Hamilton leads McLaren 1-2 in second practice
#1
07-24-2009, 08:17 PM
Hamilton leads McLaren 1-2 in second practice
Formula One news: Hamilton leads McLaren 1-2 in second practice - GPUpdate.net Formula One
Lewis Hamilton finished ahead of team-mate Heikki Kovalainen to complete a top two lockout for the McLaren team in the Hungaroring's second practice session on Friday. Nico Rosberg was in the top three again with Mark Webber the leading championship contender in fourth position.
With pleasant air temperatures of 28°C (82°F) and baking track temperatures reaching highs of 45°C (113°F) on Friday, teams set out with the task of adapting to the hottest track surface of the year so far. Heikki Kovalainen, winner of the race in 2008, was fastest in the morning session and held the top spot for the majority of this 90-minute run before being pipped by his team-mate in the last knockings, with a time of 1.22.079 for Hamilton.
Behind Rosberg and Webber was the second Williams of Kazuki Nakajima on a weekend where a podium finish, as predicted by Rosberg, look highly possible for the Grove team. Sebastian Vettel, like the majority of the field, continued to struggle with grip but improved to the top six ahead of Rubens Barrichello in the leading Brawn GP car. Championship leader Jenson Button struggled to get to grips with the behaviour of his BGP 001 and languishes in 13th place on a track where grid position is vital, meaning a performance jump will be necessary in Saturday morning's final practice.
Ferrari has had a tough day with Felipe Massa suffering in particular; the Brazilian championship runner-up of 2008 experienced a number of lurid moments, including a skip across the Turn 6 and 7 chicane as well as a big slide and off-track excursion at Turn 11 which saw the driver narrowly keep the car out of the wall. Hamilton had an off of his own at Turn 12 but, unlike the World Champion, Massa finished the day in 18th place, two spots ahead of newcomer Jaime Alguersuari who was only 1.8 seconds off the leading pace in the Toro Rosso.
Rosberg's 47 completed laps was the highest number of anybody as Jarno Trulli experienced a day of ups and downs; the Italian pulled off the circuit 40 minutes from the end with flames burning at the back of the Toyota. Despite this, the Pescara driver went back out with just over 10 minutes remaining to finish the day in eighth place.
With the whole field struggling for grip and the championship contending teams' rather inconsistent results leaving them in the mix, qualifying in Hungary is likely to be an exciting affair - the crucial session will get underway after the one hour third practice period, which begins at 11am local time (BST +1 / GMT +2) and can be followed live on GPUpdate.net.
Lewis Hamilton finished ahead of team-mate Heikki Kovalainen to complete a top two lockout for the McLaren team in the Hungaroring's second practice session on Friday. Nico Rosberg was in the top three again with Mark Webber the leading championship contender in fourth position.
With pleasant air temperatures of 28°C (82°F) and baking track temperatures reaching highs of 45°C (113°F) on Friday, teams set out with the task of adapting to the hottest track surface of the year so far. Heikki Kovalainen, winner of the race in 2008, was fastest in the morning session and held the top spot for the majority of this 90-minute run before being pipped by his team-mate in the last knockings, with a time of 1.22.079 for Hamilton.
Behind Rosberg and Webber was the second Williams of Kazuki Nakajima on a weekend where a podium finish, as predicted by Rosberg, look highly possible for the Grove team. Sebastian Vettel, like the majority of the field, continued to struggle with grip but improved to the top six ahead of Rubens Barrichello in the leading Brawn GP car. Championship leader Jenson Button struggled to get to grips with the behaviour of his BGP 001 and languishes in 13th place on a track where grid position is vital, meaning a performance jump will be necessary in Saturday morning's final practice.
Ferrari has had a tough day with Felipe Massa suffering in particular; the Brazilian championship runner-up of 2008 experienced a number of lurid moments, including a skip across the Turn 6 and 7 chicane as well as a big slide and off-track excursion at Turn 11 which saw the driver narrowly keep the car out of the wall. Hamilton had an off of his own at Turn 12 but, unlike the World Champion, Massa finished the day in 18th place, two spots ahead of newcomer Jaime Alguersuari who was only 1.8 seconds off the leading pace in the Toro Rosso.
Rosberg's 47 completed laps was the highest number of anybody as Jarno Trulli experienced a day of ups and downs; the Italian pulled off the circuit 40 minutes from the end with flames burning at the back of the Toyota. Despite this, the Pescara driver went back out with just over 10 minutes remaining to finish the day in eighth place.
With the whole field struggling for grip and the championship contending teams' rather inconsistent results leaving them in the mix, qualifying in Hungary is likely to be an exciting affair - the crucial session will get underway after the one hour third practice period, which begins at 11am local time (BST +1 / GMT +2) and can be followed live on GPUpdate.net.
#3
07-24-2009, 09:03 PM
I see people dumping Vettel when Button wins this weekend. I also see a big upswing in value for both McLaren drivers if they can keep it on the road this weekend. I still don't think they've quite caught up to Brawn or Red Bull yet though.
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