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Belgian GP Saturday
Practice |
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With AT&T
Williams drivers Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima finishing Friday
practice for the Belgian Grand Prix in sixth and fifteenth positions
Saturday's practice session would take on a major role in seeing if the team could
improve both drivers performances, in particular Kazuki.
After the mixed weather conditions on Friday the third practice would be
declared wet even though it was not raining. But parts of the circuit were
damp. This is a feature of the Spa circuit. Most of the field would start
the session on intermediates with half the field coming out on their
installation lap. Button would pull his car off at Le Source with a problem. As usual the
Ferrari's remained in their pits. As the cars circulated the track a dry
line would start to appear.
With fifteen minutes of the session run the rain would start to fall again
with Bourdais fastest from Heidfeld. But their times were a huge margin off the
Friday times. Glock would move to the top of the times with thirty five
minutes left in the session. Alonso was now second. But Piquet would move ahead of
Glock. Webber would go fastest but Glock would grab the spot back on his
next lap. Coulthard would go fastest but Vettel would move ahead of him but
almost two seconds.
With twenty five minutes left the Williams team would finally send one of
their drivers, Kazuki, while Nico remained in the pits. Kazuki was on a dry tyre.
Glock would move into second also using the dry tyre. On his next lap he
would go fastest by some 2.5 seconds. Using his dry tyres to advantage Kazuki
would move up to second. Nico would take to the track along with several other
drivers all looking to take advantage of the drying track. Kazuki was now
fastest from Glock.
Nico would move into third but this would become fastest as the times fell.
Glock would move ahead of Nico with fifteen minutes left in the session.
Hamilton, Massa, and Kovalainen had yet to set a time. With the track drying
further Bourdais would go fastest only to be beaten by Kubica. Next to take
the top spot would be Piquet followed by Alonso. Piquet was passed by Hamilton
running on the soft tyre.
With just the final minutes to run all the field was out on the track. As
the times fell it would be Heidfeld who would set the quickest time followed by
Kovalainen, Alonso, Hamilton, Massa, Vettel, Raikkonen, Nico, Piquet, and
Webber. As for Kazuki he would finish the session way down the order in
sixteenth. The session was very much a repeat of the final Friday session
with the variable weather seeing the lap times vary greatly. It was also a repat
of Friday for the Williams team with Nico in the top ten and Kazuki again
struggling. |
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Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Heidfeld BMW Sauber (B) 1:47.876 19
2. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:48.165 10
3. Alonso Renault (B) 1:48.307 19
4. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:48.356 10
5. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:48.692 6
6. Vettel Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:48.768 16
7. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:48.815 10
8. Rosberg AT&T Williams-Toyota (B) 1:48.836 13
9. Piquet Renault (B) 1:48.946 17
10. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:49.054 14
11. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:49.057 16
12. Coulthard Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:49.125 11
13. Kubica BMW Sauber (B) 1:49.250 12
14. Bourdais Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:49.256 19
15. Glock Toyota (B) 1:49.535 18
16. Nakajima AT&T Williams-Toyota (B) 1:49.830 12
17. Fisichella Force India-Ferrari (B) 1:49.949 16
18. Sutil Force India-Ferrari (B) 1:50.034 16
19. Barrichello Honda (B) 1:50.061 17
20. Button Honda (B) No time
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