12/10/2012
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's second session, the air temperature is 21 degrees C, while the track temperature is 29 degrees.
Lewis Hamilton led the way this morning, ahead of Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber, in a session which saw plenty of lock-ups and offs as the drivers struggled with the green and excessively dusty track surface.
A number of teams are running updates here, most notably Lotus and Williams, both of whom are trying new exhausts.
The tyres on off this weekend are soft and supersoft, however, the softer option has yet to make an appearance today.
Having handed over their cars to the reserve drivers this morning, this afternoon Nico Hulkenberg, Bruno Senna, Vitaly Petrov and Narain Karthikeyan get their first taste of Yeongam 2012.
Showing all the eagerness the team displayed this morning, McLaren's Lewis Hamilton is first out for this session, followed by Raikkonen and Glock. The German was sidelined for much of this morning's session as his team changed his steering rack.
Within moments of the green light there are eighteen drivers on track.
Drivers are told not to slow in the final corner if entering the pitlane - the warning coming straight from Charlie Whiting.
Hamilton posts 41.851 but this is quickly beaten by Raikkonen (41.368), Rosberg (41.153) and then Button (40.687).
The times continue to tumble, Schumacher posting 40.424 and di Resta 40.331, while Vettel slips in a 40.555 to go third.
After the packed grandstands of last Friday, it is disappointing to see the deserted stands here today. Is Korea destined to be another Turkey?
As Schumacher goes quickest and Alonso second, Hulkenberg complains that his front tyres are graining after just five laps. Replay shows Grosjean's tyres shedding bits of rubber.
Having gone quickest in the final two sectors, Vettel goes quickest overall (39.794).
After twelve minutes all but Petrov have posted a time.
Webber goers third with a 39.938 as Massa runs very, very wide.
The pitlane exit continues to cause problems, Perez making a mistake when he is surprised by a car leaving the pits.
The lack of grip continues to cause problems, Glock taking an unusual excursion as he runs out of road.
Hamilton goes quickest in S2, the Mercedes-bound driver subsequently crossing the line at 39.705 to take the top spot. Moments later his teammate leapfrogs him by one-thousandth of a second.
Massa upholds Ferrari honour with a 39.687, the top four now covered by just 0.030. Indeed, the top seven is covered by 0.251.
A big spin for Senna at T11, the Williams driver still trying to get to grip with the track having missed out on this morning's session.
Posting PBs in the two final sectors, Rosberg goes ninth, ahead of Perez, Raikkonen, Hulkenberg and Ricciardo.
With sixty-five minutes remaining, Vergne is the first driver to switch to the option rubber. The Frenchman, currently seventeenth (42.053) improves to thirteenth (40.789). Elsewhere, Webber goes quickest with a 39.404 as Perez suffers a right-rear puncture.
Mechanics in the Marussia and HRT garages are being kept busy, with work going on on Pics car and a new front wing being fitted to de la Rosa's.
Perez is the second driver to switch to options, the Mexican currently ninth.
A 39.089 sees Vettel go quickest again, the German quickest of all in the final sector. Ominously, it once again sees Red Bull first and second. Elsewhere, a big lock up for Hamilton sees the McLaren driver having to take full advantage of the escape road.
With 53.25 on the clock, Petrov, who has yet to post a time, is finally back on track. The Russian is already on the softer rubber.
As Button goes quickest in S2, Perez (options) makes no improvement in S1. He subsequently complains that his DRS is not working. Shortly after the Mexican pulls to the side of the track at T11 and gets out. "I lost power," he tells his crew.
Approaching half-time, it's: Vettel, Webber, Button, Massa, Alonso, Hamilton, Schumacher, Rosberg, di Resta and Grosjean.
As Perez car is removed from the track, Alonso is the first of the big guns to make the switch to options, within moments a number of other drivers have followed suit.
A surprisingly amateurish mistake from de la Rosa clearly frustrates Schumacher.
Button goes quickest in S2, the Englishman subsequently crossing the line at 39.219 to go second. Vettel runs wide at T9 on consecutive laps
As Massa complains that his KERS isn't watching, Webber goes quickest with a 38.864.
Schumacher and Vettel are both on hot laps. Losing time in S3, the Mercedes driver goes fourth with a 39.330 while the world champion goes quickest with a 38.832.
Raikkonen, down in fourteenth, has yet to try the options, as have Kovalainen, Pic, Karthikeyan and de la Rosa.
A cross country excursion is followed by a very bumpy ride over the kerbs by Maldonado. Meanwhile, teammate Senna improves to eleventh (40.089).
Alonso posts PBs in the first two sectors, the Spaniard subsequently crossing the line at 39.160 to go third.
Pic is back on track after he too had his steering rack changed, elsewhere a spectacular ride over the kerbs for Grosjean. Massa and Vergne revert to the prime rubber.
As ever, the drivers are now looking ahead to Sunday afternoon, option tyres and high fuel load.
Button is told that he is the fastest driver on the option tyres, however, Massa is setting a pretty good pace on the harder rubber.
Grosjean, Vergne and Glock all follow Massa's example and switch to the harder rubber.
With five minutes remaining, all but Perez are on track. The track surface littered with marbles.
Another big lock-up for Hamilton, the Englishman subsequently telling his crew that he will pit as his right-front tyre is "destroyed".
As the clock ticks down, Massa is the latest to lock-up, the Brazilian having switched to the option rubber.
The session ends with Vettel quickest, ahead of Webber, Alonso, Button, Schumacher, Massa, Rosberg, Hamilton, Hulkenberg and Raikkonen.
Grosjean is eleventh, ahead of Senna, di Resta, Kobayashi, Perez, Vergne, Ricciardo, Maldonado, Kovalainen, Glock, Pic, Petrov, Karthikeyan and de la Rosa.
Check out our Friday gallery, here.