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It would be a damp and chilly
start to the day at the Silverstone circuit as the Williams Martini team
prepared for their final practice session for the 2014 British Grand Prix.
It had been raining but the rain had stopped in the lead-up to the session.
With the start of the session it would be Sutil out first with the track
suitable for the intermediate tyre. For the Williams team Valtteri Bottas
would come out first pitting after just one lap. Some drivers were using the
full wet tyre rather than use one of the limited number of intermediate
tyre. With ten minutes of the session completed everyone had completed their installation lap with only the two
Mercedes cars on the track.
With fifteen minutes of the session completed it would be the Caterham's
that would set the first times with Ericsson fastest with a 1m:57.091,
followed by Kobayashi. We now had both Torro Rosso cars out on the track
along with Bianchi. Both of the Williams cars were running on the full wet
tyre as Kvyat set a 1m:56.404 to be quickest. But Vergne would move ahead
with a 1m:55.236. More drivers were coming out including Maldonado,
Magnussen, and Rosberg. Kvyat would go fastest with a 1m:54.657 running on the intermediate tyre. Rosberg was also on the
intermediate tyre but would pit without setting a tyre. Magnussen would set
a 1m:4=54.092 to be quickest with thirty five minutes remaining. Maldonado
was now fourth with a time of 1m:54.763.
Other drivers including Raikkonen, Hulkenberg, Grosjean, Ricciardo and
Button were all out on the track with most drivers using the intermediate
tyre. Grosjean was now second, 1m:54.305, with just over thirty minutes
remaining. But Ricciardo would set a time of 1m:52.631 to be easily quickest
by 1.2 seconds. Button was down in seventh as we had Vettel and Perez also
take to the track. This would become eighth as Raikkonen went fifth. Button
would improve to be fourth, 1m:54.041. a 1m:53.566 from Grosjean to see him second. Vettel would move up to fifth,
1m:54.162. We still had yet to see either of the Williams cars take to the
track as Vettel went fastest with a 1m:52.522 to make it a Red Bull one-two.
Maldonado would also improve to be third with a time of 1m:53.475.
Hamilton would leave the pit lane but would go off at Stowe and would pit
without setting a time. With twenty minutes remaining we had Vettel from
Ricciardo, Maldonado, Grosjean, Magnussen, Button, Sutil, Raikkonen, Vergne
and Kvyat tenth. More rain was falling as we only had Bianchi and Gutierrez
out on the track. Bianchi would go off at Stowe running across the gravel
with the front of his car hitting the tyre barrier gently. Both Red Bull cars were back out on the
track along with Kvyat. Neither of the Mercedes or Williams cars had set a
time as both Red Bull cars pitted. Alonso had also yet to set a time and was
out of his car relaxing at the back of his pit. With ten minutes remaining
the first of the Williams cars of Valtteri would come out shortly after
followed by Felipe. Valtteri was on the full wet and Felipe the
intermediate. Both Force India cars were out on the track with both on the
intermediate tyre.
Valtteri would set a 1m:54.217 to be seventh, followed by Sutil and Kvyat.
Felipe would set a 1m:55.003 to be twelfth. Valtteri would pit as Kvyat
moved up to fifth, 1m:53.794. Felipe would also pit as the final minutes
counted down. The top five cars were all Renault powered but the Mercedes
powered cars had done little running. Neither of the Mercedes team cars had
set a time as Sutil would improve to be fifth with a time of 1m:53.585. The
session would come to an end with the Williams cars ninth and twelfth with Valtteri leading Felipe. Both drivers had only
completed four laps most likely with the team try to save the cars as well
as tyres. The top ten was Vettel from Ricciardo, Maldonado, Grosjean, Sutil,
Kvyat, Magnussen, Button, Valtteri, and Raikkonen. It was not a session
where the Williams team really learnt anything it was more the case of the
drivers getting a fell for the track. |