04/04/2014
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's opening session, the air temperature is 24 degrees C, while the track temperature is 37 degrees.
Tyres available this weekend are medium (prime) and soft (option), whilst the two DRS zones are on the start-finish straight and on the approach to T11.
There are a number of test drivers on duty this morning, Robin Frijns replacing Kamui Kobayashi at Caterham, Felipe Nasr in for Valtteri Bottas at Williams and Giedo Van der Garde for Esteban Gutierrez at Sauber.
Other than Nasr joining Williams, Felipe Massa's old mucker Rob Smedley joins the Grove outfit this weekend.
Having won the opening rounds, Mercedes is again expected to dominate here indeed, this may well be the case until the European season gets underway.
Sadly, though it has only won two races there already appears to be a backlash, and whilst fans are right to claim that the new rules have not turned the sort on its head, it is totally wrong for some teams to be crying 'foul' and suggesting that changes need to be made.
Whilst we do believe the sport is not giving its customers what they want, as we said during the days of Ferrari domination and again when Red Bull was winning, it is up to the others to improve not to penalise the success of the leaders.
What will be interesting, and something the critics will sure seize upon is the speed of the cars in this session compared to the GP2 cars which were on track earlier. Best lap posted in that session was 1:42.062 posted by New Zealand's Mitch Evans.
The lights go green and Ericsson is first out, followed by Vergne and Van der Garde. Raikkonen, Vettel and Ricciardo are also early risers, Red Bull having brought a lot of updates here. In no time at all, all but the McLaren duo have made an appearance.
"I've lost drive at the moment," says Rosberg, "I don't have much power."
Button and Magnussen finally leave the pits, both stay out for a second lap. Frijns back on track also.
"There is a problem," with the brakes says Magnussen. "The car is pulling to the left under braking," he adds before revealing that the pedal has gone 'long'. Needless to say, brakes are very, very important here.
Frijns crosses the line at 1:45.483 as the crew in the Mercedes garage appears to have fixed the problem on Rosberg's car.
Nasr goes quickest, the Brazilian posting 41.311 as Kvyat, Maldonado, Sutil and Perez head down the pitlane.
Kvyat goes quickest (39.453), ahead of Perez, Vergne, Nasr and Frijns as Button and Alonso head down the pitlane.
On his first flying lap Button can only manage third (40.044) as the cameras pick up on a piece of debris on the track.
No messing as Rosberg posts 38.508 to eclipse Kvyat by almost a second, though Hulkenberg goes second (38.632) moments later.
As Hamilton goes quickest (38.395), Grosjean complains that he has "no rear end at all".
Having gone tenth on his first lap (40.469), Vettel fails yo improve next time around nonetheless, the Red Bull looks 'grippy'.
Raikkonen goes fourth (39.403) as Ericsson and Massa remain the only drivers yet to post a time.
The new rule by which teams are given an extra set of tyres in order to ensure some early running during the first half hour is clearly working there having been quite a bit of activity thus far. That said, as soon as the half hour comes to an end silence descends on the track.
As Maldonado has a big, big slide in the Lotus - the Venezuelan having only completed 36 racing laps thus far this season - Massa remains the only driver yet to post a time.
At 'half-time', it remains: Hamilton, Rosberg, Hulkenberg, Raikkonen, Kvyat, Perez, Magnussen, Alonso, Button and Vergne.
Massa is finally on track, the team claiming that there is no particular reason why he didn't run in the first half of the session, which, in all honesty, doesn't make sense.
Mechanic run to the air of Alonso who stops in the pitlane, the team having fitted one option tyre (front left) and three primes. Wonder what sort of rule change Di Montezemolo will require to cover that sort of cock-up. Will the Spaniard incur a grid penalty?
Button and Magnussen improve to fourth and fifth, as Raikkonen, who has been leapfrogged by Kvyat, heads back to work. Vettel is also on track.
A nasty twitch from the rear end of Maldonado's Lotus which the Venezuelan does well to hold. Meanwhile, Vettel improves to eighth with a 39.545.
In the Mercedes garage both drivers are out of their cars having completed seven laps each, either supreme confidence or - more likely - much of the data usually required has already been acquired during pre-season testing.
On his first flying lap, Massa goes tenth with a 39.533, while the mechanics check the floor on Raikkonen's Ferrari after the Finn clouted a kerb at T4.
Drivers clearly struggling for grip - aren't they always!!! - Grosjean running wide in T4 and Raikkonen suffering major oversteer. Nonetheless, the Finn improves to sixth, splitting the McLarens, with a 38.783.
Moments later Alonso goes quickest with a 37.953 however, the Spaniard really had to work for that. Elsewhere, teammate Raikkonen gets it all totally wrong in T1, the Finn appearing to have been distracted by a Toro Rosso (Vergne) leaving the pits.
Up until that lap from Alonso, Mercedes powered cars filled five of the top six positions.
Unsurprisingly, considering Alonso's pace, both Mercedes drivers have returned to work, Rosberg immediately retaking the top spot with a 37.733. Meanwhile Hulkenberg posts 38.122 to go third.
Going quickest in all three sectors, Hamilton takes the top spot with a 37.502 as Rosberg gets it all wrong in T1.
Hamilton is told that Rosberg has more apex speed while he is only losing out to the German in T8.
As Vettel seeks to improve on tenth (39.389), Rosberg complains of a flat-spotted front tyre. Elsewhere, Chilton says he keeps running out of power, however, he is advised that this could be because the car is being run in race energy mode.
Problems for Perez who is sent out just as the flag falls. He stops at the end of the pitlane and has to be rescued.
The session ends with Hamilton quickest, ahead of Rosberg, Alonso, Hulkenberg, Button, Raikkonen, Magnussen, Kvyat, Perez and Vettel.
Massa is eleventh, ahead of Vergne, Nasr, Ricciardo, Sutil, Maldonado, Bianchi, Van der Garde, Grosjean, Chilton, Frijns and Ericsson.
Chris Balfe