Practice Two: Button tops rain-interrupted session

Jenson Button set the pace in Thursday's second practice session in Monaco before the rain came down and the lap times dropped dramatically

With rain on the horizon, the drivers were quickly out on track to get in as much dry running as possible.

Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez set the early pace, trading blows before Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton overhauled the Sauber pairing. Their reign was short-lived as Jenson Button took the P1 slot with a 1:17.095.

Button was dropped by Fernando Alonso, who in turn lost out to Pastor Maldonado only for the Spaniard to come back at him and retake the P1 slot.

Button ventured out again, this time on the super soft Pirellis, taking the P1 slot with a 1:15.746 while Romain Grosjean climbed to second place.

And then the rain came, not heavy at first but enough for race control to declare the track wet. Moments later, though, it did intensify.

With the rain lessening after 20 minutes the drivers ventured back out only to pit a few minutes later as the second shower hit. The silence was broken by the Toro Rosso drivers with several others opting to head out as well. They were, however, on average 20s a lap down on the leading dry times.

Surprisingly, other than the two Williams, Perez, Felipe Massa and Heikki Kovalainen heading up the escape road at Mirabeau, there were no other issues to report despite the greasy track surface.

Mark Webber was quickest on the wet track with a 1:31.777 although others did go a bit faster in the final few minutes when a dry line started to appear.

The session ended with Button, Grosjean and Massa in the top three positions and more rain forecast for Saturday's qualifying.

Times

1 Jenson Button McLaren 1:15.746 17 laps
2 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:16.138 0.392 19 laps
3 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:16.602 0.856 21 laps
4 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:16.661 0.915 23 laps
5 Pastor Maldonado Williams 1:16.820 1.074 20 laps
6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:17.021 1.275 15 laps
7 Mark Webber Red Bull 1:17.148 1.402 23 laps
8 Kamui Kobayashi Sauber 1:17.153 1.407 22 laps
9 Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1:17.293 1.547 11 laps
10 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1:17.303 1.557 21 laps
11 Lewis Hamilton McLaren 1:17.375 1.629 19 laps
12 Paul di Resta Force India 1:17.395 1.649 21 laps
13 Bruno Senna Williams 1:17.655 1.909 18 laps
14 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:17.800 2.054 25 laps
15 Sergio Perez Sauber 1:18.251 2.505 24 laps
16 Vitaly Petrov Caterham 1:18.440 2.694 24 laps
17 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:18.522 2.776 22 laps
18 Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:18.808 3.062 26 laps
19 Kimi Raikkonen Lotus 1:19.267 3.521 25 laps
20 Timo Glock Marussia 1:19.309 3.563 29 laps
21 Heikki Kovalainen Caterham 1:20.029 4.283 13 laps
22 Charles Pic Marussia 1:20.240 4.494 20 laps
23 Pedro de la Rosa HRT 1:20.631 4.885 12 laps
24 Narain Karthikeyan HRT 1:20.886 5.140 10 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Practice Two: Schumi sets the pace

Michael Schumacher topped a relatively quiet session in Melbourne as the rain disrupted proceedings for the second time on Friday

With the rain coming down 30 minutes before Practice Two got underway, the majority of the field were found hiding in their respectively garages as the lights went green.

Once underway it was Sergio Perez, Schumacher and Pastor Maldonado who had the best times in the wet conditions.

But with the rain abating and the track drying out, the drivers were gifted 15 minutes of almost dry running on the slick Pirelli tyres.

Lap times immediately plunged in the 1:36s only to drop lower and lower as the track continued to dry out and the drivers made the most of the conditions.

In the end it was Schumacher who triumphed, clocking a 1:29.183 to edge Force India's Nico Hulkenberg by 0.109s.

Perez finished in third place, a full second off the pace, and ahead of Fernando Alonso and Kamui Kobayashi.

The latter had a near miss in the final seconds of practice as he had a major tank-slapper and only just held onto the car.

Paul di Resta, Felipe Massa and the very impressive Heikki Kovalainen completed the top eight.

Lotus had a tough time as they opted not to run in the wet, leaving Kimi Raikonen P18 with just seven laps and Romain Grosjean P14 with 11.

It was yet another disappointing session for HRT with Narain Karthikeyan breaking down in the final seconds - and over 13 seconds off the pace - and Pedro de la Rosa completing just one lap.

Times
01 Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1:29.183 16 laps
02 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:29.292 0.109 19 laps
03 Sergio Perez Sauber 1:30.199 1.016 22 laps
04 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:30.341 1.158 13 laps
05 Kamui Kobayashi Sauber 1:30.709 1.526 14 laps
06 Paul di Resta Force India 1:31.466 2.283 13 laps
07 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:31.505 2.322 14 laps
08 Heikki Kovalainen Caterham 1:31.932 2.749 16 laps
09 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:32.184 3.001 17 laps
10 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 1:32.194 3.011 19 laps
11 Mark Webber Red Bull 1:32.296 3.113 20 laps
12 Timo Glock Marussia 1:32.632 3.449 17 laps
13 Vitaly Petrov Caterham 1:32.767 3.584 15 laps
14 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:32.822 3.639 11 laps
15 Jenson Button McLaren 1:33.039 3.856 18 laps
16 Lewis Hamilton McLaren 1:33.252 4.069 11 laps
17 Pastor Maldonado Williams 1:34.108 4.925 21 laps
18 Kimi Räikkönen Lotus 1:34.275 5.092 7 laps
19 Bruno Senna Williams 1:34.312 5.129 17 laps
20 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:34.485 5.302 29 laps
21 Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso 1:34.604 5.421 31 laps
22 Charles Pic Marussia 1:34.770 5.587 13 laps
23 Narain Karthikeyan HRT 1:42.627 13.444 16 laps
24 Pedro de la Rosa HRT 1

Source: Planet-F1

Alonso Tops Closely Contested Practice Two at Valencia

Fernando Alonso set the pace in Friday's second practice for the European GP, which saw four teams represented in the top four

The Ferrari driver posted a 1:37.968 to edge Lewis Hamilton by 0.227s while Sebastian Vettel was a further 0.070s adrift.

Michael Schumacher, who put his Mercedes GP up into fourth place, was just 0.050s behind Vettel with Felipe Massa just over a tenth behind him.

In fact the top seven drivers, which included Jenson Button and Mark Webber, were separated by less than six-tenths of a second.

Report: Track temperature was up to 38'C as Paul di Resta was forced to wait in the pits as his team worked furiously to repair the damage done to his car by Nico Hulkenberg in Practice One. Jerome D'Ambrosio was the first man out, leading the field as the clock began the countdown for Practice Two for the European GP.

Sergio Perez set the early pace with a 1:44.432 before he was overhauled by Pastor Maldonado. But with more drivers heading out it was all change with Felipe Massa, Nick Heidfeld, Vitaly Petrov and Rubens Barrichello all slotting in ahead of them. Massa was in the P1 slot with a 1:40.857. Fernando Alonso was the next to lead the way, 0.203s up on his team-mate.

Sebastian Vettel joined the action, taking third place behind the Ferraris while Lewis Hamilton moved into fourth place. Vettel continued lapping, taking the P1 slot wiht a 1:40.062. Webber joined his team-mate at the front, taking second. Vettel goes even faster, a 1:39.790. Maldonado took fourth on the softer option tyres.

Alonso put in a fastest second sector time but could only close the gap to the leading Bulls. Just 0.128s behind Vettel now. However, the Spaniard's efforts were then undone as Vettel went even quicker, extending his advantage.

Heidfeld was the one who finally overhauled the Red Bulls withe a 1:39.040, using the softer tyres. His reign, though, was short-lived as Rosbert, also on the soft tyres, went 0.028s quicker. But he too lost out rather soon as Webber went 0.481s faster. Webber's time was then topped by Vettel, the German posting a 1:38.265. Hamilton was the next in the P1 slot, 0.070s up on Vettel. Michael Schumacher put his Merc GP into third place, 0.120s off the pace.

And it was all change as Alonso then went quickest, 1:38.184 for the Spaniard. Still no times from di Resta and Jaime Alguersuari, the latter stuck in the pits with an engine problem. Di Resta eventually managed to get out, taking 14th place.

The session ended with Alonso in the P1 slot, followed by Hamilton and Vettel.

Times
01. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m37.968 35 laps
2. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m38.195 + 0.227 26 laps
3. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m38.265 + 0.297 31 laps
4. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m38.315 + 0.347 30 laps
5. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m38.443 + 0.475 32 laps
6. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m38.483 + 0.515 30 laps
7. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m38.531 + 0.563 26 laps
8. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m38.981 + 1.013 33 laps
9. Nick Heidfeld Renault 1m39.040 + 1.072 35 laps
10. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m39.586 + 1.618 27 laps
11. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m39.626 + 1.658 31 laps
12. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m40.020 + 2.052 34 laps
13. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 1m40.301 + 2.333 34 laps
14. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m40.363 + 2.395 7 laps
15. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m40.454 + 2.486 32 laps
16. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m40.531 + 2.563 37 laps
17. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m42.083 + 4.115 34 laps
18. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 1m42.156 + 4.188 39 laps
19. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault 1m42.239 + 4.271 25 laps
20. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m42.273 + 4.305 21 laps
21. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1m42.809 + 4.841 36 laps
22. Tonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 1m44.460 + 6.492 29 laps
23. Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 1m46.906 + 8.938 16 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Practice Two: Alonso tops interrupted session at Canadian GP 2011

Fernando Alonso set the pace ahead of Sebastian Vettel as the drivers had to contend with a crash-interrupted practice in Canada

There were three accidents during the session. The first belonged to Adrian Sutil, who put his car into the wall exiting Turn 7. Moments later, Kamui Kobayashi brought out the red flags when he hit the at Turn 4.

The session was stopped for nine minutes while moments after the restart Jerome D'Ambrosio went off at the same spot as Kobayashi. His shunt also brought out the red flags.

The final ten minutes of the session saw Pedro de la Rosa put in his first laps in the Sauber C30. The McLaren tester will race for Sauber this weekend after Sergio Perez revealed he was not feeling 100 percent after Practice One.

Alonso emerged as the man to beat, clocking a 1:15.107 while Vettel came back from his Practice One woes to finish in second place, 0.369s off the pace.

Felipe Massa, finishing ahead of the McLarens of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button and Force India's Paul di Resta.

Report: The track temperature was sitting at 44'C as Friday's second practice got underway in Montreal. The drivers were quickly out and almost immediately put lap times on the board. Paul di Resta went quickest with a 1:20.038 ahead of Jaime Alguersuari and Kamui Kobayashi.

Nick Heidfeld was the next to lead the way, clocking a 1:17.499, slotting in ahead of Felipe Massa, Vitaly Petrov and Fernando Alonso. Mark Webber improved to third place. Fernando Alonso powered by Nico Rosberg on the track as he made his way up to the P1 slot. His reign was short-lived as Mark Webber went quickest before, seconds later, he was overhauled by Sebastian Vettel by 0.334s. The German was back in action after his team made some hasty repairs to his RB7.

Lewis Hamilton joined the Red Bulls at the front of the packing, taking third place and then second while his team-mate Jenson Button improved to third.

After the initial rush, many drivers headed back into their garages before re-emerging out on track, putting in long-run heavy-fueled runs. This meant almost no changes to the timesheets, although there were a few off-track excursions as they tried to find the perfect line and braking point.

Massa took second place behind Vettel with Alonso slotting into third. The two Ferrari drivers both within a quarter of a second off the Red Bull driver's time. Alonso went on to overhaul Vettel by 0.271s while Heidfeld claimed seventh place on the softer option Pirelli tyres.

Adrian Sutil became the first casualty of the session as he hit the wall exiting Turn 7. Yellow flags were out as the marshals moved his car out of the way. Kamui Kobayashi was the next man out, crashing just minutes after Sutil as he hit the wall on the way out of Turn 4. The Japanese driver's accident brought out the red flags for nine minutes.

Less than a minute after the session had resumed Jerome D'Ambrosio put his Virgin racer into the wall. Hamilton suffered a right rear puncture but did not appear to have hit a wall or barrier. And with that the session was red flagged again.

Pedro de la Rosa completed his first lap for Sauber, a 1:21.873, which was 6.6s off the pace. De la Rosa improved to 20th place but cut the chicane to get his time. Alonso was also using more of the track than expected, taking a trip over the grass at Turn 2.

The session ended with Alonso in the P1 slot with a 1:15.107, followed by Vettel and Massa.

Times
01. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m15.107s 34 laps
02. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m15.476s + 0.369 29 laps
03. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m15.601s + 0.494 33 laps
04. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m15.977s + 0.870 26 laps
05. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m15.989s + 0.882 25 laps
06. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m16.089s + 0.982 34 laps
07. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m16.102s + 0.995 28 laps
08. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m16.324s + 1.217 32 laps
09. Nick Heidfeld Renault 1m16.422s + 1.315 32 laps
10. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m16.687s + 1.580 28 laps
11. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m16.905s + 1.798 16 laps
12. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 1m16.941s + 1.834 39 laps
13. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m17.051s + 1.944 32 laps
14. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m17.684s + 2.577 34 laps
15. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m17.757s + 2.650 20 laps
16. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault 1m18.470s + 3.363 33 laps
17. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 1m18.482s + 3.375 38 laps
18. Pedro de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1m18.536s + 3.429 14 laps
19. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m18.601s + 3.494 38 laps
20. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m19.209s + 4.102 28 laps
21. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m19.810s + 4.703 25 laps
22. Tonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 1m20.284s + 5.177 31 laps
23. Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 1m20.311s + 5.204 38 laps
24. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1m20.922s + 5.815 26 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Practice Two: Hamilton tops title rivals

Lewis Hamilton set the pace in Abu Dhabi on Friday night as the four title rivals dominated the timesheets

The McLaren driver, who needs a miracle to win this weekend in order to win his second Drivers' title, clocked a 1:40.888 to take the P1 slot in Friday's second practice.

However, the Brit was by no means heads and shoulders above his rivals.

Sebastian Vettel finished in second place, 0.257s off the pace, while Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber were next in line, also within half a second of Hamilton's P1 time.

Robert Kubica was the best of the rest, with Felipe Massa, Vitaly Petrov and Jenson Button lining up behind him.

Report: Dusk was setting in as Friday's second practice got underway on a bone-dry Yas Marina circuit. Nick Heidfeld, Lucas di Grassi and Christian Klien led out the pack for the standard installation laps, all three staying out to post their first times with Heidfeld quickest with a 1:45.314.

Completely opposite to today's earlier session, the drivers were quick to get down to work with Lewis Hamilton the next in the P1 slot. His team-mate Jenson Button was second in an early McLaren 1-2. Button went on to overhaul Hamilton before both McLaren's lost out to Fernando Alonso with a 1:42.474. Michael Schumacher went fourth quickest.

Hamilton returned to the front, eight-tenths up on Alonso while the Red Bull duo, the other two drivers in the title race, remained in their garages. Alonso retook the P1 slot with Felipe Massa sliding into third in all Ferrari/McLaren top four. Mark Webber went fifth and Sebastian Vettel sixth. Webber improved to third before losing out to Robert Kubica.

There were a couple of drivers running a bit wide at the final corner as the lighting system took over from the natural daylight and the temperature began to cool a few degrees. Lap after lap, the drivers got down to business, perfecting their cars in preparation for qualifying and Sunday's grand prix.

Webber improved to second, 0.086s behind Alonso, while Hamilton had a flying lap ruined by the pitting Senna. The stewards are set to look into the after the session. Vettel was the next to challenge Alonso but fell 0.070s short before Hamilton finally pulled it off, a 1:41.213 for the McLaren driver.

Bad news for Jaime Alguersuari - he lost control of his Toro Rosso at Turn 19, spun and stalled. Game over for the Spaniard. Felipe Massa joined Alguersuari on the sidelines when his Ferrari came to a halt on the side of the track. It was later revealed that his Ferrari ran out of fuel.

The final ten minutes saw a flurry of activity as the entire field ventured out for their final run of the day. However, none of the top ten were able to improve their times.

Times
01. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m40.888s
02. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m41.145s + 0.257
03. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m41.314s + 0.426
04. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m41.315s + 0.427
05. Robert Kubica Renault 1m41.576s + 0.688
06. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m41.583s + 0.695
07. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m42.096s + 1.208
08. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m42.132s + 1.244
09. Tonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1m42.203s + 1.315
10. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m42.222s + 1.334
11. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m42.246s + 1.358
12. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1m42.449s + 1.561
13. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m42.535s + 1.647
14. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m42.768s + 1.880
15. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m42.914s + 2.026
16. Nick Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari 1m42.950s + 2.062
17. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m43.128s + 2.240
18. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m43.584s + 2.696
19. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1m45.180s + 4.292
20. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m45.259s + 4.371
21. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1m45.612s + 4.724
22. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1m46.053s + 5.165
23. Christian Klien Hispania-Cosworth 1m47.210s + 6.322
24. Bruno Senna Hispania-Cosworth 1m47.434s + 6.546

Source: Planet-F1

Practice Two: Bulls dominance continues

Red Bull continued to dominate in Brazil on Friday as Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber were once again the pick of the drivers

Vettel finished the session in the P1 slot and, for the second successive session, he edged team-mate Mark Webber. This time, though, the gap was only 0.104s as opposed to the half a second he was up by in Practice One.

Fernando Alonso came back from his earlier woes to set the third best time, 0.360s behind Vettel, while Lewis Hamilton was fourth quickest.

As for the fifth chap in the Drivers' Championship, Jenson Button, he was P7, finishing behind Felipe Massa and Robert Kubica.

Report: The track temperature was sitting at 44'C as Friday's second practice got underway with a bit of cloud cover building over the Interlagos circuit. Christian Klien was the first out, crossing the line with a 1:19.965 but was soon down to a 1:18.504 before he was dropped by Kamui Kobayashi, who was back on track after crashing as a result of a puncture in Practice One.

Nick Heidfeld took over at the top only to lose out to Nico Hulkenberg before retaining the position. The two changed positions a few times, although their tussle ended when Lewis Hamilton went quickest with a 1:13.603. Jenson Button claimed fourth place before he was dropped by Robert Kubica. Michael Schumacher improved to second place only for Hamilton to further his advantage, which was now sitting at 0.770s. Button climbed to third while Kubica moved back up into second place.

It was all change as Mark Webber took the P1 slot with a 1:12.923 and Felipe Massa second. The Brazilian, though, quickly fell to fourth place as Hamilton improved to P2 and Fernando Alonso went third only for Massa to take the position off his Ferrari team-mate. Schumacher remained fifth ahead of Kubica, Heidfeld and Button.

Webber extended his lead at the top to a 1:12.387 as his team-mate Sebastian Vettel slotted into second place, 0.5s off the pace. Are we on for another Red Bull 1-2? Vettel continued lapping and although he closed the gap he was not able to dislodge Webber. Button ventured out again, climbing to fifth place while Kubica and Schumacher traded blows in a battle for seventh place. The Polish driver eventually won. The two Bulls also returned to the action, however, there were no changes in positions as the drivers put in the laps.

Massa had a small moment at Decida do Lago, running wide before continuing on his way. No improvement for the Ferrari driver, who pitted after two more laps. Heikki Kovalainen was another to run wide. Heidfeld, using the softer option tyres, leapt up to fifth place, 0.8s of the pace. Massa on his super softs also improved, taking third place. But seconds later the Brazilian stopped out on track, bringing out the yellow flags.

Meanwhile, Webber put his soft tyres to great use, lowering the benchmark time to a 1:12.072. Alonso slotted into third place behind the Bulls with Hamilton taking fourth. Button improved to seventh, the slowest of the Championship contenders. Alonso finally split the Bulls, second quickest with a 1:12.328. Vettel headed out and found the edge over his team-mate, taking the P1 slot by 0.104s.

The final few minutes saw the entire field out on track with Alguersuari having a spin, Kobayashi sliding, Schumacher taking off Alguersuari's front wing and Vettel finishing quickest of all.

Times
01. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:11.968 28 laps
02. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:12.072 + 0.104 34 laps
03. Alonso Ferrari 1:12.328 + 0.360 36 laps
04. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:12.656 + 0.688 33 laps
05. Massa Ferrari 1:12.677 + 0.709 19 laps
06. Kubica Renault 1:12.882 + 0.914 37 laps
07. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:13.206 + 1.238 33 laps
08. Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari 1:13.222 + 1.254 40 laps
09. Rosberg Mercedes 1:13.333 + 1.365 34 laps
10. Schumacher Mercedes 1:13.346 + 1.378 36 laps
11. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:13.520 + 1.552 37 laps
12. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:13.610 + 1.642 41 laps
13. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:13.725 + 1.757 39 laps
14. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:13.741 + 1.773 32 laps
15. Petrov Renault 1:13.818 + 1.850 26 laps
16. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:14.045 + 2.077 37 laps
17. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:14.304 + 2.336 33 laps
18. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:14.578 + 2.610 37 laps
19. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:14.984 + 3.016 47 laps
20. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:15.101 + 3.133 43 laps
21. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:15.433 + 3.465 35 laps
22. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:16.070 + 4.102 42 laps
23. Klien HRT-Cosworth 1:16.082 + 4.114 38 laps
24. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:16.150 + 4.182 35 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Practice Two: Webber set the pace

Championship leader Mark Webber was the man to beat in Korea on Friday as he topped the timesheets in Practice Two

In a session that saw Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes GP all take a turn at the front of the pack, it was Webber was ultimately triumphed with his 1:37.942.

The Aussie finished ahead of his title rivals Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton while Robert Kubica showed an impressive turn of pace to take fourth place ahead of Jenson Button, Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel.

Report: With the track temperature sitting at 35'C, the second practice in Korea got underway with a mad flurry as the drivers were quickly out for their installation laps. Jaime Algursuari stayed out for the first timed lap of the afternoon, a 1:49.539. With more drivers setting times, Lewis Hamilton went quickest, then Sebastien Buemi and then Alguersuari again before Hamilton returned to the P1 slot with a 1:42.064. Nico Hulkenberg slotted into second place and Robert Kubica fourth.

Kamui Kobayashi demonstrated the lack of grip, running wide as did Alguersuari. Felipe Massa joined the list of those running off the track while Adrian Sutil kicked up dirt as he cut the corner.

Vitaly Petrov took control at the top but his reign was short-lived as Jenson Button stormed to the front before Fernando Alonso overhauled him with a 1:41.153. Hamilton joined the list of those kicking up dirt as Alonso lowered the benchmark to a 1:40.167. Nico Rosberg took second place with Rubens Barrichello third ahead of Felipe Massa, Michael Schumacher, Kubica, Button and Petrov.

Hamilton was the next to lead the way, 0.019s up on Alonso's best. Mark Webber improved to third place. Sakon Yamamoto brought out the red flags as he spun his Hispania exiting Turn 16. The session resumed six minutes later after the marshals pushed Yamamoto's car off the track.

Schumacher took over from Hamilton at the front, crossing the line with a 1:40.009. Button overhauled the seven-time World Champ by 0.003s and upon his return to the pits, McLaren had to use the fire extinguishers on his rear brakes. The Brit's time was soon topped by Vettel, who clocked a 1:39.204.

With 30 minutes remaining in the session, Webber led the way ahead of Hamilton, Vettel, Schumacher, Button, Alonso, Heidfeld and Kubica while Bruno Senna was the only driver yet to set a time as his Hispania team continued work on his HRT.

Webber lost out to Hamilton as the McLaren driver posted a 1:38.279. Felipe Massa shot up the order, taking third place ahead of his Ferrari team-mate before improving to second, 0.541s down on Hamilton. Alonso climbed to second place with Kubica taking third as the Renault driver continued to impress at the new Korean track.

Alonso continued lapping, taking the P1 slot with a 1:38.132. Moments later, while pushing hard, Webber put his RB6 into a massive spin after losing the rear of his car before hitting the dirt at Turn 11. Back out on track, Webber went quickest with a 1:37.942. Button slotted in to fifth place. Tonio Liuzzi's session came to a premature end as he parked his Force India at Turn 16.

Senna finally ventured out with two minutes on the clock to post his one and only lap time of the afternoon, a 1:46.649, over eight seconds slower than P1 holder Webber.

Times
01. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:37.942 23 laps
02. Alonso Ferrari 1:38.132 + 0.190 30 laps
03. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:38.279 + 0.337 29 laps
04. Kubica Renault 1:38.718 + 0.776 29 laps
05. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:38.726 + 0.784 19 laps
06. Massa Ferrari 1:38.820 + 0.878 32 laps
07. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:39.204 + 1.262 22 laps
08. Petrov Renault 1:39.267 + 1.325 28 laps
09. Rosberg Mercedes 1:39.268 + 1.326 29 laps
10. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:39.564 + 1.622 26 laps
11. Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari 1:39.588 + 1.646 25 laps
12. Schumacher Mercedes 1:39.598 + 1.656 26 laps
13. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:39.812 + 1.870 35 laps
14. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:39.881 + 1.939 27 laps
15. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:39.971 + 2.029 22 laps
16. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:40.478 + 2.536 30 laps
17. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:40.578 + 2.636 29 laps
18. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:40.896 + 2.954 32 laps
19. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:42.773 + 4.831 29 laps
20. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:42.801 + 4.859 19 laps
21. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:43.115 + 5.173 26 laps
22. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:44.039 + 6.097 29 laps
23. Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth 1:45.166 + 7.224 19 laps
24. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:46.649 + 8.707 3 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Practice Two: Vettel's unbeatable at Suzuka

Red Bull were in a class of their own in Practice Two, sparking fears that the Japanese GP could be a two-horse race between the two Bull drivers

For the second time on Friday, Sebastian Vettel claimed the P1 slot at the Suzuka circuit as the German clocked a 1:31.456. However, even his team-mate Mark Webber was some way off from catching him with the Aussie 0.395s down on Vettel's time.

Robert Kubica was the closest to the Bulls, 0.7s off the pace while Fernando Alonso, who had previously stated that Ferrari should expect a bad weekend in the not-too-distant future may have seen his worries realised as he was almost a full second slower than Vettel.

He finished ahead of Felipe Massa and fellow title contender Jenson Button while Lewis Hamilton, who also still has a shot at Championship glory, was P13 as he running was limited to just eight laps at the very end of the session following his accident in Practice One.

Report: The session got underway with Jaime Alguersuari, Tonio Liuzzi and Kamui Kobayashi quick to make their marks on the timesheets with the Toro Rosso driver leading with a 1:35.875. But it didn't take long before they were overhauled with Adrian Sutil quickest ahead of Nick Heidfeld as within five minutes 14 drivers had already clocked times.

Fernando Alonso took over at the top with a 1:33.159 with the Renaults of Vitaly Petrov, Robert Kubica and Williams' Nico Hulkenberg. Felipe Massa and Jenson Button slotted into fifth and sixth places. Meanwhile, Button reported that he's a lot happier with the car after McLaren adjusted the ride-height - which was most likely the cause of Lewis Hamilton's crash and Button own almost-crash in Practice One.

As to be expected it wasn't long before a Red Bull ventured to the top of the timesheets with Webber taking the P1 slot with a 1:32.574. Alonso was second ahead of Vettel and Michael Schumacher, however, that didn't last long as Vettel hit the front, 0.073s up on his team-mate. The German extended his advantage to 0.365s over Webber and almost a full second up on third-placed Alonso.

Problems for Kubica, who narrowly avoided the barriers at Dunlop, after running off the track. He does, however, manage to continue. Moments later Sakon Yamamoto also ran off the track after missing the apex of the hairpin.

Petrov put in a great effort to get within half a second of Vettel's P1 time while Schumacher climbed to fifth place, sandwiched between the two Ferraris. Buemi got it all wrong at Turn 7 and put his Toro Rosso into an impressive spin. Massa was the first of the big-name drivers to venture out on the softer option tyres, clocking a 1:32.519, which put him up into third place. Schumacher took fifth before losing out to Alonso while Webber overhauled his team-mate at the top with a 1:31.860.

His reign, though, didn't last long as Vettel retook the position with a 1:31.712. The German continued lapping and was set for an even faster time before running into traffic in the form of Liuzzi. However, he was able to extend his advantage on his next lap while Kubica moved up to third place, slotting in ahead of Alonso, Massa and Button.

With eight minutes left in the session, Hamilton finally ventured out for his first lap in his newly-repaired MP4-25. The 2008 Champ crossed the line with a 1:34.542, which put him in 18th place. Hamilton then improved to 13th place but still finished the session two seconds slower than P1 holder Vettel.

Times
01. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:31.465 31 laps
02. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:31.860 + 0.395 29 laps
03. Kubica Renault 1:32.200 + 0.735 32 laps
04. Alonso Ferrari 1:32.362 + 0.897 34 laps
05. Massa Ferrari 1:32.519 + 1.054 35 laps
06. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:32.533 + 1.068 28 laps
07. Petrov Renault 1:32.703 + 1.238 32 laps
08. Schumacher Mercedes 1:32.831 + 1.366 27 laps
09. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:32.842 + 1.377 26 laps
10. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:32.851 + 1.386 26 laps
11. Rosberg Mercedes 1:32.880 + 1.415 26 laps
12. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:33.471 + 2.006 31 laps
13. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:33.481 + 2.016 8 laps
14. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:33.564 + 2.099 16 laps
15. Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari 1:33.697 + 2.232 33 laps
16. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:34.005 + 2.540 32 laps
17. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:34.055 + 2.590 37 laps
18. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:34.310 + 2.845 33 laps
19. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:36.095 + 4.630 37 laps
20. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:36.333 + 4.868 33 laps
21. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:36.630 + 5.165 28 laps
22. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:36.834 + 5.369 28 laps
23. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:37.352 + 5.887 33 laps
24. Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth 1:37.831 + 6.366 34 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Practice Two: Bulls in a class of their own

Red Bull was the team to beat in Friday's second practice as Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber stormed ahead of the chasing Ferraris and McLarens

After a damp start to the day's running, Practice Two took place on an almost completely dry Marina Bay Circuit, prompting the big-name runners to do more than just a token run.

With the action underway from the moments the track was green-lighted, it was soon apparant that the battle for the P1 slot would be between Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren - the three teams still chasing this year's World titles.

However, it the end it was Red Bull who dominated with Vettel posting a 1:46.660 to beat Webber by 0.627s.

Third place went to McLaren's Jenson Button, who was a full second off the pace, while Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton were next in line as the title five made up the top five on the timesheets.

Report: The track was still damp in parts and the floodlights were in full force as Friday's second practice for the Singapore GP got underway. The drivers were quick to make their mark on the timesheets with Lewis Hamilton leading the way after the opening ten minutes with a 1:51.712. However, his reign was short-lived as Jaime Alguersuari, despite literally throwing his car around the track, took the P1 slot with Jenson Button moving into second place.

Adrian Sutil moved up into second place while Felipe Massa bulked Sebastien Buemi as traffic proved to be a problem in the opening stint with 22 of the 24 drivers all out on track at the same time. Button was the next to lead the way ahead of Rubens Barrichello, Nico Rosberg and Felipe Massa. The pack, though, was dropped as Fernando Alonso went quicker still as he put his F-duct to use, a 1:49.376 for the Spaniard.

Kamui Kobayashi made the first noteable mistake of the session as he ran wide. Alonso, meanwhile, just managed to avoid a mistake as he narrowly missed the concrete barriers on his way to lowering the benchmark time to a 1:48.661. Felipe Massa took second place behind his team-mate. Alguersuari finally hit the wall, something he had been threatening to do for a few laps, but somehow managed to continue, appearing to suffer no damage.

Sebastian Vettel overhauled Alonso at the top, 0.837s up on the Ferrari driver. Moments later Mark Webber took third place, splitting the two Ferraris. A few laps later and Webber was up to second place in a Red Bull 1-2. Button improved to fourth but was still almost a full second slower than Vettel. Sutil has a minor spin and moments later Kobayashi ran off the track after hitting a wet patch. Michael Schumacher's Merc GP was also put into a bit of a slide as he hit the wet. Another wack for Sutil, as he's vaulted over the kerbs, damages the front left of his Force India.

Alonso and Hamilton both moved up the order to split the Red Bulls before Button took the P1 slot, using the prime option tyres. Alonso, still on the harder tyres, improved to second. Vettel retook the P1 slot and went on to lower the benchmark, moving a full second up his team-mate Webber. Alonso put on the softer softs for his next run, setting purple sectors before having to take to the escape road to avoid hitting the barriers. And, unfortunately for the Spaniard, he stalled his engine as he attempted to refuse and get back onto the track.

Alonso's stall was followed by a rather quiet, at least for the timesheets. Although the drivers continued to lap the circuit, none were able to improve their times. They did, however, put in a last gasp effort in the final four minutes with all the drivers, barring Alonso, Alguersuari and Timo Glock out on track.

None, though, were able to beat the Bulls with the session ended with Vettel in the P1 slot with a 1:46.660 and Webber second, 0.627s behind his team-mate. Button was third, 1.030s adrift of Vettel.

Times

01. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:46.660 29 laps
02. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:47.287 + 0.627 27 laps
03. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:47.690 + 1.030 28 laps
04. Alonso Ferrari 1:47.718 + 1.058 20 laps
05. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:47.818 + 1.158 28 laps
06. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:48.302 + 1.642 31 laps
07. Massa Ferrari 1:48.341 + 1.681 28 laps
08. Rosberg Mercedes 1:48.679 + 2.019 26 laps
09. Kubica Renault 1:48.855 + 2.195 15 laps
10. Schumacher Mercedes 1:48.889 + 2.229 31 laps
11. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:49.153 + 2.493 32 laps
12. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:49.438 + 2.778 30 laps
13. Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari 1:49.558 + 2.898 26 laps
14. Petrov Renault 1:49.608 + 2.948 30 laps
15. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:49.896 + 3.236 28 laps
16. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:49.984 + 3.324 11 laps
17. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:50.191 + 3.531 31 laps
18. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:50.896 + 4.236 35 laps
19. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:51.878 + 5.218 30 laps
20. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:52.150 + 5.490 22 laps
21. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:53.431 + 6.771 25 laps
22. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:53.526 + 6.866 27 laps
23. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:54.725 + 8.065 27 laps
24. Klien HRT-Cosworth 1:55.542 + 8.882 25 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Practice Two: Vettel tops the Ferraris

Sebastian Vettel took control of the timesheets in Friday's second practice, setting the pace ahead of the Ferraris at their home event

Although it was initially the McLarens who dominated proceedings, the two Ferrari drivers soon launched an attack on the timesheets with Felipe Massa taking control away from Lewis Hamilton.

However, by the end of the 90-minute session, it was Vettel who was quickest of all as the Red Bull driver put in a late charge with a 1:22.839.

Fernando Alonso was second, 0.07s off the pace, while Massa finished in third place, ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.

Report: Blue skies and a track temperature of 37'C awaited the drivers at the start of Friday's second practice at the Monza circuit. The drivers were quickly out on track, however, for Bruno Senna it was a short-lived adventure as his Hispania broke down shortly after the pitlane exit. Jaime Alguersuari posted the session's first time, a 1:27.950 for the Toro Rosso driver. He was overhauled by Vitaly Petrov and Pedro de la Rosa while Adrian Sutil ran wide, mounting the kerbs on his way back onto the track. Nico Hulkenberg claimed second place and Robert Kubica fourth.

Kubica took over from Petrov at the top with a 1:24.269 with Jenson Button moving into second place before he was dropped by Hulkenberg and Fernando Alonso. Rubens Barrichello took third place while a major mistake from Michael Schumacher sent him hurtling through the gravel trap at Parabolica.

Button was the next to lead the way, posting a 1:23.296 while Alonso took second behind him. Nico Rosberg improved to third ahead of Felipe Massa and Kubica. Lewis Hamilton, who was running a low-downforce rear wing and no F-duct, joined Button at the front of the pack, 0.573s off his team-mate's pace. Sebastian Vettel also joined the chase at the front, improving to fourth. Hamilton finally moved ahead of Button after shaving tenths of his time lap by lap. The 2008 Champ clocked a 1:23.154.

Problems for Seb Buemi as he left his braking a bit late into the Roggia chicane and had to use the speed bumps to make his way back onto the track.

Massa climbed to third place, making it a McLaren 1-2, followed by a Ferrari 3-4. However, the two Scuderia drivers were well over half a second behind the leading McLaren. Hamilton headed out on the softer option tyres and although he set fastest times in the first sector time and time again, the Brit failed to improve his overall lap time before heading back into the pits.

Tonio Liuzzi ran wide at the exit of the Ascari chicane while moments later Massa closed the gap to the leading McLarens to less than two-tenths. Vettel improved to fourth place ahead of Alonso, Kubica, Rosberg, Sutil, Webber and Hulkenberg. Massa continued lapping to take the P1 slot off Hamilton with a 1:23.061. Meanwhile, Alguersuari's day came to an early end as he stopped out on track after the exit of the Roggia chicane, his breakdown coming just moments after the marshals once again pushed Senna's car away from the pitlane as he brokedown for the second time this session.

Massa ventured out again and was on a flyer before he lost control through the Parabolica and went flying off into the gravel. And although it looked as if he was about to plant it into the barrier, the Ferrari driver managed to stay away and headed back into the pits. Alonso took the P1 slot but was quickly beaten by Vettel, a 1:22.839 for the German. Webber was the next casualty as he came to a halt at the exit of Lesmo 1 having lost drive.

Practice ended with Vettel quickest with a 1:22.839 while the two Ferraris and two McLarens were right behind him.

Times
01. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:22.839 27 laps
02. Alonso Ferrari 1:22.915 + 0.076 32 laps
03. Massa Ferrari 1:23.061 + 0.222 20 laps
04. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:23.154 + 0.315 22 laps
05. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:23.210 + 0.371 38 laps
06. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:23.415 + 0.576 23 laps
07. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:23.708 + 0.869 31 laps
08. Kubica Renault 1:23.709 + 0.870 32 laps
09. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:23.852 + 1.013 30 laps
10. Rosberg Mercedes 1:23.857 + 1.018 29 laps
11. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:24.181 + 1.342 35 laps
12. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:24.380 + 1.541 36 laps
13. Petrov Renault 1:24.407 + 1.568 21 laps
14. Schumacher Mercedes 1:24.448 + 1.609 29 laps
15. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:24.517 + 1.678 35 laps
16. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:24.547 + 1.708 32 laps
17. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:24.785 + 1.946 31 laps
18. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:25.106 + 2.267 24 laps
19. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:26.204 + 3.365 38 laps
20. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:26.306 + 3.467 41 laps
21. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:26.631 + 3.792 31 laps
22. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:26.676 + 3.837 25 laps
23. Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth 1:29.498 + 6.659 5 laps
24. Senna HRT-Cosworth 3 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Practice Two: Another P1 for Alonso

Fernando Alonso made it two from two at Spa on Friday, setting the pace in both the wet and the dry

Alonso was the man to beat in Friday morning's drenched Practice One, easily beating his rivals by almost eight-tenths of a second. And he followed that up by setting the pace on a dry track later in the day.

Although Practice Two began on a wet track with the drivers using full wet tyres, it wasn't long before they switched to the intermediates and finally the slicks just after the halfway mark.

However, their running in the dry was cut short when spectators were seen in a dangerous area, resulting in the session being red flagged for 12 minutes.

And with the action underway again it was Alonso who topped the charts, beating Adrian Sutil and Lewis Hamilton.

Report: The rain had abated by the time Practice Two got underway at Spa, however, the track remained rather wet as the drivers put in their installation laps. Pedro de la Rosa immediately posted a 2:09.031 with Sakon Yamamoto slotting in behind him. The duo, though, were dropped by Felipe Massa, who went almost five seconds quicker. Jenson Button took second place, two seconds adrift of the Ferrari driver. The pack was dropped as Fernando Alonso, who led the way in Practice One, crossed the line with a 2:00.481 to take first place.

With the track conditions continuing to improve, Michael Schumacher headed out, although on the full wets, not the intermediates like his rivals. The German crossed the line in sixth place after a bit of a lock-up through the Bus Stop chicane. Alonso, who was on the intermediates, continued lapping and lowered the benchmark time to a 1:59.490. The Spaniard's time was soon beaten by Lewis Hamilton, the McLaren man taking 0.091s off it.

Problems for Timo Glock and Tonio Liuzzi both of whom crashed just seconds after each other. Glock's accident was caused when he got onto the white line at Turn Nine, lost control and hit the barriers side on while Liuzzi's was the result of a run into the gravel, which damaged the front of his car. The Force India driver was able to continue, Glock, though, wasn't.

Felipe Massa was the next to lead the way, followed by Mark Webber and then Robert Kubica with a 1:58.311. Adrian Sutil overhauled them all, 0.162s up Kubica while Rubens Barrichello took fifth place ahead of Michael Schumacher. There was a few drivers slipping and sliding with Schumacher, Nico Hulkenberg, Vitaly Petrov all having moments.

With the track rapidily drying, it was only a matter of time before someone ventured out on slicks. That someone was Jaime Alguersuari with the Toro Rosso driver posting a 1:58.317, which put him up into third place. The Spaniard went quickest on his next lap, 1:55.329, while Petrov took second place, almost a full two seconds off the pace.

More drivers opted for the slick tyres, soft and hard, resulting in lap times tumbling. Not for Webber, though. A problem resulted in the Aussie slowing right down and crawling around the track before finally getting back up on the pace. Meanwhile, Kobayashi went quickest, followed by Button while Massa moved up to second with Hulkenberg third. Sutil was the next to top the charters before he was overhauled by Button only to then retake the P1 slot off the McLaren driver. Hamilton joined the fight at the front, taking second with Kubica third quickest.

With 16 minutes remaining in the session the red flags were waved with Race Control reporting that there "may be spectators in a dangerous area." The session restarted with four minutes on the clock and a train of cars waiting to go out. And although the clock continued to count down for some reason the light at the end of the pit lane did not change until only three minutes were left.

Alonso went quickest as the chequered flag fell.

Times:

Pos/ Driver/ Team/ Time /Gap /Laps
1./ Fernando Alonso/ Ferrari /1m49.032s/ 25
2. /Adrian Sutil/ Force India-Mercedes /1m49.157s +0.125/ 17
3./ Lewis Hamilton/ McLaren-Mercedes/ 1m49.248s +0.216/ 14
4. /Robert Kubica/ Renault/ 1m49.282s +0.250/ 20
5. /Felipe Massa/ Ferrari/ 1m49.588s +0.556/ 23
6./ Sebastian Vettel/ Red Bull-Renault/ 1m49.689s +0.657/ 19
7. /Jenson Button/ McLaren-Mercedes/ 1m49.755s +0.723/ 20
8. /Pedro de la Rosa/ Sauber-Ferrari/ 1m50.081s +1.049/ 27
9. /Rubens Barrichello/ Williams-Cosworth/ 1m50.128s +1.096/ 22
10./ Kamui Kobayashi/ Sauber-Ferrari/ 1m50.200s +1.168/ 24
11./ Vitaly Petrov/ Renault/ 1m50.251s +1.219/ 24
12./ Michael Schumacher/ Mercedes/ 1m50.341s +1.309/ 23
13./ Nico Rosberg/ Mercedes/ 1m50.382s +1.350/ 21
14./ Jaime Alguersuari/ Toro Rosso-Ferrari/ 1m50.682s +1.650/ 25
15. /Nico Hulkenberg/ Williams-Cosworth/1m50.831s +1.799/ 20
16. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1m51.520s +2.488 17
17./ Sebastien Buemi /Toro Rosso-Ferrari/ 1m51.523s +2.491/ 25
18./ Mark Webber/ Red Bull-Renault/ 1m51.636s +2.604/ 19
19./ Heikki Kovalainen/ Lotus-Cosworth/ 1m53.480s +4.448/ 15
20./ Jarno Trulli/ Lotus-Cosworth/ 1m53.639s +4.607/ 21
21./ Lucas di Grassi/ Virgin-Cosworth/ 1m54.325s +5.293/ 17
22./ Bruno Senna/ HRT-Cosworth/ 1m55.751s +6.719 /24
23./ Sakon Yamamoto/ HRT-Cosworth/ 1m56.039s +7.007/ 21
24./ Timo Glock/ Virgin-Cosworth /2m03.179s +14.147/ 3

Source: Planet-F1

Prac Two: Ferrari join Red Bull battle

Red Bull Racing did not have it all their own way in Friday's second Hungarian practice as Ferrari joined the battle for the P1 slot.

In much the same style as Friday morning's session, Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber led the way for much of the afternoon session with Ferrari closing the gap as Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa slotted into third and fourth places.

And although it appeared as if the Red Bull's would end with another 1-2 result, Alonso managed to split the two, slotting in behind Sebastian Vettel and ahead of Mark Webber.

Massa was fourth, and the only other driver to get within a second of Vettel's P1 time, while Vitaly Petrov, Lewis Hamilton, Robert Kubica and Nico Hulkenberg completed the top eight.

Report: With cloud cover building up the west of the Hungaroring, the track temperature dropped to 31'C at the start of Practice Two. The drivers were quick to make their mark on the timesheets with Kamui Kobayashi setting the early pace before he was soon overhauled by Vitaly Petrov, Nico Hulkenberg and Lewis Hamilton. Jenson Button took second place on his first run while Hamilton moved up behind his team-mate and ahead of Hulkenberg and Rubens Barrichello. Barrichello continued lapping, taking the P1 slot with a 1:22.468.

The Brazilian's reign was short-lived as Fernando Alonso went quickest of all with a 1:21.826. Button and Hamilton and Robert Kubica slotted in behind him. Felipe Massa made it a Ferrari 1-2 before Mark Webber took control, almost half a second up on Alonso's best. His team-mate Sebastian Vettel then made it a Red Bull 1-2.

The two Bulls, armed with their controversial front wings, continued to pound the track, both improving their times with Vettel just 0.04s behind his team-mate. Vettel finally overhauled Webber, lapping the Hungaroring 0.105s quicker the Aussie.

Behind the Red Bulls and Ferraris, the chasing pack did what they could to make a dent. Hulkenberg was the first up into fifth place, followed by Petrov and then Nico Rosberg. As for Rosberg's Merc GP team-mate, Michael Schumacher, he was down in 15th place.

Webber retook the P1 slot off Vettel while Alonso overhauled Massa and still it remained a Red Bull 1-2 and a Ferrari 3-4. Petrov put an end to the Red Bull, Ferrari domination when he slotted into fourth place ahead of Massa. Button improved to P8 but was still 1.6s off the pace.

Hamilton put in a much-improved lap, getting within a second of the Bulls and taking fifth place in the process. However, there was no stopping the Red Bull drivers as Webber put in two purple sector times to extend his lead with a 1:20.597. Massa, meanwhile, climbed back up to fourth place. Alonso also put in a flyer, taking second place off Vettel only for the German to respond with three purple sector times and a 1:20.087 as once again it became a Red Bull 1-2.

Alonso again brought the Red Bull 1-2 to an end, improving to second place, 0.497s behind Vettel. Schumacher was another to make gains, although his only just put him into the top ten in tenth place.

23 of the 24 drivers, excluding Heikki Kovalainen, hit the track in the final ten minutes and yet there was very little movement on the timesheets with practice eventually ending with Vettel quickest, ahead of Alonso and Webber.

Times:
01. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:20.087 33 laps
02. Alonso Ferrari 1:20.584 + 0.497 34 laps
03. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:20.597 + 0.510 36 laps
04. Massa Ferrari 1:20.986 + 0.899 33 laps
05. Petrov Renault 1:21.195 + 1.108 33 laps
06. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:21.308 + 1.221 30 laps
07. Kubica Renault 1:21.375 + 1.288 37 laps
08. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:21.623 + 1.536 41 laps
09. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:21.730 + 1.643 33 laps
10. Schumacher Mercedes 1:21.773 + 1.686 31 laps
11. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:21.809 + 1.722 38 laps
12. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:21.844 + 1.757 36 laps
13. Rosberg Mercedes 1:22.039 + 1.952 28 laps
14. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:22.212 + 2.125 37 laps
15. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:22.469 + 2.382 43 laps
16. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:22.507 + 2.420 22 laps
17. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:22.602 + 2.515 38 laps
18. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:23.138 + 3.051 36 laps
19. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:24.553 + 4.466 37 laps
20. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:25.376 + 5.289 35 laps
21. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:25.669 + 5.582 32 laps
22. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:26.745 + 6.658 33 laps
23. Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth 1:26.798 + 6.711 32 laps
24. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:27.705 + 7.618 5 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Prac Two: Alonso topples the Bulls

Fernando Alonso triumphed in his battle with the Red Bulls in Friday's second practice at a dry/wet Hockenheim circuit

With the rain abating ahead of Practice Two, the session got underway on a drying track with Alonso, Mark Webber, Pedro de la Rosa and Adrian Sutil trading early blows.

However, with light rain coming down after the first half an hour, it was Webber who emerged as the dominant force before once again the rain let up and the track began to dry.

The dry track saw Alonso come to the fore, as himself and Webber swapped fastest lap time for fastest lap time. And although Alonso eventually triumphed, it was Webber's team-mate Sebastian Vettel who came the closest to matching the Ferrari driver.

Report: After the morning rain, Friday's second practice got underway on a rather dry track, although there were quite a few wet patches remaining. One driver who wasn't able to make use of the improved conditions was Lewis Hamilton. The McLaren driver was stuck in his garage while his mechanics worked furiously to repair the damage to his car after he crashed it in Practice One.

Kamui Kobayashi clocked the first time of the session, a 1:32.305, however, had to survive several harrowing moments as he almost lost control of his Sauber on the wet patches. Pedro de la Rosa almost immediately beat his team-mate's time with Jaime Alguersuari, Robert Kubica, Sebastien Buemi, Heikki Kovalainen, Sakon Yamamoto and Vitaly Petrov, who ran wide at Turn 8, slotting in behind.

Mark Webber was the first of the top four team drivers to head out, the Aussie taking third place behind de la Rosa and Adrian Sutil. Sutil's run, though, wasn't without problems as he slid off the track at the hairpin before making his way back into the action. However, his off-track excursion didn't appear to bother Sutil at all and he went quickest of all on his next lap. Jenson Button took tenth place on his first timed lap.

De la Rosa overhauled Sutil at the top with a 1:20.164 before once again losing out to the German, who became the first today to break into the 1:19s. Fernando Alonso posted a 1:18.307 to take the P1 slot off Sutil.

Unlike the first session, Friday's second was about putting in the miles and posting the times, and not seeing who could stay on the track for the longest. That was good news for Massa, who improved to second place behind his team-mate while Michael Schumacher, who was P23 in Practice One, slotted into third place. His team-mate Nico Rosberg wasn't having much luck as he clipped the bollards on the side of the track, breaking his front wing.

Half an hour into the session, the rain started coming down resulting in one driver after another going off on their slick tyres: Sutil, Webber, Kovalainen, Kovalainen again, Bruno Senna and Sebastian Vettel, who somehow managed to avoid hitting the tyre barrier at Turn 12.

Schumacher and one of the Virgin's almost had a coming together at the hairpin as Schumacher attempted to take the tighter line to overtake only to hit the wet patches and run wide, forcing the Virgin to duck down the inside.

Webber went quickest with a 1:17.409, lost out to Alonso and then took the position back with a 1:16.585 while Alonso closed the gap and then Massa closed it some more. Alonso finally took the P1 slot off Webber by 0.320s. Michael Schumacher slotted into fourth place behind the battling Ferraris and Webber.

Vettel was the next Red Bull to take the challenge to Alonso, climbing to second place, just 0.029s behind the Spaniard while Massa moved ahead of Webber. Rosberg took fifth place ahead of Schumacher. The latter also joined the list of those running wide, as did Rubens Barrichello.

With ten minutes remaining in the session, Hamilton finally made his first appearance of the afernoon in his repaired MP4-25. The Brit took 18th place on his first attempt and 15th on his second, putting him right behind team-mate Button on the timesheets.

The session ended with Alonso in the P1 slot, ahead of Vettel and Massa.

Times:

01. Alonso Ferrari 1:16.265 35 laps
02. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:16.294 + 0.029 26 laps
03. Massa Ferrari 1:16.438 + 0.173 37 laps
04. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:16.585 + 0.320 40 laps
05. Rosberg Mercedes 1:16.827 + 0.562 32 laps
06. Schumacher Mercedes 1:16.971 + 0.706 20 laps
07. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:17.004 + 0.739 10 laps
08. Kubica Renault 1:17.009 + 0.744 37 laps
09. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:17.056 + 0.791 37 laps
10. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:17.204 + 0.939 44 laps
11. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:17.336 + 1.071 44 laps
12. Petrov Renault 1:17.547 + 1.282 35 laps
13. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:17.573 + 1.308 39 laps
14. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:17.701 + 1.436 38 laps
15. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:17.739 + 1.474 36 laps
16. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:17.871 + 1.606 33 laps
17. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:18.147 + 1.882 45 laps
18. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:19.327 + 3.062 48 laps
19. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:19.553 + 3.288 30 laps
20. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:20.008 + 3.743 34 laps
21. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:20.106 + 3.841 31 laps
22. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:20.377 + 4.112 37 laps
23. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:21.988 + 5.723 37 laps
24. Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth 1:23.066 + 6.801 37 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Prac Two: Webber takes Friday's honours

Mark Webber made it two from two for Red Bull in Silverstone practice, finishing Friday's running by a rather comfortable margin over Fernando Alonso

The Australian, who finished second in last year's British GP, clocked a 1:31.234 during his 15 laps before being sidelined in the latter part of the session with an electrical problem.

But despite sitting his garage, none of his rivals were able to overhaul Webber with Alonso coming the closest. However, he was 0.392s off the pace.

Sebastian Vettel was third quickest ahead of Felipe Massa and Nico Rosberg, the last driver to get within a second of Webber's P1 time.

Report: With the track temperature sitting at 42'C, Friday's second practice got underway with the drivers quickly getting down to work. Lucas di Grassi clocked the opening lap time, a 1:40.542, which was almost immediately beaten by Timo Glock and then Vitaly Petrov. Robert Kubica took second place behind his team-mate as new Hispania driver Sakon Yamamoto lined up behind the two Virgins with Karun Chandhok in sixth place.

Kubica was the next to lead the way with a 1:33.942 while Jenson Button slotted his McLaren into second place. Rubens Barrichello jumped to first place and Lewis Hamilton took fourth.

Fernando Alonso overhauled Kubica at the top only to lose out moments later as the Renault driver once again went quickest. However, his reigning was short-lived as Button was the next to lead the way only to be dropped by Barrichello, with a 1:33.058. Michael Schumacher jumped to third place, Alonso retook the lead and Felipe Massa, using the f-duct, went second.

With more rubber having been laid down between practices by the GP drivers, the drivers definitely had a much better time staying on the track, something many struggled to do over the new in-field section in Practice One.

Mark Webber took over Alonso at the top, a 1:32.118 for the Red Bull racer with Nico Rosberg taking second place, 0.7s adrift. Rosberg, though, soon dropped as Sebastian Vettel made it a Red Bull 1-2. The German became the first driver to run foul of the track when he lost his car around Stowe over the kerbs and put his RB6 in a slide. He was, however, able to continue.

Alonso finally broke Red Bull's stranglehold at the top, taking second place, 0.473s behind Webber. However, the Aussie, on his next run out, upped his pace, lowering the benchmark to a 1:31.957. Minutes later his team-mate Vettel joined him at the top of the timesheets while Rosberg went third quickest.

Hamilton had a high-speed wobble that took him off the track at Becketts with Massa then losing control at Village on his brand new set of rubber. His team-mate, though, put his new rubber to better use, improving his time although staying in third place behind the two Red Bulls. His next lap saw the Spaniard again move up to split the Red Bulls while Massa climbed to fourth place. Schumacher, who was in sixth place, ran wide at Brooklands corner and had to take to the grass before returning to the Merc GP garage.

With 15 minutes left on the clock, Button and Hamilton had registered the two highest speeds while the Force India's of Sutil and Liuzzi were next in line ahead of Rosberg's Mercedes GP.

The final few minutes saw the entire field barring Webber, who had an electrical problem, and Trulli, who's car had been stuck in the pits since almost the very beginning of the session, out on track. The other Lotus then ran into troubles with Heikki Kovalainen stopping out on track.

Friday's running ended with Webber at the top of the timesheets, ahead of Alonso, Vettel, Massa, Rosberg, Schumacher, Petrov and Hamilton.

Times:
01. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:31.234 15 laps
02. Alonso Ferrari 1:31.626 + 0.392 26 laps
03. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:31.875 + 0.641 24 laps
04. Massa Ferrari 1:32.099 + 0.865 25 laps
05. Rosberg Mercedes 1:32.166 + 0.932 29 laps
06. Schumacher Mercedes 1:32.660 + 1.426 27 laps
07. Petrov Renault 1:32.745 + 1.511 28 laps
08. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:32.757 + 1.523 22 laps
09. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:32.787 + 1.553 27 laps
10. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:32.967 + 1.733 32 laps
11. Kubica Renault 1:33.019 + 1.785 30 laps
12. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:33.164 + 1.930 28 laps
13. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:33.200 + 1.966 24 laps
14. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:33.402 + 2.168 23 laps
15. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:33.728 + 2.494 27 laps
16. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:33.836 + 2.602 36 laps
17. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:34.051 + 2.817 29 laps
18. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:34.643 + 3.409 36 laps
19. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:35.465 + 4.231 25 laps
20. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:36.237 + 5.003 24 laps
21. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:36.553 + 5.319 21 laps
22. Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1:37.019 + 5.785 27 laps
23. Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth 1:38.303 + 7.069 32 laps
24. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:42.901 + 11.667 3 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Prac Two: Alonso tops closely-fought session

Fernando Alonso set the pace in a rather tight second practice at Valencia, which saw the top ten separated by less than a second

The Spaniard, competing in his second home race on the calendar, crossed the line with a 1:39.283 to edge Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel by 0.056s.

Third place went to Mark Webber while Nico Rosberg had to settle for fourth place after initially being involved in an interesting battle for the Red Bulls for supremacy.

Lewis Hamilton, Robert Kubica, Felipe Massa and Adrian Sutil completed the top eight.

Report: The track temperature was sitting at a rather warm 45'C as the second practice session got underway around the streets of Valencia. Fernando Alonso was the first to set a time as the Ferrari driver embarked on a five-lap tyre run, a 1:40.850 for the Spaniard. His team-mate Felipe Massa slotted in to second place ahead of Robert Kubica, Vitaly Petrov, Nico Hulkenberg, Adrian Sutil, Kamui Kobayashi, Timo Glock, Rubens Barrichello and Sebastien Buemi.

Massa took the P1 slot off Alonso, 0.043s up on his team-mate despite a small slide through Turn Two. However, his reign was short-lived as Lewis Hamilton went quickest and he too would've lost out quickly had it not been for a backmarker holding up Alonso in the third sector as the Spaniard has posted purple times in sectors one and two. Jenson Button overhauled his team-mate, 0.039s up.

The McLarens didn't stay on top for long as first Massa and then Alonso went quickest, the latter clocking a 1:39.928. Robert Kubica also edged the McLarens, taking third place. Button slotted in between the Ferraris while F1 fans waited for both Red Bulls and Mercedes GP drivers to enter the fray.

Michael Schumacher was the first of those four to do so, taking seventh place despite a few moments with the back end of his W01. Nico Rosberg had a slow first lap as he ran wide while Mark Webber went seventh and Sebastian Vettel took 18th place. Vettel improved to second place, taking the fight to Alonso with Sutil in third place ahead of Button, Kubica, Rosberg, Massa and Webber. Vettel was the next to set the pace, a 1:39.728 for the Red Bull racer, who is in need of a victory here this weekend.

The session was red flagged as Massa lost control of his Ferrari, stalling the car in the middle of the track after sliding out of Turn Five. The Brazilian walked away rather dejected. Five minutes later the action resumed.

Nico Rosberg moved up to third place behind Vettel and Alonso while Webber climbed to fourth and Kubica to seventh. Rosberg continued lapping, taking the P1 slot before Vettel hit the front again. However, his time on top didn't last long as Webber moved ahead only for Vettel to again go quickest.

Timo Glock's session came to a premature halt when the German parked his Virgin Racing car on the side of the track. Not a happy man at all.

Putting on the softer option Bridgestone tyres, Alonso hit the front with a 1:39.283. Massa, back on track after his F10 was returned to his team's garage, improved to seventh place. Petrov's chances of improving where lost when he spun his Renault.

Despite using the softer tyres, many of the drivers weren't able to improve on their lap times. However, they were taking several off-track excursions with Kubica, Vettel and Webber having to make use of the run-off areas.

With all 24 drivers out on track in the final fives, traffic proved to be a bit of problems with Hamilton almost running into the back of Schumacher as the German tried to get out of his way. And that's where the session ended.

Times:
01. Alonso Ferrari 1m39.283s 33 laps
02. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m39.339s + 0.056s 27 laps
03. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m39.427s + 0.144s 29 laps
04. Rosberg Mercedes 1m39.650s + 0.367s 22 laps
05. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m39.749s + 0.466s 24 laps
06. Kubica Renault 1m39.880s + 0.597s 28 laps
07. Massa Ferrari 1m39.947s + 0.664s 22 laps
08. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m40.020s + 0.737s 30 laps
09. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m40.029s + 0.746s 27 laps
10. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m40.174s + 0.891s 33 laps
11. Schumacher Mercedes 1m40.287s + 1.004s 24 laps
12. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1m40.387s + 1.104s 33 laps
13. Petrov Renault 1m40.618s + 1.335s 29 laps
14. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m40.906s + 1.623s 34 laps
15. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1m40.945s + 1.662s 30 laps
16. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m41.115s + 1.832s 35 laps
17. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1m41.371s + 2.088s 30 laps
18. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m41.457s + 2.174s 36 laps
19. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1m42.467s + 3.184s 31 laps
20. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1m42.993s + 3.710s 30 laps
21. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m43.811s + 4.528s 14 laps
22. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1m43.854s + 4.571s 27 laps
23. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1m44.095s + 4.812s 24 laps
24. Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1m44.566s + 5.283s 21 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Prac Two: Button leads the charge

Jenson Button set the pace on Friday in Turkey as the Brit replaced his team-mate as the quickest driver around the Istanbul Otodrom

While Lewis Hamilton dominated the morning session, almost a full second ahead of Button, it was the reigning World Champ who seized the advantage in the latter session.

With the track temperature of 50'C heating up the tyres, Button clocked a 1:28.280 to finish 0.098s ahead of Red Bull Racing's Mark Webber.

Webber, though, wasn't given the chance to attack Button's time in the latter stages of Practice Two as a suspected engine failure cut short his session.

Sebastian Vettel was next in line, outpacing Hamilton while Fernando Alonso found some pace on the softer tyres to take fifth place ahead of the two Mercedes GP drivers.

Report: Friday's second practice got underway with the track temperature sitting at a sweltering 50'C and Bruno Senna, who sat out the morning session, the first out for start of the installation laps. The Hispania driver stayed out on track, clocking a 1:37.906. His time, though, was easily beaten as Vitaly Petrov took the P1 slot, seven seconds quicker.

Unlike the morning session, the drivers were quickly into the action, putting in the miles with Lewis Hamilton dethroning Petrov before losing out to Robert Kubica. Kamui Kobayashi went fourth ahead of Rubens Barrichello, Jaime Alguersuari, Tonio Liuzzi and Heikki Kovalainen. The order again changed as Jenson Button overhauled Kubica only to lose out moments later to Hamilton, a 1:29.117 for the 2008 World Champion.

Button, though, continued to trade early blows with his team-mate, setting two fastest sectors on his way to the P1 slot while the two Renaults battled for third place. Michael Schumacher joined the action, continuing Merc GP's extensive test of their completed f-duct system. The German claimed fourth place, 0.4s off the pace. Hamilton returned to the front of the McLaren tussle.

Mark Webber put in his first flying lap, negotiatings traffic in the form of Felipe Massa on his way to sixth place. The Aussie, winner of the last two races, improved to fourth and then third. His team-mate Sebastian Vettel was one of only three drivers, the other two being Nico Rosberg and Adrian Sutil, who had yet to set a time. When Vettel finally did emerge the German shot to the front of the timesheets, taking fourth place behind Webber before taking third off him.

Petrov became the first noteable off-track racer of the session, running wide and onto the gravel at Turn Eight. Tonio Liuzzi was another to run wide at the four-apex corner while Kobayashi spun his Sauber as the drivers put in a lap after lap in preparation for Saturday's qualifying and the grand prix.

After numerous laps without setting a time, Rosberg put his name on the sheets, taking sixth place behind his team-mate Schumacher. Hamilton, using the softer option Bridgestone rubber, lowered the benchmark to a 1:28.672. A few minutes later, Vettel topped it with a 1:28.590. Alonso, also on the softer tyres, climbed from 15th to third, 0.135s behind Vettel. The trio, though, were all dropped as Button went quickest.

Felipe Massa came close to the wall at Turn Eight but damaged to avoid it and continued. Massa, in keeping with his tradition from the Monaco GP, forgot to use his mirrors and almost collected Schumacher as he returned to the track. Webber climbed to second place while Massa, using the softer tyres, finally broke into the top ten, taking tenth place.

The final five minutes saw all the drivers venture out but for Webber his last run was cut short as his Red Bull racer broke down on track with a suspected engine problem.

Times:

01. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:28.280 30 laps
02. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:28.378 + 0.098 24 laps
03. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:28.590 + 0.310 26 laps
04. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:28.672 + 0.392 32 laps
05. Alonso Ferrari 1:28.725 + 0.445 30 laps
06. Rosberg Mercedes 1:28.914 + 0.634 22 laps
07. Schumacher Mercedes 1:28.974 + 0.694 22 laps
08. Kubica Renault 1:29.225 + 0.945 34 laps
09. Petrov Renault 1:29.501 + 1.221 36 laps
10. Massa Ferrari 1:29.620 + 1.340 26 laps
11. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:29.629 + 1.349 16 laps
12. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:29.987 + 1.707 17 laps
13. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:30.053 + 1.773 34 laps
14. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:30.176 + 1.896 34 laps
15. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:30.386 + 2.106 32 laps
16. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:30.627 + 2.347 28 laps
17. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:30.766 + 2.486 32 laps
18. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:30.933 + 2.653 37 laps
19. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:31.610 + 3.330 37 laps
20. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:33.013 + 4.733 28 laps
21. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:33.081 + 4.801 11 laps
22. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:33.312 + 5.032 29 laps
23. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:33.420 + 5.140 35 laps
24. Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1:33.740 + 5.460 25 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Prac Two: Alonso rules in the Principality

Fernando Alonso made it two from two in Monaco practice as the Spanish dominated Friday's sessions around the streets of the Principality

Determined to reach the top step of the podium, something he has failed to do since the first race of the season, Alonso came out all guns blazing.

The Spaniard posted a 1:14.904 to take control of Practice Two after a frantic first half an hour saw the P1 slot change hands almost every two minutes.

Nico Rosberg was second quickest as the Mercedes GP driver looked to assert his dominance over his team-mate Michael Schumacher, who for the first time got the better of him at the previous race in Spain. Rosberg was 0.109s slower than Alonso.

Sebastian Vettel and Felipe Massa were next in line, ahead of Michael Schumacher, Rosbert Kubica, Lewis Hamilton and Adrian Sutil.

Report: A bit of excitement expected this afternoon as showers are forecast for the latter half of practice. But for the start at least, the ambient temperature was 21'C and the track temperature 37'C. The pending rain meant drivers immediately moved from their installation laps into setting times with Lewis Hamilton emerging as the early pace-setter.

The McLaren driver clocked a 1:18.690 before being overhauled by Nico Hulkenberg and then Rubens Barrichello, as the two Williams drivers took control. Their reign was also short-lived as Tonio Liuzzi went quickest before he was beaten by Sebastian Vettel, who in turn lost out to Lewis Hamilton with a 1:17.709. And all this action within the first ten minutes of the session.

Yellow flags as Bruno Senna went too hot into the Chicane and had to stop before reversing his way back onto the racing line. And he had to do so without taking out those behind him.

Liuzzi went quickest again, Hulkenberg second. Once again, though, Vettel took the P1 slot away from Liuzzi only to be then held up by a McLaren, which allowed his team-mate Mark Webber to surpass him. Michael Schumacher claimed second place before his rear end snapped at him, almost putting him into the barriers.

Robert Kubica joined the fight at the front, posting a 1:16.101 as he looked to have the set-up issues from this morning's session well and truly behind him. Webber took the P1 slot from the Polish driver only for Kubica to take it back the following lap. This is proving to be one of the more exciting practice sessions as we wait with baited breath to see just who emerge quickest of all when the clock runs down.

The timesheets settled down as the drivers focused on race-pace, putting in lap after lap, determined to get in as much running as possible before the rain comes down. The two Ferraris found some added pace with Alonso overhauling Kubica and his team-mate Felipe Massa following through into second place.

Bad news: no rain. The teams are reporting that the forecasts say the rain will only fall after practice has been concluded.

Rosberg slotted in between the two Ferrari drivers with Schumacher taking fourth place ahead of Hamilton, Vettel, Sutil and Kubica. However, it appears the rain radar got it a bit wrong as a few drops of rain sent spectators heading for cover and Jaime Alguersuari having a close encounter with a slippery track. Great skills from the Toro Rosso to prevent losing control of his car, which was snapping this way and that.

Heikki Kovalainen almost took out Massa's rear wing as the Ferrari driver backed off to make space, only problem was he backed up Kovalainen in the process and the Finn was having nothing off it, ducking around Massa and taking the clear track space that the Brazilian had created. Massa does it again and this time it's a Virgin that he balks.

Schumacher is forced to back off on his lap as he comes up to traffic. Like Massa the German is looking for a clear track as he bids to improve on his fifth place. He doesn't. Kubica comes up to Kobayashi and had to pass him through the Chicane as he continued his run. Now Massa brings out the yellow flags as the Brazilian had to take to the escape road at Sainte Devote.

The session ended with Alonso on top, followed by Rosberg and Vettel.

Times:

01. Alonso Ferrari 1:14.904 36 laps
02. Rosberg Mercedes 1:15.013 + 0.109 39 laps
03. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:15.099 + 0.195 47 laps
04. Massa Ferrari 1:15.120 + 0.216 44 laps
05. Schumacher Mercedes 1:15.143 + 0.239 38 laps
06. Kubica Renault 1:15.192 + 0.288 38 laps
07. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:15.249 + 0.345 32 laps
08. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:15.460 + 0.556 42 laps
09. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:15.619 + 0.715 37 laps
10. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:15.620 + 0.716 28 laps
11. Petrov Renault 1:15.746 + 0.842 44 laps
12. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:16.276 + 1.372 46 laps
13. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:16.348 + 1.444 48 laps
14. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:16.522 + 1.618 37 laps
15. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:16.528 + 1.624 42 laps
16. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:16.599 + 1.695 36 laps
17. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:16.818 + 1.914 45 laps
18. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:17.023 + 2.119 28 laps
19. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:18.184 + 3.280 47 laps
20. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:18.478 + 3.574 38 laps
21. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:18.667 + 3.763 13 laps
22. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:18.721 + 3.817 41 laps
23. Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1:20.313 + 5.409 35 laps
24. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:22.148 + 7.244 11 laps

Source: Planet-F1