21/09/2012
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's second session, the air temperature is 22 degrees C, while the track temperature is 27 degrees. The forecast thunderstorm never arrived and consequently the circuit has fully dried following this morning's downpour.
The lights go green and a minute or so later the sound of Pic's Cosworth fills the air. The Frenchman heads down the pitlane and shortly after is followed by Perez, Maldonado and Senna.
Red Bull is running different noses on its car, the camera mounting higher on Webber's car than Vettel's. Also a new rear wing on the Ferrari, which looks quite odd for an F1 car, high and narrow.
Perez, an early riser, looks very nervous here - the car not the man - the Sauber making a hash of the chicane. A bit of a moment for Maldonado also.
Even this early, having had their running restricted this morning, everyone is eager to get some work in, in no time all twenty-four drivers are on track
The first few drivers having posted times, di Resta posts 1:54.414 to go quickest, the Force Indias looking good at his early stage.
Perez asks his team is they are sure there's nothing wrong with his car, the Mexican being particularly hard in terms of the kerbs this morning.
Going quickest in all three sectors, Buttons goes quickest overall, the McLaren driver crossing the line at 50.837. Elsewhere, Alonso and Schumacher almost trip up over Karthikeyan.
Webber goes second, ahead of Schumacher, as Maldonado goes quickest in S2. The Williams driver, quickest in S3 also, goes second overall with a 50.872.
A 51.190 sees Rosberg go fourth while Glock maintains the form he showed this morning, the German getting his Marussia up to seventeenth.
No messing about for Hamilton who posts a 50.561 to go quickest, giving McLaren a 1-2.
Drivers continuing to get caught out at the chicane and also by the bump in Turn 5. Vettel complains of "no front end under braking", while Maldonado says he isn't getting a "good feeling" from a very "light front end".
As Massa runs wide, replay shows Hamilton gesticulating at a driver who didn't appear to see him and forced him wide.
Vettel retakes the top spot with a 50.497 while a poor S3 sees Hamilton fail to improve.
However, after a slow lap there are no such problems for Hamilton on his next flying lap, the McLaren driver eclipsing Vettel by almost half-a-second.
Senna makes a complete mess of the chicane taking a pounding from both sets of kerbs. The Brazilian, along with Vergne, Perez and Kobayashi, is the only driver to try the super-soft thus far.
Both Mercedes in the top eight, Schumacher and Rosberg having focussed on the team's new exhaust this morning.
Kobayashi improves to tenth on the option rubber but his times hardly set the timesheet alight. Elsewhere, Senna has stopped at Turn 21 after running wide and clouting the wall at Turn 19. As he climbs from the car the cameras cut to Valtteri Bottas in the Williams garage.
The resultant yellow flag after Senna's off mean that a number of drivers return to their garages. As the marshals struggle to get the Williams to safety the session is subsequently red-flagged. A mobile crane is brought in to remove the stricken car.
With 49:00 on the clock, it's: Hamilton, Vettel, Alonso, Button, Maldonado, Webber, Rosberg, Schumacher, di Resta and Kobayashi.
The session restarts at 22:13 (local time) after a delay of around five minutes. Within seconds there are nine drivers on track, Hamilton among the first. The McLaren driver is now on the super-soft rubber, as is Vettel.
Hamilton wastes no time getting up to speed on the softer rubber, he goes quickest in the first two sectors finally crossing the line at 49.086 almost a second quicker than Massa who had just posted a 50.039.
As more and more drivers switch to the options, Webber goes quickest on the primes, the Australian posting a 48.964. The Red Bull driver picked up time in S3 which is where Hamilton actually lost pace.
Schumacher improves to fourth having posted PBs in all three sectors, teammate Rosberg currently eleventh.
With 35:30 on the clock, Webber, Vettel, Button, Rosberg, Vergne, de la Rosa and Karthikeyan are the only drivers yet to use the softer rubber.
From out of nowhere, Alonso produces a 48.896 however, Button, now of the options, posts 48.651, eclipsing the Spaniard by 0.245s.
On super-softs and even with all those upgrades, Rosberg can only manage seventh, 1.139s off Button's pace. Moments later, Vettel goes quickest overall with a 48.340 despite having only been quickest in S3.
"Stop using DRS, stop using DRS, just concentrate on tyres," Karthikeyan is told.
Glock goes nineteenth, which puts him ahead of the Caterhams and not far off Vergne's Toro Rosso.
Biggest disappointment thus far today has to be Lotus, Grosjean and Raikkonen running tenth and twelfth.
The drivers now concentrate on Sunday afternoon, longer runs with heavy fuel, as is usually the case, consequently there are no significant changes in terms of times. Vettel still heads Button, Alonso, Webber, Hamilton and di Resta.
Hamilton is told that his long run pace is good and that other cars are showing signs of degradation. Elsewhere, Rosberg and Grosjean both make mistakes at the chicane while Perez overshoots Turn 14 and is lucky not to clout the wall.
Schumacher climbs out of his car and his overalls, he doesn't look happy. Raikkonen pits after a "long run" on the supersofts. Webber also pits after being advised of a potential problem which turns out to be a large chunk of discarded rubber (marble) which had become stuck in a vent.
"Pace is still very strong and consistent," Hamilton is told, "time for two more laps."
Kobayashi runs wide at Turn 1, one of several corners catching drivers out today. Lotus confirms that Raikkonen had a potential hydraulics issue.
Another spin for Kobayashi, this time at Turn 19, the Japanese lucky not to be hit by Maldonado.
The session ends with Vettel quickest, ahead of Button, Alonso, Webber, Hamilton, di Resta, Hulkenberg, Rosberg, Massa and Grosjean.
Schumacher is eleventh, ahead of Raikkonen, Maldonado, Ricciardo, Perez, Kobayashi, Senna, Vergne, Glock, Kovalainen, Pic, Petrov, de la Rosa and Karthikeyan.
An interesting session, which sets us up nicely for tomorrow and, of course, Sunday.
Check out our Practice gallery, here.