Canadian GP: Maldonado fifth for Williams in FP3


Pastor gets ready

By Andrew Hooper
June 9 2012

The final practice session for the 2012 Canadian Grand Prix would see an improved performance from the Williams F1 team with Pastor Maldonado finishing in fifth. Team-mate Bruno Senna would finish in fourteenth after having missed the best of the track conditions.

 
 Canadian GP Saturday Practice
 
Maldonado
 

The final practice session for the 2012 Canadian Grand Prix would get away under dry conditions with Kovalainen first out of the pit lane. Of the Williams F1 drivers Bruno Senna would be first out followed shortly after by Pastor Maldonado. The majority of the drivers were on the soft tyre with only Glock and Pic coming out on the super
soft's. Just as quickly the drivers would pit having completed their installation laps. Rosberg would be the last driver to take to the track but he would stop out on the circuit at the exit of Turn seven. Rosberg felt that it was a clutch problem. The car would be pushed away seeing his session come to an end. The track was now empty with fifty minutes of the hour long session remaining.

First back out would be Kobayashi joined by Raikkonen, Button, and Pic. Kobayashi would set a 1m:17.223 and Button a 1m:19.008. Raikkonen was now fastest with a 1m:17.150. Button's next lap was a 1m:16.297 to be fastest. We now also had Perez, Petrov, Webber, and Glock out on track. Vettel was also out on the track as Kobayashi set a 1m:16.104. Raikkonen was third from Pic, Karthikeyan, and Glock. Perez would move up to fourth with a 1m:16.625 as Kobayashi pitted. There was now only a handful of cars still in the pits as we now had both Williams cars out on
the track. Webber was now fifth from Grosjean as Button moved back up to second with a 1m:16.297 with Vettel now in third, 1m:16.316. Button's next lap was good enough for the quickest time with a 1m:15.833. Vergne would crash at Turn one ending his session. He had locked up running wide and onto the grass.

Pastor was now seventh with a 1m:17.037. Bruno had yet to set a time as Button pitted. Raikkonen was now fourth from Perez, Webber, and Pastor with just under forty minutes remaining. Bruno was now in sixteenth with a 1m:21.304. Vettel would go fastest with a 1m:15.440 with Massa now second, 1m:15.566. Pastor had moved up to fifth with a lap of 1m:15.984. This would become sixth as Schumacher moved into third. But Pastor would respond setting a 1m:15.726 to be fourth. Grosjean was now in third, 1m:15.632, while Vettel had improved his quickest time with a 1m:15.022. Pastor was now fifth while Bruno had found some pace with a 1m:16.565 to be thirteenth. Alonso's first time would see him go second with a time of 1m:15.282. Hamilton was down in tenth, 1m:16.261.

Pastor would pit with thirty four minutes remaining. Bruno was able to join Pastor at the front setting a 1m:15.790 to be seventh. The track was now quite empty as the drivers returned after their first runs. Bruno had also pitted while at the front Alonso was on a quick lap as Button returned to the track. Alonso would finish with
a 1m:14.737 to be fastest. But his time at the top was brief as Hamilton set a 1m:14.712 to be fastest by just 0.025. Pastor and Bruno were now in eighth and ninth. With twenty six minutes remaining it was Hamilton from Alonso, Vettel, Massa, Schumacher, Grosjean, Di Resta, Pastor, Bruno, and Button in tenth. Kobayashi would improve to now be in sixth with a 1m:15.619. Pastor was back out on the track joined shortly after by Bruno.

Pastor and Bruno were now in tenth and twelfth while Grosjean was out on the super soft setting a 1m:14.873 to be third. Button would improve to now be fifth, 1m:15.237. Bruno was on the super soft's as Webber moved up to fifth with a 1m:15.307. Bruno would use the super soft's to good effect setting a 1m:15.237 to be fifth. Pastor was now in thirteenth and still on the soft tyre. Massa was now on the super soft tyre. Pastor was on a better lap seeing him jump up to fifth, 1m:15.182, seeing Bruno sixth. Schumacher would also improve running on the super soft tyres setting a 1m:14.903 to be fourth. Pastor was now sixth and Bruno seventh. At the front Vettel would go fastest with a 1m:14.711 to be 0.001 ahead of Hamilton.

Bruno was on an improved lap as Pastor pitted. But he would lose time at the last corner remaining in seventh. As the final fifteen minutes started Schumacher would improve with a 1m:14.796 to be fourth. There were just three cars on the track as Bruno pitted. It would be very busy in the last ten minutes of practice as Schumacher pitted while Vettel continued. The track was certainly warmer than yesterday. Both Ferrari's would return to the track as Ricciardo moved up to thirteenth running on the super soft tyre. We now also had Raikkonen and Kobayashi back out as Vettel pitted. Both Ferrari's were on the super soft tyre. Alonso would go fastest setting a 1m:14.448 while team-mate Massa was now in fifth, 1m:14.850. Raikkonen would not improve and was still in twelfth. But on his next lap he would improve to be seventh, 1m:15.030.

Pastor and Bruno were now in ninth and tenth but still in their pits. On the super soft Hulkenberg would move up to seventh, 1m:14.993. Bruno was the first of the Williams cars to come back out as Massa got Turn nine all wrong taking to the grass. Pastor was back out with just two cars in the pits. Now it was just Ricciardo in the pits as
everyone tried to improve with the super soft tyres. The final minutes started to count down as Di Resta went eleventh, 1m:15.184. Vettel was on a quick lap while team-mate Webber was in seventh. Vettel would finish his lap with a 1m:14.442 to be fastest. Pastor was on an improved lap setting a 1m:14.903 to be seventh. Raikkonen would get the final chicane wrong seeing him pit as a result. Vettel would continue to improve going fastest in sector one and two. Bruno had dropped to fourteenth while Vettel's lap was ruined by an HRT.

Pastor's next lap would see him fourth with a 1m:14.755 but Webber would take this spot with a 1m:14.724. The session would come to an end with Bruno down in fourteenth. Raikkonen was now under investigation for his entry into the pit. For Williams it was a big improvement to see Pastor in fifth but frustrating to have his team-mate in fourteenth over half a second slower. Fastest was Vettel from Alonso, Hamilton, Webber, Pastor, Massa, Schumacher, Grosjean, Raikkonen and Hulkenberg completing the top ten.

 
Senna
 
Pos  Driver         	 Team		       Time      Laps
 1.  Sebastian Vettel    Red Bull-Renault      1m14.442  22
 2.  Fernando Alonso     Ferrari               1m14.448s 17
 3.  Lewis Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes      1m14.712s 19
 4.  Mark Webber         Red Bull-Renault      1m14.724s 21
 5.  Pastor Maldonado    Williams-Renault      1m14.755s 22
 6.  Felipe Massa        Ferrari               1m14.767s 21
 7.  Michael Schumacher  Mercedes              1m14.796s 19
 8.  Romain Grosjean     Lotus-Renault         1m14.873s 20
 9.  Kimi Raikkonen      Lotus-Renault         1m14.977s 21
10.  Nico Hulkenberg     Force India-Mercedes  1m14.992s 22
11.  Paul di Resta       Force India-Mercedes  1m15.067s 19
12.  Sergio Perez        Sauber-Ferrari        1m15.112s 21
13.  Kamui Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari        1m15.126s 24
14.  Bruno Senna         Williams-Renault      1m15.237s 22
15.  Jenson Button       McLaren-Mercedes      1m15.327s 22
16.  Daniel Ricciardo    Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m15.498s 19
17.  Vitaly Petrov       Caterham-Renault      1m16.268s 24
18.  Heikki Kovalainen   Caterham-Renault      1m16.545s 20
19.  Pedro de la Rosa    HRT-Cosworth          1m17.705s 21
20.  Timo Glock          Marussia-Cosworth     1m17.974s 23
21.  Narain Karthikeyan  HRT-Cosworth          1m18.189s 21
22.  Charles Pic         Marussia-Cosworth     1m18.684s 23
23.  Jean-Eric Vergne    Toro Rosso-Ferrari    no time   3 
24.  Nico Rosberg        Mercedes              no time   1
 

Bookmark or share this story with:

Canadian GP: Maldonado fifth for Williams in FP3
Discussion started by Williams F1 , 09/06/2012 16:20
Williams F1
09/06/2012 16:20
What do you think? You can have your say by posting below.
If you do not already have an account Click here to Register.

Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.
We record all IP addresses on the Sportnetwork message boards which may be required by the authorities in case of defamatory or abusive comment. We seek to monitor the Message Boards at regular intervals. We do not associate Sportnetwork with any of the comments and do not take responsibility for any statements or opinions expressed on the Message Boards. If you have any cause for concern over any material posted here please let us know as soon as possible by e-mailing abuse@sportnetwork.net