Despite the oven-like conditions, the 'Iceman' sits in his car, suited, booted and helmeted, with a small fan blowing cool air on to his visor.
Twenty minutes into the session, Raikkonen heads down the pitlane. Tyres this weekend are soft and hard.
Raikkonen posts the first time of the day, crossing the line at 1:42.194. On his next lap the Finn goes wide at the chicane, when the team ask him what happened, he replies; "don't talk to me when I'm in the middle of a corner". Classic stuff.
No soon has Nakajima gone quicker with a 39.826 than Raikkonen improves again, posting a 39.389. These two are the only drivers on track.
As Raikkonen improves with a 38.707, Hamilton leaves the McLaren garage. Moments later, Nakajima goes quickest with a 38.354.
Hamilton begins his first flying lap as Rosberg, Trulli and Massa leave the pits. The Englishman subsequently posts 39.556.
Rosberg goes third (38.721) but is immediately leapfrogged by Hamilton (38.316) while Massa goes fifth and Trulli sixth.
Trulli spins at the final corner while Massa loses time behind Heidfeld.
A 37.853 sees Massa go second, as Rosberg goes third, ahead of Hamilton, Nakajima and Glock.
On his first lap, Barrichello goes ninth (39.185), the Virgin logos no more prominent on the Brawn than they were last week. Certainly no major change of livery.
As Kovalainen has a big lock-up, Massa goes quickest with a 37.343 only to be demoted by Rosberg who crosses the line at 37.264. Webber improves to third (37.522), ahead of Trulli, Raikkonen and Vettel.
Button goes sixth (37.706) as Fisichella and Massa both have big lock-ups at Turn 1.
Barrichello posts 37.260 to go quickest, as Glock goes wide. Moments later, Rosberg re-takes the top spot with a 36.879.
A lot of the cars very twitchy here, as Webber improves to second with a 37.075. Almost immediately, the Red Bull driver is bounced down to third as Button goes second with a 37.044. Elsewhere, Kubica takes a trip across the gravel.
At 'half-time', it's: Rosberg, Button, Vettel, Webber, Trulli, Barrichello, Piquet and Massa.
Glock improves to second with a 36.980, Toyota now second in the Constructors' Championship. Elsewhere, Fisichella goes quickest in the first sector, finally crossing the line at 37.369 to go tenth.
A high speed 360 for Glock at Turn 6, as Nakajima posts a personal best in the first sector. Elsewhere, Bourdais goes wide at Turn 14 running over the unforgiving rumble strip.
Fisichella moves up to third with a 37.025, as Button begins another flying lap, the Melbourne winner taking the top spot with a 36.676. In the back of the Renault garage, three-time World Champion Nelson Piquet watches his son's progress.
Fernando Alonso is suffering an ear infection this weekend, therefore he's taking it 'easy' today. The Spaniard is currently thirteenth, 0.923s off Button's pace.
Massa and Hamilton both improve, but are unable to overhaul Button, the Englishman having upped his pace to a 36.430. The top twelve is covered by 0.830s, with 0.550 covering the top six.
Heidfeld having real problems, the F1.09 looking as though its running on an ice rink. Moments later, Massa gets all out of shape at Turn 14. The German is currently twentieth, 2.4s off the pace.
Both Red Bulls improve, Webber going fourth and Vettel fifth. The Milton Keynes duo maintaining the pace witnessed last week in Melbourne. The German gets his rear end out of shape, watched by team boss Christian Horner.
With twenty minutes remaining, both BMWs are in the bottom five, along with the Toro Rossos and Kovalainen, who is currently last.
Rosberg, currently sixth, has completed the most laps (20), ahead of Nakajima and Glock (both 18). Fastest through the speed-trap is Massa, ahead of Fisichella, Raikkonen, Webber, Hamilton and Piquet.
Raikkonen posts 36.646 to go third, the Finn, like Hamilton, having completed 16 laps. The Englishman lock-up at the final corner, heads off over the grass and gravel and then into the pitlane.
Haven't seen any sign of the soft compound thus far. Then again, with the green stripe so difficult to spot last week in Australia, we may well have missed it.
With just under ten minutes remaining, there are just nine drivers on track.
Webber posts a personal best in the first sector, as Barrichello goes third to make it a Brawn 1-3.
Raikkonen goes quickest in the second sector, however, on his next lap his fire extinguisher goes off in his cockpit. Even though he can barely see, having to lift himself up high in the cockpit, he gets the Ferrari back to the pitlane. Elsewhere, Piquet slides off into the gravel, his session over.
In the McLaren garage, the mechanics are working furiously on both cars, Kovalainen's, in particular, stripped right down to the bare minimum.
Meanwhile, Rosberg goes second (36.497) as Alonso goes wide, the Spaniard now down in sixteenth.
Purple sectors for Button, Rosberg, Massa and Nakajima. Rosberg posts 36.260 to go quickest, as his Japanese teammate goes second with a 36.305, ahead of the Brawn duo.
The session ends with Rosberg quickest, ahead of Nakajima, Button, Barrichello, Massa, Raikkonen, Hamilton, Webber, Vettel and Glock.
Trulli is eleventh, ahead of Fisichella, Kubica, Piquet, Sutil, Alonso, Buemi, Heidfeld, Bourdais and Kovalainen.