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German GP: Williams improves to be 6th & 10th in FP2


By Andrew Hooper
July 18 2014

After a slow start to the day the Williams Martini team would see both drivers finish in the top ten after the second Friday practice session for the 2014 German GP. Felipe Massa would finish in 6th while team-mate Valtteri Bottasd was 10th. It was encouraging to see both Williams higher up the order than their earlier pace had indicated.

 
  German GP Friday 2nd Practice
 
Massa
 

The opening Friday practice session for the 2014 German Grand Prix had see Williams Martini drivers Felipe Massa and Suzie Wolff finish in eleventh and fifteenth. Replacing Suzie for the second session was regular driver Valtteri Bottas. With both drivers outside the top ten in the first session the second one would be crucial for the Williams team to improve their pace. With the start of the ninety minute session there was hardly a rush of drivers taking to the track with several minutes passing before Ericsson became the first car to take to the track. He would be joined by Kobayashi and Gutierrez. Next out would be Magnussen and Button. Ericsson would set a 1m:25.361 to be quickest but was easily passed by Kobayashi with a 1m:24.476. Gutierrez would also move ahead with a 1m:23.712. But Ericsson's session would come to an end stopping between Turns one and two at the side of the track.

Next to leave the pit lane were Chilton and Maldonado as Gutierrez improved with a 1m:23.513. Ericsson had been told to stop the car by his engineer as the next drivers came out including Hulkenberg, Kvyat, Raikkonen, and Vergne. Both McLaren's had put in slow first laps but Magnussen would set a 1m:21.277 to be fastest. A 1m:21.133 from Maldonado would see him fastest from Magnussen and Button. Hulkenberg was now third as Kvyat went fastest with a 1m:20.659. More drivers had come out including Raikkonen who went quickest with a 1m:20.263. Valtteri had also come out and would set a 1m:20.868 on his first lap to be third, followed by Magnussen and Button. Perez would move into fourth as Ricciardo came out for the first time. Rosberg's first lap would see a 1m:19.729 to go quickest, improving on his next lap with a 1m:19.424 to be even quicker. Second was now Hamilton from Ricciardo and Vettel now fourth. Felipe was now in fifth with a 1m:20.166 and Valtteri now seventh, 1m:20.588.

Both Williams drivers had pitted after their first runs. Alonso would push Felipe down to sixth as the Ferrari driver set a 1m:20.013. Team-mate Raikkonen was now in seventh with a 1m:20.263. Felipe had told the team that his car felt better than it had in the earlier session. First out on the super soft tyre was Hulkenberg while we had Magnussen and Button now down in twelfth and thirteenth. There was just under an hour remaining in the session as Hulkenberg moved into second with a 1m:19.593 using his option tyres to good effect. Felipe was now seventh and Valtteri ninth as Valtteri returned to the track. Kobayashi's session would end with flames at the rear of his car seeing him stop at the side of the track in the stadium session. Both Caterham's were both out of the session. Ricciardo and Rosberg were both back out for their next runs followed by Felipe for Williams.

The track was again becoming busy with Hamilton and Vettel also coming out as Ricciardo finished a very quick lap setting a 1m:18.443. Felipe was now second with a 1m:19.024. Sutil was now third followed by Rosberg and Hulkenberg. Rosberg was also on a super soft tyre run seeing him finish with a 1m:18.365 to be quickest but Hamilton would move ahead with a 1m:18.341. Magnussen was now in fourth, 1m:18.960, wit Felipe now fifth. Valtteri had pitted as Raikkonen moved into fourth with a 1m:18.887. So after their option tyre runs Hamilton was fastest from Rosberg, Ricciardo, Raikkonen, Magnussen, Felipe, Vettel, Sutil, Hulkenberg, and Alonso tenth. Valtteri was now eleventh as Button moved into eighth with a 1m:19.298. After their runs drivers would start to pit as Alonso improved to be ninth with a time of 1m:19.329 with Valtteri dropping to be fifteenth as he returned to the track. Valtteri was on an improved lap running on the super soft tyre. He would finish with a 1m:19.385 to be tenth.

There was forty minutes remaining in the session as the air temperature continued to rise currently 36 degrees. Kvyat had improved to be twelfth with a time of 1m:19.452. Both Mercedes cars had returned to the track joined by Ricciardo. Rosberg had been completing practice starts at the end of the pit lane. More drivers were back out looking to complete longer runs with Felipe back out for Williams. Thirty minutes remaining in the session with Felipe setting lap times in the 1m:22s. Ericsson was able to get back out and would move up to twentieth with a 1m:21.870. Both Mercedes cars were also running times in the 1m:22s but they were still on the option tyre while Felipe was on the prime tyre. Valtteri was still in his pit with twenty three minutes remaining. Felipe continued to put in laps in the low 1m:23s. Valtteri finally came back out for his next run with the only car still in his pit was Ericsson.

Fifteen minutes remaining and Felipe and Valtteri were sixth and tenth with Felipe 0.683 behind the quickest time. Valtteri was 1.044 behind Hamilton's time as Felipe's lap times were now in the low 1m24s. Both of the Mercedes cars would pit joined by Ricciardo but all three would pit briefly before returning. Felipe would finally pit joining both of the Force India cars. Maldonado would also come in while Felipe would stop briefly and come back out onto the track. Into the final ten minutes and drivers continued to carry out their longer runs. It was looking like the option tyres were struggling under the very hot conditions on the longer runs. Valtteri had been running on the super soft tyre and was told to pit as the team could see that his tyres were finished. It was encouraging to see both Williams higher up the order than their earlier pace had indicated. With the end of the session the order was Hamilton from Rosberg, Ricciardo, Raikkonen, Magnussen, Felipe, Button, Vettel, Alonso, and Valtteri in tenth.

 
Bottas
 
Pos Driver         	 Team		        Time     Laps
 1. Lewis Hamilton       Mercedes               1m18.341s 38
 2. Nico Rosberg         Mercedes               1m18.365s 39
 3. Daniel Ricciardo     Red Bull-Renault       1m18.443s 35
 4. Kimi Raikkonen       Ferrari                1m18.887s 38
 5. Kevin Magnussen      McLaren-Mercedes       1m18.960s 40
 6. Felipe Massa         Williams-Mercedes      1m19.024s 36
 7. Jenson Button        McLaren-Mercedes       1m19.221s 40
 8. Sebastian Vettel     Red Bull-Renault       1m19.248s 35
 9. Fernando Alonso      Ferrari                1m19.329s 32
10. Valtteri Bottas      Williams-Mercedes      1m19.385s 34
11. Adrian Sutil         Sauber-Ferrari         1m19.417s 41
12. Daniil Kvyat         Toro Rosso-Renault     1m19.452s 27
13. Sergio Perez         Force India-Mercedes   1m19.581s 28
14. Nico Hulkenberg      Force India-Mercedes   1m19.593s 32
15. Jean-Eric Vergne     Toro Rosso-Renault     1m19.760s 32
16. Pastor Maldonado     Lotus-Renault          1m20.158s 35
17. Romain Grosjean      Lotus-Renault          1m20.358s 35
18. Esteban Gutierrez    Sauber-Ferrari         1m20.504s 40
19. Jules Bianchi        Marussia-Ferrari       1m21.328s 31
20. Marcus Ericsson      Caterham-Renault       1m21.870s 21
21. Max Chilton          Marussia-Ferrari       1m21.898s 28
22. Kamui Kobayashi      Caterham-Renault       1m23.728s 12
 
Massa
 

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German GP: Williams improves to be 6th & 10th in FP2
Discussion started by Williams F1 , 18/07/2014 14:47
Williams F1
18/07/2014 14:47
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