08/09/2012
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's free practice session, the air temperature is 25 degrees C, while the track temperature is 32 degrees. It is bright and sunny, as it was yesterday and as it is expected to be tomorrow.
McLaren had the edge yesterday, Lewis Hamilton heading a 1-2 for the Woking outfit. However, while the media focus should have been on the possibility of a third consecutive win for the silver cars, it was the continued speculation as to Hamilton's future that dominates the headlines.
Behind the two McLarens were the two Ferraris however, failures in both sessions for Fernando Alonso, engine in the first and gearbox in the second, meant that the tifosi left the track looking a little more worried than might be expected.
Michael Schumacher was quickest in the morning and, strangely, his time remained the fourth best of the day overall. A DRS problem in the afternoon severely restricted the German's pace however, the fact that his Mercedes teammate finished fifth behind the McLarens and Ferraris could bode well for the German team. Then again, reliability has been a problem this season especially for the German.
Mark Webber correctly pointed out that there is no world championship for Fridays therefore the fact that the Milton Keynes cars finished eleventh and thirteenth should be taken with a pinch of salt. While it is tracks such as Singapore which is more likely to suit the Red Bull, Sebastian Vettel's turnaround in Belgium should not be dismissed.
Kimi Raikkonen upheld honour for Lotus while (Romain Grosjean stand-in) Jerome d'Ambrosio continues to familiarise himself with the car, the Frenchman having done a sterling job of it.
Sauber and Force India are next up, as they usually are, while it is the lack of pace from Williams and more particularly Toro Rosso that surprises.
Other than Hamilton, the other big talking point here is the fact that, thus far, there is no significant difference between the two tyre compounds, the hard and the medium. Schumacher's time in the morning session, 0.132s off Hamilton's morning time, was posted on the harder rubber.
Overnight, after discovering a problem overnight, Force India has opted to change the gearbox on di Resta's car meaning that the Scot has a five-place grid penalty.
The lights go green and Angry Bird Kovalainen leads the way, followed by Pic, di Resta, Kobayashi, Massa, Vergne, Raikkonen, Glock and a whole host of others.
Just three minutes into the session all twenty-four drivers have been out, however, only Karthikeyan, whose track time was compromised by an exhaust issue.
In the Ferrari garage Felipe Massa poses for a picture with Luca Badoer and his son. Good to see the Italian after the torrid time he suffered after deputising for the Brazilian in 2009. The former F3000 champion still works for Ferrari as a road car test driver.
After several minutes of total inactivity Hulkenberg and Perez break the deadlock. They are soon joined by a number of other drives including Rosberg and Hamilton.
Hulkenberg posts 30.583 but this is soon beaten by di Resta (26.670) and then Perez (26.620).
As Raikkonen posts 26.215, Alonso, sitting in his car, shade in place, watched dispassionately. The Spaniard is just one of five drivers not on track.
Perez retakes the top spot with a 25.894, only to lose it when Hamilton crosses the line at 25.816.
Having gone quickest in the two final sectors, Perez posts 25.508 as Schumacher improves to eighth with a 27.731.
As Webber goes ninth (26.935) and Vettel tenth, a 25.781 sees Raikkonen move up to second.
Maldonado is sporting a new helmet livery, it includes the slogan… "less trouble more speed".
Senna goes second with a 25.718 but is quickly demoted when Hamilton bangs in a 25.165.
With 39:20 on the clock the Caterhams and Ferraris have yet to post a time.
Currently eleventh, Button improves to second with a 25.233 having gone quickest in S1.
Vettel improves to seventh despite a nasty wobble in the Parabolica, a corner to be treated with total respect.
As Perez consolidates third with a 25.428, Hamilton goes quickest in the first two sectors finally crossing the line at 24.687.That's the fastest lap of the weekend thus far, over 153 mph.
All times posted thus far have been on the harder rubber.
Karthikeyan having all manner of problems in the HRT at the second chicane.
Living up to his new motto, Maldonado goes third with a 25.383, ahead of Perez, Senna and Vettel.
At 32:24, both Ferraris leave the pits, both on the hard rubber. Elsewhere, Schumacher has lost his KERS just as he prepares to switch to the medium compound. Yesterday it was his DRS that he lost. Not good, not good at all.
On his first lap Alonso post 25.870 to go twelfth while teammate Massa posts 33.214.
Alonso improves with a 25.186 to go second while Massa goes 25.848 to go thirteenth.
Rosberg is first to switch to the medium rubber, the German currently seventeenth 1.896s off Hamilton's pace.
Massa improves to fourth with a 25.266, so it's: McLaren, Ferrari, McLaren, Ferrari.
A 24.632 sees Alonso take the top spot, watched by company president Luca di Montezemolo. The two Ferraris run tail to nose, Massa giving his teammate a valuable tow.
Rosberg goes third (25.036) on the harder rubber as Senna (hard) goes eighth. Vergne and Schumacher have also made the switch.
Having made a mistake at Ascari and missing the second part of it because of a much slower Pic, the Brazilian subsequently vents his frustration at the Marussia driver.
Drivers continue to get caught out by the various chicanes, Petrov getting it all wrong at the second and d'Ambrosio at the first, the Belgian's bottom and spine taking a real pounding over the kerbs. Raikkonen is told that he too has no KERS.
Lots of work going on in the McLaren garage where Button is out of his car.
Perez is the latest driver to feel the wrath of Senna, the Williams driver losing time behind the Sauber coming out of Ascari.
With 16:35 on the clock, it's: Alonso, Hamilton, Rosberg, Massa, Button, Maldonado, Perez, Senna, Raikkonen and Vettel.
The final assault, when all attention will be on qualifying, is about to begin.
On board with Ricciardo shows just how hard to handle the Toro Rosso is to handle here. Elsewhere, Vettel goes seventh (25.406), the German still on the harder rubber. Webber is currently fourteenth.
Alonso and Raikkonen leave the pits, the Spaniard sporting a brand new set of mediums. Button is also on track, as his McLaren teammate.
Button, on his first lap on the softer rubber, goes third (24.994). Schumacher (medium) goes eleventh with a 25.563.
Alonso gets a good two from Rosberg in the Parabolica but subsequently finds himself compromised by the Mercedes on exit. Nonetheless, he posts a fastest time in S3. Elsewhere, teammate Massa has a wobble in the Parabolica.
Di Resta improves to third overall with a 24.849 as Raikkonen becomes the latest driver to get crossed up in the Parabolica.
Going quickest in S3, Alonso finally crosses the line at 24.579. However, moments later Hamilton bangs in a 24.578, just one-thousandth faster.
Despite going quickest in S1, and posting a PB in S2, Button fails to improve on his previous best and remains fifth.
Looking set to improve, Hulkenberg finds himself stuck in traffic on the approach to the Lesmos, he immediately backs off.
It's all over for Vettel as he pulls to the side of the track at the second chicane. He is pushed to safety as the yellow flags are waved. "Low battery," he tells the team.
The session ends with Hamilton still quickest ahead of Alonso, di Resta, Massa, Button, Rosberg, Perez, Raikkonen, Hulkenberg and Maldonado.
Webber is eleventh, ahead of Vettel, Senna, Schumacher, Kobayashi, Ricciardo, d'Ambrosio, Vergne, Kovalainen, Petrov, Pic, Glock, Karthikeyan and de la rosa.
The top fourteen are covered by just 0.985, with 0.331 covering the top four.
McLaren and Ferrari maintain their pace, while Mercedes drops off and Red Bull continues to disappoint.