19/09/2014
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's second practice session the air temperature is now 28 degrees C, while the track temperature is 35 degrees. Humidity is 82% and it is 21:30 local time.
Fernando Alonso set the pace this morning, edging out Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Fourth fastest was Sebastian Vettel however, the German suffered a late engine failure which looks to side-line him this afternoon.
There are two DRS zones. The first detection zone is 230m before Turn Five and the first activation point 50m after the same corner. The second detection point is 80m before the apex of Turn 22 and the activation point 45m after the apex of Turn 23.
Tyre choices are soft and supersoft, the option rubber making its first appearance this afternoon/evening.
The lights go green and Ericsson gets things underway, followed by Chilton.
Having complained that his downshifts are "slow and heavy", Chilton also says the car is twitchy and bottoming. Elsewhere, Kobayashi spins at T8.
No sooner has Button posted the first (fairly) serious time of the session (51.910) than teammate Magnussen posts 51.644.
Perez goes quickest with a 51.104 but his time is soon eclipsed by Vergne and then Ricciardo (50.390).
Bianchi locks up in front of Raikkonen who goes on to post a 50.900 which puts him second.
On his first flying lap Hamilton shoots straight to the top of the timesheets with a 50.139 however, moments later this is beaten by teammate Rosberg who breaks the timing beam at 49.075.
As Ricciardo runs wide in T7 and Raikkonen carries far too much speed into T5, Alonso splits the Mercedes duo with a 49.387.
Twenty minutes into the session all but Vettel and Bottas have posted times.
"something doesn't feel right with the car," says Hamilton, "it just doesn't feel right". This is moments after running wide in T7. He is told to different diff settings.
Button also has problems but a quick adjustment of his front wing appears to solve them.
Rosberg asks if he can be told the gap to his teammate, his engineers replies that he is 0.298s ahead, but that the gap isn't to his teammate. Indeed, Hamilton is 1.064s off the German's pace.
With around an hour remaining, Perez is the first driver to switch to the option rubber. He improves from 12th (51.104) to 48.653 which puts him quickest. Gutierrez, also on options, posts 49.2590 to go third.
A 48.751 sees Hulkenberg go second, thereby making it a Force India 1-2. Sutil goes fourth, ahead of Gutierrez, Alonso and Hamilton.
Ricciardo (options) goes quickest in s2, finally crossing the line at 47.790 to take the top spot.
Raikkonen (options), currently 16th (50.900), goes quickest in S1. He posts a PB in S2 before posting another in S3, crossing the line at 48.031 to go second.
With 48:11 remaining, Rosberg is on the softer rubber. At the first split he is 0.364s up on Ricciardo as Maldonado goes into the wall at T10 bringing out the red flag.
Replay shows he appeared to carry too much speed into the corner and paid the price. Indeed, he was struggling two corners earlier but somehow kept it all together even whilst maintaining some impressive speed.
As the stricken Lotus is removed from the track, the order is: Ricciardo, Raikkonen, Magnussen, Perez, Hulkenberg, Kvyat, Vergne, Grosjean, Rosberg and Mr Maldonado.
Sterling work by the marshals sees the session re-start several minutes later.
One of the first out is Hamilton, on options, his teammate's opening flying lap on the softer rubber having been scuppered by Maldonado's prang.
The Briton, currently on 49.664, goes quickest in S2, finally crossing the line at 47.490. However, Alonso is on a hot lap, the Spaniard going quickest in S2. Unfortunately a slow final sector means he can only manage fourth overall (48.062).
With thirty minutes remaining drivers aren now looking ahead to Sunday and concentrating on heavy fuel loads with the soft rubber.
Grosjean complains that his clutch is slipping however, his engineers are unable to do anything about it in the time remaining.
Having enquired whether he can be told anything about his pace, Hulkenberg is told he needs to find six-tenths.
With just under twenty minutes remaining the Red Bull crew is still working on Vettel's car.
"I think something's broke on the car," complains Magnussen. Meanwhile, in the Red Bull garage Vettel is putting his helmet on.
Although down in 12th, having not completed a real flying lap on the options, Rosberg is setting an impressive pace on his long run. However, Hamilton is marginally quicker.
Chilton complains that he has no turbo and that it is making a "weird noise". The team is aware and tells him to pit. Shortly after he stops the car, just as the team warn him that he has a fire.
As Vettel (option) begins his first flying lap of the session, he is running behind Rosberg with very little traffic. Indeed, his first lap sees him go fifth with a 48.115.
As Alonso enjoys a spectacular drift in the final corner, Vettel gets mighty close to the barriers.
The session ends with Hamilton quickest, ahead of Alonso, Ricciardo, Raikkonen, Vettel, Magnussen, Button, Perez, Hulkenberg and Kvyat.
Vergne is eleventh, ahead of Grosjean, Rosberg, Maldonado, Sutil, Gutierrez, Massa, Bottas, Bianchi, Chilton, Kobayashi and Ericsson.
Check out our Friday gallery, here.
Chris Balfe