10/04/2015
NEWS STORY
Early days we know, but such was Mercedes dominance in FP1, perhaps Ferrari's win in Malaysia was merely a blip and we were all being a little premature in thinking the German team's reign was coming to an end.
Despite a "will o the wisp error", Mercedes terms, Lewis Hamilton was 0.541s quicker than his teammate and 1.124s quicker than third placed Sebastian Vettel. Fourth placed Kimi Raikkonen was 1.6s off the Briton's pace.
In the wake of Vettel's Sepang win, Mercedes was quick to react, it promised updates and it has brought them. Indeed, a number of teams have brought updates here, Williams running a new rear suspension, but the German team, in particular, has learned a lesson from Sepang.
Along with the numerous updates, especially noses and wings, there were plenty of incidents this morning with T14 catching out almost everyone at some stage or another.
Interestingly, behind the Mercedes and Ferraris, Sauber's Felipe Nasr headed the two Red Bulls whilst the Williams duo was separated by just one-thousandth of a second.
Ahead of this session, the air temperature is 16 degrees C, whilst the track temperature is 43 degrees.
Tyre compounds are medium (prime) and soft (option), whilst there are two DRS zones, one on the start-finish straight and the second on the back straight leading to T14.
Romain Grosjean watched this morning's session from the pit-wall, his Lotus handed over to reserve driver Jolyon Palmer. Sadly, Fernando Alonso and Nico Hulkenberg also spent much of the morning as spectators... but due to technical issues.
Indeed, as we await the green light it appears McLaren's issues continue. Button's car is up on the stands whilst Alonso is (still) in his team jacket chatting to some mechanics.
The lights go green and as in FP1 Merhi first out. In the McLaren garage Alonso climbs into his car.
Stevens joins his teammate on track, whilst Raikkonen is also keen to get back to work, as is Grosjean.
Merhi posts 50.865 but this is soon beaten by his teammate who crosses the line at 49.573.
Due to the number of updates, a number of teams were trying back-to-back evaluations this morning and there is even talk of Mercedes splitting its strategies.
As Raikkonen talks of an issue with his brakes, teammate Vettel spins a full 360 at T4. An unusual incident at a corner that doesn't normally witness such incidents. "I'll check the tyres are OK," he says.
Brake issue or not, Raikkonen raises the bar with a 40.103 ahead of Grosjean (41.494) and Hulkenberg (42.287).
As Rosberg goes quickest (39.126), Raikkonen again com-plains of a brake issue when he first touches the brakes which causes the car to pull from side to side. Worryingly, his engineer admits that this is an issue they've had before and the team is looking into ti.
As Raikkonen pits, Hamilton begins his first flying lap. He is immediately quickest in the first sector. Meanwhile, Alonso goes fourth, the Spaniard 1.787s off Rosberg's pace.
Despite that strong opening sector, Hamilton posts 50.643 which puts him fifteenth. Elsewhere, Button posts 41.075 to go seventh.
Next time around Hamilton goes quickest in S2, finally crossing the line at 39.058 to go quickest.
TV cameras pick up on a man running across the track on the pit straight and jumping into a gap in the pit-wall. He doesn't appear to be a marshal.
A 40.781 sees Massa go fifth as Ferrari change the pads and discs on Raikkonen's car.
Next time around Masa improve his time (40.423) but drops a position as teammate Bottas posts 40.327 to go fourth. On the surface it's a scruffy lap from the Finn... but fast.
Twenty minutes into the session and all but the Red Bull duo have posted times. Sadly, it looks as though the Austrian team is trying to save mileage on its engines. A worrying sign of the times?
Massa complains of smoke in his cockpit... never a good sign. "OK, we'll have a look," comes the reply. He pits.
Coming up to the half-hour, Raikkonen is back on track... on the softer rubber. He is currently third on 40.103. As one would expect he immediately goes quickest in S1, maintaining the pace in S2. At the line the Finn posts 37.662 to go quickest, an improvement of over 2.4s.
Rosberg and Vettel are also out on softs now, as is Ericsson.
Having failed to improve in S1, Rosberg can only manage a PB in S2. Currently on 39.126, the German improves to 38.399, over 0.7s off Raikkonen's pace, his cause not helped by a mistake in the final corner.
As Vettel improves to second (38.339), Kvyat finally heads down the pitlane.
More and more drivers switch to the softer rubber, among them Hamilton. The Briton goes quickest in S2, subsequently crossing the line at 37.219 to go quickest by 0.443s.
Perez is told that he has an issue with his rear brakes and must pit.
Squealing brakes and lots of smoke signal an off for Massa at the notorious T14. The car appeared to snap sideways to the left and then to the right under braking. He does well to only brush the barriers, incurring some front wing damage, however, there's clearly an issue and he climbs from the car. The session is red flagged. Don't forget, the team is running a new rear suspension here.
After 40 minutes, it's: Hamilton, Raikkonen, Vettel, Rosberg, Ericsson, Bottas, Kvyat, Massa, Nasr and Button.
Still under the red flag, Manor reveals: "Unfortunately there is an issue with the power unit of Will Stevens' car, so he won't make it out again this session while we investigate it."
The session resumes and one of the first out is Ricciardo. The Australian, on primes, subsequently posts 39.866 to go ninth.
Alonso improves to eighth with a 39.743 whilst teammate Button remains seventeenth (40.794).
His teammate already on his long run programme, as the team looks ahead to Sunday's opening stint, Hamilton joins him. Indeed, Rosberg is now back on the mediums, his soft run completed.
Nasr improves to fifth with a 39.032 but is immediately demoted when Kvyat -still on primes - posts a 38.737.
Despite a moment in the final corner, Bottas posts 38.850 to go sixth.
Switching to the softer rubber, Ricciardo posts 38.311 to go third, splitting the Ferraris. Impressive stuff from the Australian. There's talked that Renault has upped the power of its engine this weekend.
Rosberg is told to drive as though he has to do another 14 laps on his current set of tyres.
Mindful of Perez' claim that Force India could be facing a year of pain, he and teammate Hulkenberg are currently 16th and 18th, both over 2.9s off the pace.
"Let me know when Kimi is coming so I'm not on the way," says Vettel. On his long run, Raikkonen is told that his best comparable lap is three-tenth quicker than Rosberg. Again, it appears to be on race pace that the SF15-T is strong.
With just under thirty minutes remaining, it's: Hamilton, Raikkonen, Ricciardo, Vettel, Rosberg, Kvyat, Bottas, Nasr, Grosjean and Button. Maldonado is eleventh, ahead of Alonso, Ericsson, Verstappen, Sainz, Hulkenberg, Massa, Perez and the Manor duo.
Kvyat is told to pit for a change of front wing. The Russian duly obliges. However, as he leaves the pits there is smoke billowing from his left-rear wheel, a close up shows flames spitting from the brakes.
Having changed brake pad supplier, one wonders how Red Bull will manage to blame Renault for this.
Told to slow and return to the pits, the Russian does his best but eventually his brakes give out and he spears off the track at T14, lightly kissing the barrier. "Brakes failed, brakes failed," he tells his team.
With fifteen minutes remaining, all but Stevens, Massa, Ricciardo and Kvyat are on track.
On their longer runs the Ferraris continue to look good whilst an off at T6 for Hamilton suggests that once again Mercedes is struggling. The Briton subsequently pits and switch from the option tyre to the prime.
Having got a tow from Rosberg, Raikkonen passes the Mercedes only for the German to subsequently re-take the position. Either he has a point to prove or he wants to make a race of it.
These boys are going for it. Raikkonen retakes the pace and the pair almost come to grief as the Finn then attempts to hold off the silver car in T1. Other than the fact that you don't mess with the Iceman, the other factor here is why doesn't Rosberg show this kind of spirit when dealing with his own teammate.
Hulkenberg told to pit as there is an increase in gearbox oil temperature. The German is currently sixteenth, his teammate eighteenth.
Vettel complains that Hamilton backed into him. Clearly this Mercedes/Ferrari thing isn't limited to Rosberg and Raikkonen.
The Ferraris are still lapping in the mid 43s as the Mercedes duo lap in the low 44s.
A very ambitious return to the pits from Alonso. Luckily the old gravel trap has been tarmacked over, otherwise he might of ended up embarrassing himself.
On fresher rubber, Rosberg sweeps past Vettel as Raikkonen's times suddenly beginning to drop off, the Finn having completed 17 laps on this set. Strangely, Rosberg slows and allows Vettel to re-pass him.
As the session comes to a close, Stevens is back on track for a last minute lap.
Hamilton is quickest, ahead of Raikkonen, Ricciardo, Vettel, Rosberg, Kvyat, Bottas, Nasr, Grosjean and Button.
Maldonado is eleventh, ahead of Alonso, Ericsson, Verstappen, Sainz, Hulkenberg, Massa, Perez, Merhi and Stevens.
Overall, an intriguing session which began suggesting that Ferrari had lost ground to Mercedes but ended up demonstrating that the Italian team is still very much up for the fight.
Check out our Friday gallery, here.