Hope you all enjoyed the break between sessions, and after a quick bit of lunch it's time for the second practice session in Barcelona. Alonso topped the times this morning - here's the report if you missed FP1 - but can he repeat that performance this afternoon? |
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It was a relatively quite morning session, we had no major errors or problems. The only car that did stop was Dani Clos' HRT and that was in the pit lane. He's handed his car back over to Narain Karthikeyan for FP2, and also back for this session are Bruno Senna, Paul di Resta and Heikki Kovalainen |
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Caterham on Twitter: "20 minutes until FP2 and it's hotting up in Barcelona. The air temp is now nudging 30c and the track temp's up to 42c. #SCORCHIO" |
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Those conditions are almost ideal for the teams on the back of Bahrain. Dry and warm giving them the opportunity for lots of consistent running. The only problem could be the track temperature starting to get a bit high |
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Surely if Alonso can stay on top for the rest of the weekend then it's going to be great for the championship. Don't agree? Let us know your opinions by emailing us using the link above or via Twitter @ESPNF1 |
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Of course, that morning pace came in a session where all of the teams were evaluating new parts. They'll continue to do so this afternoon, but we will see the soft tyre at some point too
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Lorenzo emailed in during the two sessions in support of Schumacher: "I fully agree with Michael Schumacher. Formula 1 cars must be raced at maximum pace all the time and not backing up to save tyres." |
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The field was very close this morning with just 1.1s covering the first 14 drivers. We'll try and keep an eye on times when we get long runs to see who is looking like having the strongest race pace |
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The session is under way, and everyone rushes out of the pits. Except, no-one does. Not one car leaves. |
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Two minutes in and we get some action - Vergne heads out on track followed by his team-mate Ricciardo |
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Grosjean, Petrov and Senna join them. It's too much excitement for me now! |
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Julius emails in: "Hello guys, I think Schumacher is gonna reach his first podium after his return. What do you think ?" Hi Julius, well it would certainly be a result a lot of people would like to see but I fear that the higher track temperatures and number of higher-speed corners (where Rosberg admitted Mercedes needs to improve) could scupper those chances this weekend. It'll happen this season though. Probably. Maybe. I hope. |
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Times being set straight away, Ricciardo goes quickest with a 1:26.457 before it's beaten by Perez on a 1:25.532 |
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Button is on track with the new higher nose once again, it'll be interesting to see if Hamilton is still running it too |
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If Hamilton is it's working - he goes second behind Vettel who is fastest on a 1:25.000 |
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This will teach me for joking around when the track was empty. Only Hulkenberg, de la Rosa and Karthikeyan yet to go out on track, everyone else out there |
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Schumacher goes quickest with a 1:24.859 |
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Button complaining of understeer and he pits to add a bit more front wing |
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Hamilton improves but stays second on a 1:25.061. He locked up in to turn ten on that lap |
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And Hamilton is running the higher nose too |
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Our morning pace-setter is on track, and Alonso sets the fastest first sector. He's up in sector two as well |
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Alonso loses a few tenths through the final sector having hit the large kerb on the inside of the chicane and then following a Sauber through the final corner |
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Maldonado runs wide at turn ten having been much too late on the brakes |
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All of this running is taking place on the hard tyre for now, we'll let you know when we see some softs |
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Massa goes sixth. De la Rosa is now out on track but no sign of Hulkenberg or Karthikeyan |
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Button complains again on the radio: "Unbelievable understeer! Unbelievable understeer". He's told to pit and does so, carrying out another pit stop before being wheeled back in to the garage |
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The onboard camera looking back at de la Rosa's front right wheel shows how much he has to adjust the steering angle in that HRT. He's just done a 1:29.533 |
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Alonso's back on top. A 1:24.739 just 0.3 shy of his best time this morning |
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Vergne is our first man on to soft tyres, his previous best was a 1:26.458... |
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And Vergne goes quickest with a 1:24.733, so a gain of 1.7s... |
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Now Ricciardo on softs too. He'd done a 1:26.262 on the hards |
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He goes third, 0.036s slower than his team-mate. Just the 1.5s gain for him! |
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We're seeing a lot of early soft-tyre laps. Vettel now has a set on and has done the fastest first sector |
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Vettel goes quickest with a 1:23.563. That's 1.5s quicker than his previous lap too |
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Trouble at HRT. Karthikeyan is out of his car and the rear end is in bits with mechanics busy at work. A Cosworth engineer peers in so could well be an engine issue |
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Kobayashi on softs goes second. He's 0.651s slower than Vettel though |
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Maldonado starts a flying lap on softs |
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Robert emails in to ask: "Can you confirm if Rosberg will be getting a grid penalty race day after the Hamilton & Alonso incidents in Bahrain?" No he isn't Robert. Nobody was penalised for either of those incidents |
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Third place for Maldonado with a 1:24.468 - 0.9s slower than Vettel |
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Nigel asks about Kobayashi's chances of a top drive: "My question - with all of the talk that Massa is on the way out, and as names such as Australian, Mexican, Scots names appear as successors at Ferrari, what would be the chance in the shuffle, that one of the top 3 teams would wake to the vast potential of Kobayashi. With Nissan -Infiniti- as sponsor of Red Bull, and Renault, owner of Nissan, supplying the engines, and not Asian ever having been a driver this good, nor in a top tier team, Red Bull would seem to be a natural for him, particularly as their Toro Rosso drivers do not seem to be making the progress one would expect. Ferrari took a gamble on Gilles Villeneuve, and Wow! what a star he emerged to be. I see Kobayashi as having the same potential." It's not a move that has been mentioned before (though I remember you asking before Nigel!) but the point you make is a valid one. The problem is, as you point out, there appears to be a seat available at Ferrari next year and perhaps one at Red Bull. Both teams want to fill that with drivers that they have invested in, so Perez is favourite for the Ferrari seat and Red Bull will look to the Toro Rosso pair - probably in 2014. I'm sure Kobayashi could do a strong job for either team, but he's not first in the queue anywhere |
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Hamilton has gone second on soft tyres but half a second slower than Vettel. He complains on the radio that his gears are too long and he's losing momentum |
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On the next lap Hamilton improves to a 1:23.909 - 0.346 off Vettel's time and 0.15s ahead of Webber |
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Not everyone is going on the soft tyres yet though, Schumacher is on hards for now |
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Perez is going nowhere fast - he's sat in the garage with work going on at the rear of the Sauber |
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Button on softs is on a very quick lap |
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And Button goes fastest with a 1:23.399. He's half a second quicker than Hamilton and 0.164s ahead of Vettel |
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Di Resta runs wide exiting the final corner and appears to be heavily fuelled. 16th at present but not running quickly |
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Neville asks: "Is it all 'roses' between the Merc Drivers? I have recently noticed their opinions differing on many issues with Rosberg contradicting Schumacher more often than not." There's no public issue between the pair, but I'd be surprised if it was as friendly as they make out. We all know how competitive Schumacher is but Rosberg is the man who's given Mercedes its first victory. Then again, nowhere are team-mates best friends... |
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An email from C Glass in St Pete says: "Spain is great but Monaco is Ultimate!" We're all looking forward to Monaco I think, and we were discussing it in the podcast this week - it could be a classic. Laurence will be there to bring you all the glitz and the glamour too. Someone has to do it. |
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Perez back out on track now after that issue in the garage and he's on soft tyres. Another man on softs was Hulkenberg who's gone sixth fastest |
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Perez with a 1:24.422 - just behind Hulkenberg and Kobayashi |
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It turns out it was an electrical problem on Karthikeyan's car but the team has managed to resolve it and says he will be back out on track "in 15 minutes max" |
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Rosberg on softs goes third fastest - a 1.23.771. Interestingly he was quickest through the middle sector |
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Schumacher has the soft tyres on now too, and he goes sixth - 0.681s slower than Button |
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Alonso on to his soft tyres, and he winds it up to start a flying lap |
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Having been 0.3s down in the first sector, Alonso is catching Vettel in sector two so backed out of it |
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Grosjean on the soft tyres to show the raw pace of the Lotus. He's the fastest man in sector one and still up in the second sector but comes across traffic and loses half a second in the final sector - 5th quickest |
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Alonso's tyres were passed their best and he goes 13th, 1.2s off the pace. Based on his first sector of his first lap it appears that the Ferrari doesn't have the one-lap pace |
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We've seen quite a few drivers have to back off when on a quick lap. Raikkonen just did so and Pic now does the same |
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Webber's gone off at turn four. He's kept the car out of the wall but had to crawl across the gravel and he's just deposited it all over the apex of turn five |
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Replays show that he just locked the front right and ran wide. The floor scooped up lots of gravel though and ten poured it back out on to the track |
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Webber's still out there though so no damage |
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Raikkonen went fifth quickest on his second flying lap with a 1:23.918. There's definitely more pace to come from the Lotus |
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Good news, Karthikeyan has got back out on track. Bad news, he's stopped out there on the outside of turn three |
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The tractor is coming round to recover the car, which has been pushed up the hill slightly. Still waved yellows so nobody will improve for a while |
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That means Karthikeyan has completed a grand total of one lap during free practice having missed FP1. He was just starting his second lap when the car slowed |
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We're green again, and Hamilton runs wide out of turn 13 before skipping the chicane and pitting |
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Another brief yellow as Perez runs wide at turn four. The rear stepped out on him under braking and he was more sideways through the gravel but rejoins easily |
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No change in terms of fastest laps - although di Resta has yet to do one at present and is now running quickly on softs |
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And di Resta improves by 1.5s to go up to 15th on a 1:24.688 |
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Low 1m30s for Lotus on heavy fuel, compared to times around the 1m32s mark for Mercedes. I must admit I'm not sure when each started the runs though |
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The Lotus and Mercedes pair are on softs, while Vettel has just done a 1:31.6s on hard tyres |
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Work going on under the floor of Webber's Red Bull after his off earlier |
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Schumacher's catching Vettel on track as the Mercedes does a 1:31.5s on that last lap |
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Button's on hard tyres now, chasing down Grosjean as he does a 1:30.3s. Can't directly compare but that's 1.3s quicker than Vettel who was also on hards |
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Hamilton does a 1:30.4s on hard tyres, while Webber can only do a 1:31.3s on the hard compound |
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Lots of long runs equal a very busy track. Only di Resta in the garage |
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Kovalainen with a quick excursion across the gravel at turn eight, while di Resta makes sure that the whole field is now out on track |
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I was about to tell you the pace of the Ferrari but Massa backed off on this lap. Alonso does a high 1m30s but I didn't see which tyres he was on |
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Di Resta matches that pace with a 1:30.8s on soft tyres for Force India |
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Raikkonen is still on soft tyres and still doing 1m30.7s. Good consistent pace |
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On the next lap Raikkonen does a 1m31.9s having caught Schumacher. The combination of turbulent air and worn tyres starting to slow the Lotus pace |
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Schumacher's now on hards so we can compare him to the McLarens and Red Bulls. He does a 1:31.302 |
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Grosjean pits after complaining that his front left had given up through turn three |
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Hamilton and Senna both run wide at turn 13 |
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Button's pace is consistent on the hard tyre, another 1m30.3s for him |
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Alonso's now on hard tyres and he suffers a big snap of oversteer through turn three |
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A 1m29.9s for Alonso on the hards. A good lap but that was a new set he had just put on so the fuel was coming down too |
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Senna spins at turn 12, oddly taking his hands off the wheel before it went round. He waits for the track to clear before spinning back the right way |
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Hamilton's final lap was a 1m29.8s while Vettel ends with a 1m31.2s |
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The headline times see Button fastest ahead of Vettel, Rosberg, Hamilton and the Lotus'. This time 1.3s between 1st to 17th on the soft tyres |
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The longer runs are the ones we need to look at today though, and McLaren looks very strong, closely followed by Lotus. The Red Bull didn't show the same pace as those two, but after its performance in Bahrain it could well be sandbagging. I'm feeling a bit more confident about my Raikkonen tip either way! |
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Though we didn't get to publish every one of your questions and comments hopefully they got answered in the commentary for you. Thank you very much for all your input, make sure you stay on the site for all of the reaction to the day, while there will also be snippets of insight from inside the paddock on Twitter @ESPNF1. Join us again for FP3 tomorrow |