28/03/2014
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's second practice session, the air temperature is 34 degrees C, while the track temperature is 50 degrees. It is very overcast and there is a good chance of rain later in the session.
Tyre options this weekend are hard (prime) and medium (option) and though, as is customary, we didn't see the options this morning, this afternoon, as is equally customary, we will.
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was the meat in a Mercedes sandwich this morning, Lewis Hamilton quickest, the Iceman, second, Nico Rosberg third and then the two McLarens.
Other than numerous lock-ups and spins, for pretty much everyone, the other big talking point was another disastrous showing for Lotus, Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado completing just six laps between them. Of those six, most were at crawling pace whilst one involved lots of smoke billowing from the back.
Other than the problems at Lotus, Sergio Perez had minimal running and failed to post a time whilst a change of energy story on Kobayashi's car meant the Japanese completed just 5 laps. Sadly, moments before the lights go green the team tweet that there is still a problem with his car and he will not be taking part in this session.
Grosjean is first out, followed by Perez, Magnussen, Ericsson, Chilton and Bianchi.
The Frenchman posts the first time of the afternoon, crossing the line at 1:44.005. Elsewhere, Chilton has stopped at T3 after spinning off. The engine is still running but he is unable to get the car running.
Perez goes second with a 44.239 ahead of Bianchi and Ericsson while Magnussen heads back into the pits.
The yellow flags are out as Chilton's stricken car is towed to safety.
On his first flying lap Button posts 42.445 though Hulkenberg eclipses this with a 42.293 moments later.
Having gone quickest in S2, Vergne spins in T15, ruining what would have been a good lap. As Grosjean continues lapping, work continues on his teammate's car.
Bottas, currently eighth (52.558), goes quickest in the first two sectors, finally crossing the line at 41.072 to go quickest. Button takes second with a 41.635.
Massa makes it a Williams 1-2 with a 41.075, just 0.003s down on his teammate, as Grosjean runs wide in T4.
Hulkenberg runs wide in T1 as Raikkonen posts 41.142 to go third behind the Williams duo.
Rosberg goes fourth and Alonso sixth as Grosjean - inevitably - slows. He is told to return to the pits without changing gear.
Having gone quickest in S2, Alonso goes quickest (40.737), with Hamilton taking second (40.785) moments later.
Ricciardo improves to fifth having gone quickest in S2 - a sector that suits the Red Bulls - while teammate Vettel can only manage eighth.
An absolute classic from Bernie Ecclestone who is hearing the sound of F1 live for the first time. "They're louder than I thought," he says, "but they need to be louder.
"We need to get it up," he adds. "I wish I could get it up."
Back on track, Vettel goes third (41.041), ahead of Bottas, Massa, Ricciardo and Raikkonen. Alonso and Hamilton remain quickest and second quickest.
Almost half-an-hour into the session, Perez, Ericsson and Magnussen are the first to switch to the softer (medium) rubber.
Currently sixteenth (44.239), Perez posts PBs in the first two sectors, finally crossing the line at 41.671 to go eleventh.
Magnussen, who hasn't posted a time on the prime rubber, goes fifteenth (42.551) on his first lap on the options. Expected better than that, though maybe he can improve on his second hot lap.
As Magnussen complains of "massive oversteer", Massa goes quickest in S1. The Brazilian, on options, subsequently goes second with a 40.112, pipped by Rosberg who posts a 39.909.
Hamilton makes it a Mercedes 1-2 when he posts 40.051, the Englishman, like his teammate, on the softer rubber.
Magnussen improves to fifth (41.014), teammate Button remains one of several yet to try the option tyre.
Raikkonen splits the Mercedes with a 39.944, the Finn looking as lot more confident here than he did in Melbourne.
Vettel (option) goes quickest in S2 subsequently crossing the line at 40.161 to go sixth.
Bianchi has a wild time as he goes off in T7, the French youngster doing well to recover.
Great slow-mo shot of Kvyat fighting the car as it drifts wider and wider.
At 'half-time', it's: Rosberg, Raikkonen, Hamilton, Alonso, Massa, Vettel, Button, Ricciardo, Bottas and Hulkenberg. Though moments later Ricciardo leapfrogs Button to take seventh.
A 39.970 sees Vettel go third, the world champion one of just three drivers to break the 1:39s barrier.
Williams tweets that Bottas made a mistake on his hot lap which saw him go ninth, but the team is confident "there is more to come tomorrow".
With just over half-an-hour remaining, the drivers focus on longer runs trying both compounds with an eye on Sunday afternoon. Hamilton runs wide in T4.
Following his issue, Grosjean is back on track, though no such luck for teammate Maldonado.
Vettel is told that degradation on his options appear high, consequently he must try and preserve them.
Alonso is told that he is currently quickest, the Spaniard having completed 12 laps on his current set of (option) tyres.
Grosjean parks his car, the Frenchman informing his team that he has "lost the gearbox". As he climbs from the car one wouldn't be surprised to see him return with a stick and give it a good beating, Basil Fawlty style.
Back on track following his earlier troubles, Chilton appears to have more issues and informs his team that the "front left is wobbly" and that he's heading back.
Raikkonen , who has completed 18 laps on his current set of options, complains that the rears are gone. "They are in bad shape," he moans, I'm sliding about quite a lot".
Ricciardo is told to "downshift early" in an attempt to conserve fuel. Shortly after he makes a mistake and takes a "trip through the gravel". That's how he describes it, but in fact it was a bit more than that, the replay showing the Red Bull driver going off a some speed in T11.
The session ends with Rosberg quickest, ahead of Raikkonen, Vettel, Hamilton, Alonso, Massa, Ricciardo, Button, Bottas and Hulkenberg.
Vergne is eleventh, ahead of Magnussen, Sutil, Kvyat, Gutierrez, Perez, Grosjean, Chilton, Bianchi and Ericsson. No times from Kobayashi or Maldonado.
Check out our Friday gallery, here.