07/10/2011
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's second free practice session, the air temperature is 23 degrees C, while the track temperature is 38 degrees. It remains bright and sunny.
Jenson Button led a McLaren 1-2 this morning, with Sebastian Vettel crashing out in the final moments - albeit lightly - the German hitting the barriers at Degner 2 after running wide at Degner 1.
The lights go green and Kovalainen and Kobayashi lead the way, followed by Ricciardo, Glock, d'Ambrosio and Petrov.
Kovalainen gets things underway with a 43.930 but this is soon beaten by Kobayashi who crosses the line at a far more respectable 37.387. That said, moments later Petrov posts a 35.471.
Once again, both Renault drivers are running different bodywork packages, Petrov the 'traditional' package and Senna the new 'slimmer' version first tried in Singapore. The British team has said that if all goes well both cars will run this package tomorrow.
Picking up where they left off in FP1, Button goes quickest (34.562) and teammate Hamilton second (34.809).
As Liuzzi pulls off to the side of the track with an unspecified technical problem, Hamilton goes quickest with a 34.529, the Englishman complaining of a bad vibration. He is essentially told to 'get on with it'.
A 33.854 sees Alonso take the top spot with teammate Massa going third, only to be demoted when Webber posts 33.958 to go second.
The Australian subsequently improves with a 33.782 to go quickest, as teammate Vettel goes second, the German - and his car - none the worse for their little excursion earlier this morning.
Alonso posts a 33.503 as Schumacher goes eighth, the German, like this morning, out-pacing his Mercedes teammate.
Almost thirty minutes into the session Senna runs wide and goes off into the gravel at Turn 1. Replay shows the Brazilian had his rear wing open as he took the corner, the Renault driver doing well not to hit the barriers. Keeping the engine running he is also able to continue.
Radio communication from the drivers is very poor today, almost inaudible, however, Button complains about his rear wing suggesting that it needs adjustment. He is advised to return to the pits.
Going quickest in S1, Webber closes to within 0.155s of Alonso, as Alguersuari is the first driver to switch to the soft (option) rubber. The Spaniard posts 33.742 to go third. On his next lap, having posted a PB in S1, he runs wide coming out of Spoon, appearing to lose grip as he came up behind Alonso's Ferrari. On board camera also shows the Toro Rosso driver using his right hand to make an adjustment on the left hand side of his steering wheel - on the long back straight.
Massa goes quickest with a 32.448, the Brazilian also running the soft rubber, as Petrov (soft) goes second with a 33.446.
It's all over for Barrichello, the Brazilian running on to the grass at the entry to Degner 1. The Williams slides across the grass over the kitty litter and into the barriers. The driver is fine but his car badly damaged.
Just after half-time, it's: Massa, Petrov, Alonso, Webber, Alguersuari, Button, Vettel, Hamilton, Senna and Perez.
Rosberg (medium) improves to thirteenth (35.941)while Alonso (soft) goes quickest with a 32.075 having gone quickest in the two final sectors.
Webber (soft) goes quickest in S1, as Kobayashi runs wide at Spoon his tyres turning green having picked up some of the paint used to colour the asphalt. Webber crosses the line at 32.147 to go second.
Pirelli believes the gap between the two compounds to be worth around a second.
More woe for Williams as Maldonado pulls off track, the Venezuelan having suffered a problem in this morning's session also.
Button posts a 31.901 to go quickest, as Vettel switches to the softer rubber. Trulli limps back to the pits in his Lotus.
As Vettel and Massa are hindered by the yellow flags, Hamilton goes quickest in S1. The Englishman subsequently backs off as he encounters the yellow flags.
Kobayashi performs miracles at 130R, the Japanese somehow managing to keep things under control when the rear end snaps out one way and then the other. Heart in mouth stuff.
On his first flying lap on the softer rubber, Rosberg improves to ninth (33.688), teammate Schumacher, currently fifteenth (35.211), not yet having run on the option tyre. That said, moments later, the seven-time champ, now on softs, bangs in a 32.710 to go sixth.
With fifteen minutes remaining, most drivers are on longer high fuel runs, as has become the norm. All but Schumacher, Rosberg, Hamilton, Kobayashi and Trulli are on track.
Schumacher complains of "funny behaviour at the rear end", which is hopefully something to do with the balance of his car as opposed to anything personal. Replay shows the German doing well to keep the Mercedes under control when it snaps out at the rear after running wide.
While the Red Bulls are (worryingly) quicker than their rivals on these longer runs, there are, unsurprisingly) no improvements, Button remaining quickest ahead of Alonso, Vettel, Webber, Massa, Schumacher, Rosberg, Hamilton, Petrov and Buemi.
Alguersuari finishes eleventh, ahead of Sutil, Perez, Senna, di Resta, Kobayashi, Kovalainen, Barrichello, Glock, d'Ambrosio, Maldonado, Ricciardo, Trulli and Liuzzi.
Check out our Suzuka practice gallery, here.