24/04/2009
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's opening free practice session, the air temperature is 32 degrees C, while the track temperature is 46 degrees. It is bright and sunny, as one might expect, however, it is very windy.
The lights go green and Sepang winner Sebastian Vettel leads the way followed by Piquet and Buemi.
Tyre options this weekend are medium and super-soft, as in Malaysia.
Five minutes into the session, all but Hamilton, Kovalainen, Raikkonen and Barrichello have been out for an installation lap. Within minutes all four have also been out.
We were promised lots more action on Fridays this year, there was even talk of mini-races with championship points at stake. However, it's business as usual, the drivers stand around chatting with the engineers while the few fans in the stands wait patiently for someone to break the deadlock. With in-season testing banned, one would have thought that the teams would be keen to get in as many laps as possible, but clearly the teams have other ideas.
Finally, twenty-six minutes into the session, after almost twenty minutes of total inactivity, an engine fires up and Sebastien Bourdais heads down the pitlane, followed by Kubica.
The Frenchman posts the first time of the weekend, crossing the line at 1:38.697. Kubica has returned to the pits.
As Bourdais improves to 36.790, Raikkonen leaves the pits. The Finn and his team are under a lot of pressure this weekend. On his first flying lap, the Finn loses the back end at Turn 2 and is very, very lucky not to hit the barriers.
A 36.069 sees Rosberg go quickest, as Bourdais goes wide. Piquet goes third with a 38.313 ahead of Alonso and Raikkonen. Both Renaults running the interim diffusers this weekend.
Raikkonen goes quickest with a 36.055, however, moments later this eclipsed by Bourdais who posts 35.803.
As Rosberg goes quickest (34.845), Kovalainen makes full use of the run off at Turn 9. Elsewhere, teammate Hamilton goes quickest in the first sector.
Rosberg improves with a 34.363 as Hamilton posts 5.476 to go third. On his next lap, the Englishman once again goes quickest in the first sector, as Kovalainen goes second quickest overall. The Englishman crosses the line at 34.472 to take second from his McLaren teammate.
At 'half-time', it's: Rosberg, Hamilton, Kovalainen, Piquet, Trulli, Webber, Raikkonen, Nakajima, Button and Vettel.
Hamilton goes quickest with a 34.189, improving to 33.647 next time around. Felipe Massa goes seventh with a 35.361, slotting in just ahead of his Ferrari teammate.
Having improves to fourth (34.729), Massa gets it wrong at Turn 1 as Webber improves to fifth with a 34.827. All but Kubica and Buemi have posted times.
With thirty-five minutes remaining, all the drivers have posted times, with Hamilton at the top of the sheets and former teammate Alonso at the bottom.
Told to add more front wing, Hamilton says "it doesn't work" and promptly dives into the pits.
With twenty-five minutes remaining, Button is down in seventeenth position having only completed 5 laps. The Englishman is understood to be suffering an "up-shift" problem.
Bourdais has completed the most lap (16), ahead of Alonso, Kovalainen and Nakajima, who have all completed 15.
It's now all about long runs as opposed to times, those can wait. We've yet to see anyone seriously running the super-softs.
Button improves to third (34.434) ass Barrichello takes fourth with a 34.531. It appears to be business as usual for the Brawns.
Kubica improves to ninth as Buemi runs wide at Turn 12. The Swiss driver is currently eighteenth, ahead of his teammate and Alonso.
With just under seven minutes remaining, Kubica and Heidfeld leave the pits, both cars shod with the super-softs. Elsewhere, Buemi parks by the side of the track after his engine appears to 'die'.
Heidfeld posts a personal best in the first sector, however, yellow flags are being waved as marshals clear Buemi's car from its parking spot. Next time around, Heidfeld goes quickest in the second sector, however, he loses time behind Button. That said, the German goes second with a 33.907.
Kovalainen goes fifth, thereby splitting the Brawns, while Rosberg fails to improve on 34.227.
A 33.938 sees Kubica go third, giving BMW a 2-3 and thereby a bit of much needed encouragement for the rest of the weekend.
The session ends with Hamilton quickest, ahead of Heidfeld, Kubica, Rosberg, Button, Kovalainen, Barrichello, Massa, Webber and Raikkonen.