19/07/2014
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's sole practice session the air temperature is 28 degrees C, while the track temperature is 42 degrees. It looks as though we're going to have another scorcher.
Mercedes ruled the roost yesterday, with Nico Rosberg quickest in FP1 and teammate Lewis Hamilton on top in FP2 as the option tyres came into play.
Red Bull looked to have closed the gap to the Mercedes in FP2, Sebastian Vettel looking good on the long runs. Williams, McLaren and Ferrari also looked good.
The Top 6 were covered by 0.683s, with Ricciardo just 0.102s down on pace-setter Hamilton.
There were an inordinate amount of lock-ups and offs yesterday and much of this was put down to the absence off the FRIC systems - the lack of Mercedes usual total dominance also put down to the controversial suspension system.
The Renault runners are also said to be benefitting from an upgrade to the French manufacturer's software.
The big talking point was is the weather which is not only affecting tyres but also, in some cases, the brakes. Indeed, to cope with the unusually high temperatures teams are having to adapt their bodywork accordingly... often on the fly. As it were.
While Mercedes is playing down the decreased gap to the opposition, some believe the German outfit is sandbagging whilst others put it down, amongst other things, to the absence of FRIC.
The lights go green and Sutil is first out, the German finishing the day tenth yesterday as Sauber looked to have improved. Behind him is Maldonado, Lotus looking very off-form thus far this weekend.
As Sutil begins his first flying lap, more and more drivers head down the pitlane and on to the track, among them Vettel, Rosberg and Alonso.
Sutil heads back to the pits as do the cars behind him, only Rosberg stays out to post a time (21.343). Moments later Magnussen posts 20.034.
As Hamilton posts 22.545, the cameras pick up on Rosberg running wide in T2 and Magnussen at T17, the Dane taking a particularly rough ride over the kerbs.
As Rosberg improves to 20.025, Hamilton is told not to back off for traffic.
Magnussen goes quickest (19.878) and Perez third (20.197).
On his first flying lap, Bottas, having gone quickest in S2, goes quickest overall (19.259). Magnussen improves to second as Rosberg slips down to third.
Kobayashi goes 12th (22.882), the Japanese having a nightmare day yesterday when his car caught fire due to a problem Caterham is still investigating.
As drivers continue to run wide in T1, Massa posts 19.442 to make it a Williams 1-2, teammate Bottas having improved to 19.052.
On his first flying lap, Raikkonen, who looks a lot happier this weekend (the absence of FRIC?), goes third with a 19.829. Vettel is currently fifth.
Twenty-five minutes into the session all but Alonso and Ricciardo have posted times.
"We need you to come in," Raikkonen is told, subsequently advised that he has a "problem with the fuel system". Yesterday, the Finn lost track time in FP1 with a water pump problem.
As Raikkonen returns to the track - meaning it cannot have been a serious problem - sporting a set of options, the first driver to make the switch, Ricciardo, on his first flying lap, goes third (19.764).
A spin for Alonso in T8, the Spaniard having gone 8th (appropriately) on his first flying lap (20.158).
Raikkonen goes quickest, stopping the clock at 18.842, thus far the only driver to post a time on the supersofts.
Ricciardo complains of understeer and traction whilst Hamilton is also hurting in T8. Elsewhere, Perez is told that pressures and temperatures are low so he must keep pushing.
As Maldonado runs wide in T10, Kvyat complains that his car is really "sharp" in some corners which is "upsetting" it. Elsewhere, a big lock-up for teammate Vergne at T1.
As Vettel runs wide in T1 again, Grosjean complains that his car is switching from understeer to oversteer in T12. More problems for Kvyat also as the Russian says his brakes are "pulling like yesterday".
While Bianchi improves to 19th (21.720), teammate Chilton is still stuck in the pits. The Briton has completed only 7 laps due to an "electronic glitch".
With 11:00 remaining, the drivers begin to switch to the softer rubber. Bizarrely, Raikkonen now really doe appear to have a problem. The Finn is out of the car which is up on the stands as the mechanics work on it. This might explain his very early switch to the supersofts as the team will now hopefully have time to correct that "fuel system" problem before qualifying.
Indeed, Ferrari tweets: "To avoid problems in Q, on RAI's car a part related to the fuel pump will be changed. Session finished."
On the softer rubber, Rosberg goes quickest in all three sectors, eventually crossing the line at 17.779.
Magnussen (options) goes fourth (18.914) but is demoted when Massa posts 18.575 to go third. Moments later Bottas goes fourth with a 18.611, the Finn having made a mistake in T11.
Down in 12th, and stuck behind a slow Toro Rosso, Hamilton complains of a vibration in his tyres. Nonetheless, he posts 18.380 to go second, albeit 0.601s down on his teammate. Alonso, third, is just 0.004s down on the Briton.
Capt. No Grip complains that he is struggling with his brake. "They're locking so easily over the bumps," he tells his team.
Whilst Hamilton seeks to improve, Rosberg has called it a day (morning), Alonso and Massa likewise. Ricciardo and Vettel currently seventh and ninth.
A 20.198 sees Bianchi split to Lotus duo, the Enstone outfit really struggling here, software upgrade or no software upgrade.
The session ends with Rosberg quickest, ahead of Hamilton, Alonso, Massa, Bottas, Magnussen, Ricciardo, Raikkonen, Vettel and Hulkenberg.
Kvyat is eleventh, ahead of Vergne, Button, Perez, Gutierrez, Grosjean, Bianchi, Maldonado, Sutil, Kobayashi, Ericsson and Chilton.
Check out our Saturday gallery, here.
Chris Balfe