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With the
prospects for rain in the opening ninety minute Friday practice for the 2009
Brazilian Grand Prix had decreased. The session would start with a dry track
with overcast skies. The big taking point of this weekend is whether or not
Button can secure his first drivers championship. As for the AT&T Williams
team the weekend offers another opportunity to come away with a good result
in the penultimate race of the season. Felipe Massa was seen walking around
the pit area looking well.
 With the start of the session the drivers would take to the track for their
installation laps. Button would complete a second lap while team-mate
Barrichello was yet to take to the track with five minutes of the session
run. Button would have his front wing swapped and went back out. Barrichello
would finally make an appearance as Button started another lap as
Alguersuari also came back out. Button would pit while Nico Rosberg was seen
on the pit wall looking like he was in no hurry to come back out. Buemi would also take to
the track as Barrichello pitted.
First to set a time was Alguersuari with a 1m:24.099. He would improve with
a 1m:20.385 as Buemi went fastest with a 1m:18.382. Alguersuari would lower
his time with a 1m:18.205 but Buemi went even faster with a 1m:16.244.
Alguersuari was also in the 1m:16's with a 1m:16.895. A 1m:15.347 from Buemi
as some very light rain was seen. The two Torro Rosso cars trade fastest lap
with Buemi setting a 1m:14.689 while Alguersuari had set a 1m:16.666
followed by a 1m:15.832. Buemi would improve with a 1m:14.513 as several
other drivers left the pit lane, including Heidfeld, Webber, Kovalainen, Raikkonen, and
Barrichello. Raikkonen would go third fastest with a 1m:15.836.
Kovalainen was now fourth, 1m:17.555, as more drivers prepared to come out.
Raikkonen was now second with a 1m:14.662 with Alguersuari third from
Barrichello and Kovalainen. Heidfeld was now third, 1m:15.661 but Kovalainen
moved ahead with a 1m:15.557. Hamilton was now out on the track as
Barrichello moved into third, 1m:15.201. Both Torro Rosso cars would pit
with Buemi still fastest. Webber was seventh, 1m:16.501, as Barrichello moved
into second. This would become third as Raikkonen moved to the top of the
times, 1m:14.021. Both Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima would come out onto
the track as Webber moved into fourth, 1m:14.989. Raikkonen would pit as
more drivers took to the track looking to set some times just in case it
rains.
Hamilton was up to fourth, 1m:14.727, but Webber would go fastest with a
1m:13.951. Nico and Kazuki were in thirteenth and fourteenth. Hamilton was
now fastest with a 1m:13.631. Nico had moved up to ninth, 1m:16.016, as the
drivers struggled for grip. Hamilton would improve with a 1m:13.293 while
Alonso would run wide on the slippery track. Nico was now eighth with a
1m:14.561. Kazuki was now seventeenth with a 1m:16.562. Button would improve
from fifth to third with a 1m:13.689. Sutil was now fourth while Raikkonen had dropped to
sixth. Barrichello was now second with a 1m:13.549. With an hour left in the
session the order was Hamilton from Barrichello, Button, Webber, Sutil,
Vettel, Kubica, Raikkonen, Trulli, and Buemi now in tenth.
Nico would improve to be seventh, 1m:13.784 while Webber was now second with
a time of 1m:13.189. Button was third from Barrichello and Vettel. Kazuki
was now in twelfth, 1m:14.145, and Nico was now eighth. The track was very
busy as Barrichello went fastest with a 1m:13.121. Hamilton and Webber would
pit joined by Nico. Nico had run wide at Turn four taking to the tarmac
run-off area. Vettel was now fastest with a 1m:12.932, having being fourth.
The rain was getting very heavy seeing most of the field pit quickly. Buemi
would be the last to pit leaving the track empty. The order was now Vettel
from Barrichello, Hamilton, Webber, Button, Buemi, Trulli, Sutil, Nico,
Alonso, and Kazuki in eleventh.
Alguersuari would return to the track running on intermediate tyres pitting
after one lap. Kovalainen would head out to test the grip levels on slick
tyres. Kovalainen was down in nineteenth as Grosjean also came out.
Kovalainen's time was a 1m:15.947s, three seconds off the pace. With thirty
five minutes remaining Nico would come out joined by Raikkonen. Kovalainen
was now fourteenth with a 1m:14.258. Grosjean would run wide at Turn twelve
taking out the 100m brake marker signs leaving a lot of polystyrene all over
the track. This would see the session red flagged. Hamilton was stuck at the exit to the pit
lane seeing his mechanics come and push him back. Nico had pitted.
With thirty minutes left in the session marshals would clear the debris
while the track was now almost dry. The session would restart with several
drivers leaving the pit lane, including Barrichello, Webber, Button, Kubica,
Raikkonen, Fisichella, Liuzzi, Heidfeld, Kobayashi, Alonso and Kazuki. It
was now a case of the teams trying to catch up after losing time. Kazuki was
on the softer tyre taking the time to get some running in on this compound.
We had just three drivers still in their pits one of them being Nico, but
Nico was next out. The final drivers would come out as Raikkonen would have
a moment at Turn twelve.
Using the softer tyres Kazuki would move up to fifth with a 1m:13.273. There
was another band of cloud heading towards the track as Nico dropped to
twelfth. Kovalainen would improve to be ninth, 1m:13.515, while Hamilton had
improved his time with a 1m:13.048 to now be second. Nico was up to fourth
with a 1m:13.147 while Kazuki would improve with a 1m:13.067 to now be in
third. Nico was also on the softer tyre for his run while Webber would go
fastest with a 1m:12.805 running on the harder tyre. Button would pit while
Barrichello would spin at Turn ten. Vettel and Barrichello had also pitted. Kazuki was
now fourth and Nico seventh. Kovalainen was fifth, 1m:13.087.
Buemi would also spin putting his car into the tyre barrier backwards
wrecking the right rear tyre. His session was over as his car was craned
away. Both Williams drivers continued their runs on the softer tyre Alonso
would take to the grass at the Senna S but he was able to continue. Kazuki
had pitted as we had more light rain start to fall. Webber would return to
the track with six minutes remaining. Heidfeld was also out on the super
soft tyres, joined by Barrichello and Button. Nico would finally pit as the
Red Bull cars trade fastest sector times. Webber would improve with a
1m:12.776 as Vettel pitted. Webber was on the softer tyre with three minutes remaining.
Webber would again find a few tenths setting a time of 1m:12.463.
Barrichello was now second with a 1m:12.900 to be 0.437 behind Webber. The
track was very busy and with the session coming to an end Kovalainen was up
to fourth, 1m:12.989 followed by Hamilton, Kazuki, Button, and Nico.
Barrichello had improved with a 1m:12.874 but remained second. So the top
ten was Webber from Barrichello, Vettel, Kovalainen, Kazuki, Button, Nico,
Sutil, and Raikkonen. A tough session for the teams and drivers with all the rain
interruptions. For the AT&T Williams team it was a positive start to the
weekend given their sixth and eighth. Kazuki would lead Nico something that
we would see far too infrequently. |
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