WilliamsF1 one-two in 3rd Chinese practice


Ralf Schumacher

By Andrew Hooper
September 25 2004

The BMW WilliamsF1 team would complete the third practice session for the Chinese Grand Prix first and second. Ralf would beat team-mate Juan Pablo into first in the closing minutes of the session. This was a major improvement over Fridays times.

   
Chinese GP Saturday 3rd Practice
 
The opening Saturday practice in China would see both BMW WilliamsF1 drivers return to the top of the times with Ralf and Juan Pablo first and second in the session. Both drivers would set their times in the closing minutes of the session.

Ralf SchumacherWith a clear but warm day facing the teams the third practice session would get under way with Jordan's Timo Glock would be the first driver out followed by team-mate Nick Heidfeld and the two Minardi's to complete their installation laps. All these cars would return to their pits.

BAR's Takuma Sato would take to the track, joined by the two WilliamsF1 cars. For Sato he was forced to complete an engine change which will see him drop ten places on the grid. Sato would return to his pit, while Minardi's Zsolt Baumgartner was the first driver to record a time in what was a very quite start to the session. Zolt would record a time of 1m:41.582. He would be joined by team-mate Gianmaria Bruni, and the Sauber's of Giancarlo Fisichella and Felipe Massa.

Both BAR's would also come out onto the track. Massa would set a time of 1m:37.251, while Fisichella would go fastest with a time of 1m:36.830. Bruni would seta time of 1:40.767. Timo Glock would move into third with a 1m:38.571. On his next lap Massa would beat his Sauber team-mate with a time of 1m:36.673. While this was taking place Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello would take to the track. Nick Heidfeld would set the third fastest time, a
1m:37.933.

Rubens would go very quickly through sector one and two and would finish his lap with a time of 1m:34.854. Rubens would be joined by Ralf who was on a very quick lap. Ralf would finish with a time of 1m:35.160. His return to racing has shown that he has not lost any of his speed. Brother Michael would exit his garage, while Mark Webber would move into third with a 1m:36.206. Rubens would return to his pit, while Michael would start his first quick lap. Sato would move into sixth with a 1m:36.882.

Michael would finish his first lap with a time of 1m:34.907, to be second. Renault's Fernando Alonso was now fourth with a 1m:36.243. Juan Pablo's first lap would see him set a time of 1m:35.468 to be just behind Ralf in fourth position.

With only fifteen minutes left in the session only thirteen drivers had set a time. Jacques Villeneuve would move into tenth with a 1m:37.029. Jacques would improve to be fifth with a 1m:35.965. Fisichella would impress again moving into third with a time of 1m:35.049. Jenson Button could only manage a 1m:35.660, to be sixth. Toyota's Ricardo Zonta was now in sixth with a 1m:35.597.

As the clock started to count down the last five minutes the McLaren's would come out. David Coulthard's first lap would see him set a time of 1m:35.930 to be eighth. Team-mate Raikkonen would move into sixth with a 1m:35.532. In the final minutes Michael Schumacher would start a quick lap been just two tenths down after two sectors. He would finish his lap with a time of 1:34.844 to move into first position. But Juan Pablo would go even faster and set a time of 1m:34.679.

But Ralf would come out an takes a tenth out of his team-mate through the first sector, be fastest in sector two, and finish his lap with a time of 1m:34.380. This was a brilliant lap by the WilliamsF1 driver.

 
Pos Driver Team Time Laps

1. R. Schumacher WilliamsF1-BMW (M) 1:34.380 7
2. Montoya WilliamsF1-BMW (M) 1:34.679 + 0.299 7
3. M. Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1:34.844 + 0.464 9
4. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 1:34.854 + 0.474 8
5. Fisichella Sauber-Petronas (B) 1:35.049 + 0.669 14
6. Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:35.532 + 1.152 5
7. Zonta Toyota (M) 1:35.597 + 1.217 8
8. Button BAR-Honda (M) 1:35.660 + 1.280 9
9. Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:35.930 + 1.550 5
10. Villeneuve Renault (M) 1:35.965 + 1.585 9
11. Webber Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 1:36.002 + 1.622 6
12. Sato BAR-Honda (M) 1:36.226 + 1.846 13
13. Alonso Renault (M) 1:36.243 + 1.863 8
14. Massa Sauber-Petronas (B) 1:36.539 + 2.159 18
15. Panis Toyota (M) 1:36.623 + 2.243 6
16. Klien Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 1:37.160 + 2.780 4
17. Heidfeld Jordan-Ford (B) 1:37.166 + 2.786 10
18. Bruni Minardi-Cosworth (B) 1:37.533 + 3.153 12
19. Baumgartner Minardi-Cosworth (B) 1:37.552 + 3.172 13
20. Glock Jordan-Ford (B) 1:38.128 + 3.748 11
 
 
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