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Having seen
their drivers Pastor Maldonado and Bruno Senna finish the first Friday
practice session for the 2012 Australian Grand Prix in eighth and fourteenth
the team was hoping to see an improvement in the second session. But again
the second session would be affected by rain with showers hitting the
circuit. But it was expected to not last long so it would most likely be a
case of little activity on the track.
But despite the wet track we would have both Sauber's and Torro Rosso cars
venture out. Full wet weather tyres was the only choice in the conditions.
Bruno would also come out while Vergne would set a 1m:50.175 followed by
Ricciardo, 1m:51.424. Both Sauber's would pit along with Bruno. Ricciardo
had improved with a 1m:48.874 and Vergne a 1m:50.081. Bruno's stop was brief
while Vergne went faster with a 1m:49.557. Pastor and Hulkenberg would come
out for their first runs, while Ricciardo set a 1m:47.478. But team-mate
Vergne would improve to set a 1m:47.166 to be fastest.
Pastor's first lap was a 1m:50.661, while Hulkenberg moved into third.
Button would take to the track as Kobayashi had taken the top spot with a
1m:46.098. Alonso would be the first driver to come out on the intermediate
tyres. Kobayashi would improve with a 1m:45.117. But Alonso would move ahead
setting a 1m:44.921 showing that the intermediate was the tyre to use now.
Perez would put his car through the gravel at Turn fourteen despite the
improving conditions.
Pastor had dropped to eleventh while Bruno would return to the track not
having set a time. Alonso would improve with a 1m:42.171 as more drivers
took to the track on intermediates. Massa would go fastest with a 1m:41.976
to make it a Ferrari one-two. Di rest and Webber were now third and fourth.
But as the conditions continued to improve it would be Pastor who would go
fastest with a 1m:40.71. But just as quickly Button, having pitted to swap
to intermediates who would go fastest with a 1m:39.497. Pastor would improve
to be just 0.089s behind Button's time with a lap of 1m:39.586.
Vettel was now in fourth, 1m:40.548, while Pastor was on an improved lap.
Button has taken 1.5 seconds off his time with a 1m:37.989 but Pastor would
move ahead with a 1m:37.721. Bruno had pitted still not having set a time.
Pastor's time would be beaten by Schumacher with a 1m:37.649. Pastor was
second from Button, Vettel, Webber, Vergne, Hulkenberg, Perez, Ricciardo,
and Kovalainen in tenth. Pastor would pit while Ricciardo would move up to
fifth with a 1m:39.414. Both Webber and Kovalainen would take to the grass
at Turn one. Torro Rosso's Vergne would move ahead of his team-mate and into
fifth with a 1m:38.994.
Vettel was now third with a 1m:37.971 with Perez now taking fifth with a
time of 1m:38.515. But as conditions started to dry it would be Perez who
would go fastest with a 1m:37.189. But the session would be stopped when a
bollard marking the pit lane entry ended up on the racing line. While
everyone returned to their pits it would be cleared but with the restart of
the session there would not be rush of drivers coming back out as they
waited to see whether they could come out on slicks. Pastor was now third
while Bruno still had yet to set a time.
With twenty five minutes remaining it would be the HRT of Karthikeyan who
would be first out, running on medium tyres. He would set a 1m:48.730 to be
nineteenth. As the session drew to a close several drivers would take to the
track running on the soft tyre, including Vettel, Grosjean, and Button.
Hamilton was back out on the medium tyre. Pastor would also return to the
track with fifteen minutes remaining. Grosjean would use his soft tyres to
set a new quickest time with a 1m:36.190, while Webber moved up to second.
But Vettel would
take the top spot with a 1m:34.545, while for Marussia Glock would put his
car into third. Next it would be Massa who went fastest, running on the
harder tyre, with a 1m:34.001. It was all rapidly changing as drivers took
advantage of the improved conditions. Di Resta had set a 1m:31.639.
Schumacher would be next to set a new quickest time with a lap of 1m:30.643.
But the times continued to fall as Hulkenberg went fastest with a 1m:29.808,
with Perez second from Alonso, Schumacher, and Di Resta.
Pastor would
lose the rear end of his FW34 at Turn fifteen seeing leave the track. He was
able to return and continue as the session drew to a close. It would be
Schumacher in the last seconds who would go fastest with a 1m:29.183. For
the Williams team Pastor and Bruno would finish in seventeenth and
nineteenth. Given the wet conditions it would be difficult to draw any
conclusions as to the pace of the Williams pair. Hopefully a dry Saturday
would see them move up the times. |