|
Friday practice
would see the AT&T Williams drivers finish in tenth and seventeenth
positions with Rubens Barrichello ahead of team-mate Nico Hulkenberg by a
considerable margin. Hopefully Nico will be able to find some pace in the
final practice session. The session would get underway with a rush of
drivers coming out onto the circuit. Both Williams drivers would come out
early as drivers started to pit after their installation lap. Nico would pit
as Glock coasted around the circuit with what must be a problem with his
car. Rubens had also pitted while, with five minutes run, the McLaren's were
last to come out. Last to pit was Hamilton leaving the track empty.
Di Grassi would be the first driver to return to the circuit and would start
his first flying lap.
He would be joined by Alguersuari , Kovalainen, Chandhok, Petrov, Trulli,
and Buemi. Di Grassi set a 1m:43.867. Rubens would leave the pit lane
followed shortly after by Nico. Hamilton was also out on the track as Di
Grassi improved with a 1m:43.195. Button would also come out as Alguersuari
was on a quick lap. Trulli would set a 1m:43.114 but was passed by
Alguersuari with a time of 1m:40.623. Kovalainen was now second, 1m:42.567,
as more drivers took to the circuit. Buemi was now fastest with a 1m:40.230,
while Rubens moved into third with a 1m:41.189. This would become fourth as
Nico went fastest with a 1m:40.196.
There were now only a handful of drivers till in the pits including Alonso
and Webber. Buemi was again fastest with a 1m:39.856 seeing Nico second with
Petrov now third. Rubens had dropped to be fifth, 1m:41.189. Kubica would
take to the run-off area at Turn two, while Hamilton who was in twelfth was
on a quick lap to move to the top of the times with a 1m:39.338. Sutil was
now second from Buemi while Nico had pitted from fourth. Rubens had dropped
to ninth with twenty five minutes of the session completed. But Rubens was
able to find extra time with a 1m:39.636 to move up to third. Button was in
fourth from Buemi, Schumacher, and Nico now seventh. Rubens time was set on
the harder tyre which was encouraging.
Neither of the Ferrari's had set a time along with the Red Bull's. Kubica
was now fastest with a 1m:39.123. Rosberg would slot into third but this
became fourth as Sutil went fastest with a 1m:39.066. Rubens had pitted and
was currently in fifth. Nico had dropped to eleventh and was still in the
pits. Vettel was out on the track and would move into ninth, 1m:39.911, but
was on a quicker lap and would move to the top of the times with a
1m:38.884. Sutil was now second from Kubica, Hamilton, Rosberg, Button,
Rubens, Buemi, Liuzzi, and Kobayashi in tenth. On his first lap Alonso would
move up to fourth, 1m:39.187, while Nico had returned to the track. Sutil
would improve but remained in second while Nico was down in fourteenth.
Alonso was on an improved lap moving up to
second, 1m:38.970.
Vettel was still fastest from Alonso and Sutil. Schumacher would find time
to move up to seventh one place behind Rosberg. Rubens had dropped to tenth
while Massa moved up to seventh, 1m:39.374. Vettel was fastest in the first
sector but Alonso went faster. Webber was down in tenth while Nico had moved
up to eleventh, 1m:39.591. On his next lap Webber would improve to go
second, 1m:38.802, while Vettel had improved with a 1m:38.727. Rosberg was
now third but Alonso would again move to the top of the times with a
1m:38.713. Nico was on a better lap setting a time of 1m:39.483 to move
up to ninth. Rubens was back out on the track currently in twelfth. Vettel
and Rosberg would both pit as Webber went fastest in sector one and two. He
would lose time in the last sector to set a 1m:38.720 to remain second, just
0.007 behind Alonso. Alonso had found a few tenths setting a 1m:38.513 to
remain fastest.
Webber would pit with twenty minutes remaining. The order was Alonso from
Webber, Vettel, Rosberg, Massa, Sutil, Kubica, Hamilton, Buemi, and
Alguersuari in tenth. Nico was now in eleventh, 1m:39.483, and Rubens
thirteenth. Nico had pitted while Rubens was back out while Kubica was on a
faster lap moving into second with a 1m:38.564, been fastest in the final
two sectors. Rubens had pitted while Button would improve to be eighth. As a
result Nico and Rubens were in twelfth and fourteenth. Hamilton was on an
improved lap setting a 1m:39.008 but remained seventh. With under fifteen
minutes left in the session most of the drivers would return to the pits.
Nico would indicate that he was happy with the front and overall he was
happy with the balance.
With eleven minutes remaining there were only three cars on the track.
Schumacher was able to move into tenth as Alonso took to the track with the
softer tyres. Both Sauber's and Torro Rosso cars were out on the track as
Massa also came out, along with Vettel. Webber would follow his team-mate as
there were seven minutes remaining. The track was now very busy with both
Williams drivers also coming out to have their qualifying practice runs.
Both Mercedes cars were still in their pits as Vettel went fastest in sector
one. Alonso was not finding any time on the softer tyre while Vettel
continued his quick lap. Nico and Rubens were currently in thirteenth and
fourteenth. Vettel would go fastest with a time of 1m:38.487.
Both McLaren's were on quicker laps with Hamilton moving up to fifth while
Webber moved to the top of the times with a 1m:38.313. Button was now fifth,
1m:38.769, but he was passed by Massa. Rubens had moved into tenth,
1m:39.179. Kubica was on a quick lap moving from fourth to fastest,
1m:38.154. Webber was second from Vettel, Sutil, Alonso, Massa, Button, and
Hamilton. Rubens was now eleventh and Nico fourteenth, 1m:39.298. Sutil
would move up to fourth, 1m:38.500, while as the session came to an end
Vettel went fastest in sector one. Webber and Sutil had pitted while Rubens
was on an improved lap to move up to sixth, 1m:38.623, with Liuzzi now
seventh. Vettel's lap would see him regain his fastest time with a 1m:38.052
with Kubica second. Nico had improved to be thirteenth, 1m:39.105.
So with the end of the final practice the order was Vettel from Kubica,
Webber, Sutil, Alonso, Rubens, Liuzzi, Massa, Button, and Hamilton in tenth.
Nico was in thirteenth. A good effort from Rubens in this session with his
time only 0.5 behind the quickest time. Nico was one second off the pace and
as far as his prospects in qualifying it would be difficult for him to get
past Q2. Rubens was looking strong to make it into Q3. |