23/02/2012
NEWS STORY
As the teams break for lunch on the penultimate day of the first Barcelona test, Williams Pastor Maldonado tops the timesheets.
After two days when the FW34 has failed to excite, the Venezuelan posted his superfast time, appropriately, on Pirelli's super-soft tyres, the only driver to use the compound during the morning session.
For much of the morning it has been Schumacher setting the pace in the Mercedes WO3, the German having set his best time on soft rubber.
Third quickest is Kamui Kobayashi, the Sauber star stopping on track having run out of fuel, while Jenson Button, enjoying his first day in the MP4-27 this week, has completed just 39 laps on his way to posting the fourth best time.
While Jean-Eric Vergne is currently fifth quickest, it has been a quiet morning for Mark Webber and Paul di Resta. The Australian has, thus far, only completed 26 laps, and is seventh quickest, while the Scot, who lost his engine cover and consequently brought out the red flags has completed just 20.
Vitaly Petrov, enjoying his second day in the Caterham, has also lost track-time, the Russian sidelined by a suspension problem.
Mid-Session Times - All Times Unofficial
| Name | Team | Laps | Time | Gap |
| Maldonado | Williams | 52 | 1:22.391 | 126.388 mph |
| Schumacher | Mercedes | 54 | 1:23.384 | 0.993 |
| Kobayashi | Sauber | 59 | 1:23.582 | 1.191 |
| Button | McLaren | 39 | 1:23.918 | 1.527 |
| Vergne | Toro Rosso | 42 | 1:24.433 | 2.042 |
| Massa | Ferrari | 48 | 1:24.771 | 2.380 |
| Webber | Red Bull | 26 | 1:24.835 | 2.444 |
| Glock | Marussia | 51 | 1:26.173 | 3.782 |
| Petrov | Caterham | 23 | 1:26.929 | 4.538 |
| Di Resta | Force India | 20 | 1:27.180 | 4.789 |
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