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With the AT&T
Williams drivers Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima finishing Friday practice
in sixth and eighth positions it was an encouraging start for the team.
Saturday practice would confirm whether the team had been able to make any
improvements over night.
The
start of the session would see over half the field come out for their
installation lap, including Nico and Kazuki. Both drivers would pit after
one lap. The track was now empty. The teams would now be running with their
race engines and gearboxes. Next out were Webber and Kovalainen. They would
both pit. The first drivers to return to the track were Trulli and Glock.
Several other drivers would join them. Trulli would set the first lap time,
a 1m:35.608. Glock moved into second, 1m:36.994. Trulli would improve with a
1m:34.868 as Bourdais went fastest, 1m:34.595. Barrichello was fourth.
Only three drivers had yet to complete an installation lap, including both
Ferrari's. Heidfeld was now third followed by Sutil. Glock would improve
with a 1m:35.805 and he would then pit. Bourdais improved by a few tenths,
1m:34.458. Trulli also pitted. Both Williams drivers were now out on the
track. Bourdais would pit. Barrichello was now second, 1m:34.577. Fisichella
was in fifth. Nico was on a quick lap. Kazuki would move into third,
1m:34.479. Nico was fastest in the opening two sectors. He would finish with
a time of 1m:33.421, to be fastest by over a second.
Kovalainen was now second, but Kazuki would move ahead of the McLaren making
it a Williams one-two. Kazuki was 0.6 seconds behind Nico. Button was now
sixth, 1m:34.593. After struggling on Friday Vettel would move into third,
1m:34.098. Piquet was now fifth. Hamilton's first lap would see him fourth,
1m:34.125. Alonso was now fifth, 1m:34.227. Still we had yet to see the two
Ferrari's with thirty four minutes remaining. Hamilton would improve to be
second, 1m:34.046. The top four had all pitted. Webber was now fifth,
1m:34.184.
Alonso would improve from sixth to fifth, 1m:34.115. Kubica was now seventh.
With under their minutes remaining the order was Nico from Hamilton, Kazuki,
Vettel, Alonso, Webber, Kubica, Kovalainen, Piquet, and in tenth Bourdais.
Vettel had returned to the track. Massa was the first of the Ferrari's to
come out. Kazuki would also return to the track. Slowest were the Super
Aguri's of Sato and Davidson. Raikkonen would follow Massa out.
Massa's first timed lap would see him move straight to the top of the times
with a 1m:33.219. Only Nico had set a time in the 1m:33's. Hamilton was back
out with twenty minutes left. Nico would join Kazuki. Coulthard would now be
third, 1m:33.879. Raikkonen, after a few slow laps, would move ahead of
Coulthard and into third, 1m:33.675. Kazuki had pitted. Raikkonen would pit.
With fifteen minutes left Nico and Kazuki were in an impressive second and sixth. Kimi
would quickly return to the track as Sutil moved into sixth, 1m:34.049, on
what was most likely a practice qualifying run. Massa would pit, joined by
Coulthard. Raikkonen would also return to his pit.
Bourdais was now fifth, 1m:33.978. Nico had pitted briefly and would be the
only driver on the track out of the top sixteen. Nico would return to the
pit leaving just a handful of drivers still running. Ninth placed Vettel
would leave the pit lane with ten minutes left. Button would vault into
third, 1m:33.600. Team-mate Barrichello would move ahead and into third,
1m:33.551. Vettel was now fifth, 1m:33.674, after his qualifying run.
Raikkonen was out on the track joined by Nico. Kazuki had also left his pit
with only a handful of minutes left.
Kubica was now fastest, 1m:33.024. Massa had also come back out. Glock would
improve to be fifth. Everyone was now out on the track with two minutes
remaining. Trulli was now fastest, 1m:32.901 and Kazuki moved into second,
1m:33.020. Nico was now fastest, 1m:32.521. Webber was now second, 1m:32.742.
But Massa would move ahead with a 1m:32.726. It was all happening
with Nico leading from Massa, Webber, Trulli, Coulthard, Kazuki, Kubica,
Piquet, Raikkonen, and in tenth Kovalainen. Hamilton was in sixteenth.
With the end of the session Nico would remain at the top of the times. But
there were a few surprises in the session with Raikkonen and Hamilton
finishing down the order. Kazuki would finish in an excellent sixth. For the
AT&T Williams team the prospects for qualifying were very encouraging with
Nico been fastest for the first time in a practice session. |