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. |