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After two Friday
practice sessions run under wet conditions the AT&T Williams F1 team would
have no dry weather running data making the final Saturday practice session
even more important. The conditions were far better Saturday morning with
the Williams team telling Rubens Barrichello that he would have a lot to get
through in this session. With the start of the session there would be a rush
of drivers coming out with Pastor Maldonado out first for Williams. Rubens
would also come out with Button and Schumacher last to come out. Drivers
would pit after their installation lap with the soft tyre the tyre of choice
in the early running. Both Williams drivers would pit after a single lap. Button
would be last out as we had Vettel start a timed lap.
Button's chassis was replaced overnight after damage to his original one.
Vettel would set a 1m:43.575 but he was beaten by Webber with a 1m:41.919.
Rosberg would go fastest with a 1m:41.389. There were only four cars on the
track, the other been Schumacher. Schumacher would set a 1m:44.883 to be
fourth. A 1m:40.754 from Webber to be fastest while Schumacher would move
ahead with a 1m:40.471. Rosberg would pit while Senna would take to the
track. Vettel would set a 1m:40.497 to be third as Webber again went fastest
with a 1m:40.271. Trulli and Perez would also come out joined by Alguersuari
and D'Ambrosio. Buemi was next out while Schumacher had pitted. A 1m:39.799
from Vettel to be fastest while both Williams drivers would leave the pits.
Webber had pitted while Hamilton was out on the track. It was now getting
very busy as more drivers started to come out. Senna had set a 1m:42.235 to
be fifth. There would be a rush of times coming as the drivers started to
set their times. Vettel would pit as Trulli went sixth.
Perez was now fifth with a 1m:42.022 as Button came out. Buemi was now sixth
as Hamilton moved up to second with a time of 1m:39.830, been fastest in the
last sector. Hamilton would continue with another fast lap while Rubens was
now in eleventh with a 1m:43.907. Pastor was in fifteenth with a 1m:49.820. Senna would spin his
car at Turn fourteen after putting one wheel off the track. Button was up to
fifth, 1m:41.300 but Perez would move ahead with a 1m:40.769 to be fifth.
Rubens had dropped to fifteenth while Pastor was twentieth. Hamilton would
go fastest with a time of 1m:38.210. Schumacher was back out while Petrov
would move up to fifth with a 1m:40.637. Button would move into second with
a 1m:39.507 while Rosberg would improve to be third, 1m:39.743. Vettel was
now fourth from Webber, Alonso, Schumacher, Petrov, Perez, and Massa now in
tenth. Rubens was now up to fourteenth with a time of 1m:41.709 while Pastor
was down in twenty second, 1m:45.864. Massa would find time moving up to
second with a 1m:39.293. Alonso would also improve to be fourth, 1m:39.619.
Schumacher was out on the super soft tyre to move up to fourth, 1m:39.559.
Hamilton would pit joined by Button. Rubens had pitted while Pastor was only
in twenty first with a 1m:45.237. With thirty seven minutes remaining the
track was fairly empty ass drivers came back in to assess their first runs.
Alguersuari was out on the super soft tyre while Vettel was back out. Rubens
was also back out on the track as Alguersuari moved into eighth, 1m:39.851.
Vettel was now in seventh as Buemi also came out on the super soft tyre. He
would go fastest in sector one. Buemi would move up to ninth with a
1m:39.964. Rubens was also back out on the super soft tyre while Pastor
continued his longer run. Rubens was on a quicker lap but his time would see
him set a 1m:40.774 but this was only good enough for sixteenth. Pastor was
in twenty first with a 1m:44.978 and was back in his pit. Alonso was back
out joined by Rosberg. Senna was back out running on the super soft tyre and
he would set a 1m:40.451 to be twelfth. Rubens had dropped to seventeenth
but his next lap would see him move up to fifteenth, 1m:40.711.
Button and Hamilton would also come back out while Rosberg was on the super
soft tyre. Massa and Schumacher were back in their pits while Webber was
only in twelfth. Sutil was on the super soft tyre and would set a 1m:39.660
to be sixth. Rubens had pitted while Pastor had come back out. It looked like the Williams team was
splitting their work load during the session. Button would find time with a
1m:38.315 to be second. Rubens had dropped to seventeenth and Pastor was in
twenty second. Again the Williams drivers were struggling to find any real
pace. Di Resta was up to ninth, 1m:39.847, as Hamilton improved with a
1m:38.020 to remain fastest. His time was set on the soft tyre while Alonso
moved up to third with Massa now fourth. Schumacher was fifth from Sutil,
Rosberg, Vettel, Di Resta, and Alguersuari tenth. Pastor had found some time
setting a 1m:41.318 to be eighteenth one place behind Rubens. Button would
also move ahead of Hamilton with a 1m:38.005 to be fastest.
Petrov was now in ninth with a time of 1m:39.811. Hamilton would find even
more time to go fastest with a 1m:37.595 with twenty minutes remaining in
the session. Button and Alonso would pit while Rubens was now back out while
we had both Mercedes cars out on the track. Hamilton would also pit while
for Williams Pastor would return to his pit. Rubens would continue with his
run on the super soft tyre. Fifteen minutes remaining and Hamilton was
fastest from Button, Alonso, Massa, Schumacher, Sutil, Rosberg, Vettel,
Petrov, and Di Resta in tenth. Webber was now in thirteenth as there was a
lull in proceedings as the drivers got ready for their qualifying runs.
Button was back out joined by Alonso as the track became busier with ten
minutes remaining. Hamilton had also left his pit as the track became even
busier. Only Rosberg and Pastor were in their pits but they also came out
seeing all twenty four cars out on the track.
The front runners were now on their super soft tyres as Button went for it
and would set a 1m:37.696 to still be second. Schumacher had pitted while
Hamilton would lower his time with a 1m:37.199 to stay fastest. Massa was on
a better lap while Webber would set a 1m:37.723 to now be third. Massa would
fail to improve losing time in his last sector. Alonso and Massa were in
fourth and fifth while Rubens would pit with four minutes remaining. Button
would go fastest in sector one but he was beaten by Hamilton. Button would
continue his good lap but would lose time in the final sector setting a
1m:37.297. Rubens was back out running on the prime tyre and as the final
minutes counted down Alonso would pit. Vettel was down in ninth and after
been held up on his run on the super soft tyre he would pit as the chequered
flag come out. Button was able to lower his time on his last lap setting a
1m:36.910 to be fastest. The drivers would return to their pits with the end
of the session.
For the Williams team Pastor would finish in seventeenth, 1m:40.529, and
Rubens eighteenth, 1m:40.711. Both drivers were very close in their times
but they were frustratingly over 3.5 seconds off the pace. Given this lack
of pace would they be able to make it past the first period of qualifying would be the big
question. |