Chinese GP: Williams drop down the order in second practice

The second Friday practice session would see Rubens sixth with a 1m:41.183 early on in the session but he would drop down the order was others started to set their times. He would move up to sixth again with a 1m:37.657, while at the front it was Hamilton fastest from Button. Rosberg was running with hard tyres and sets the fastest second sector time of all. He completes the lap in 1m:36.019s to top the list. Alguersuari was in fourth from Sutil with the use of soft tyres. His time is 1m:36.509. Webber was up to sixth.

With thirty eight minutes of the session completed Nico Hulkenberg was in fourteenth position, but on his latest lap he drifted wide with lots of understeer at the final corner. He has stayed out on track to continue the run. Team-mate Rubens Barrichello was in twelfth. Both Williams drivers were in their pits as at the front Hamilton went fastest with a 1m:35.217, running on the softer tyres, from Rosberg, Button, Sutil, Alguersuari, Webber, Schumacher, Petrov, Kubica, and De la Rosa in tenth. Button would improve to be second with a 1m:35.593. Webber using the softer tyre was up to fifth with a 1m:36.045 right behind team-mate Vettel. Rosberg would improve to go second with a 1m:35.465.

Rubens was back out on the track with thirty three minutes remaining. He was now in thirteenth while Nico had dropped to be fifteenth. Rubens was out on the harder tyre while Schumacher would improve to be fourth, 1m:35.602, like others running on the softer tyre. Nico had returned to the track with thirty minutes left in the session. Nico was also running on the harder tyre as Kubica moved up to ninth, 1m:36.389. Nico was putting in some personal best sector times but it would not see him move from fifteenth, 1m:37.867. Both Williams drivers would pit along with the majority of the field. After his earlier crash Buemi was yet to set a time as the Torro Rosso team continued to work on his car.

Alonso was now eleventh having had an engine change between sessions. All the top seven runners are in the pits. Lewis Hamilton leads the pack ahead of Rosberg, Button, Schumacher, Vettel, Webber and Sutil with just over twenty minutes to go. Hamilton and Rosberg were back out on the track joining Rubens. More drivers were returning t the track including Schumacher, and both Red Bull's. Nico was back out as Ruben's pitted with twelve minutes remaining. Massa was up to tenth with a 1m:36.961. Team-mate Alonso was down to twelfth while Rubens was down to fifteenth and Nico seventeenth. Petrov in the Renault would have a major moment at the sweeping Turn seven running very wide but was able to get it all together and continue. Rubens would return to the track with six minutes remaining with both Williams drivers way of the quickest times but at leats both drivers were setting comparable times.

With under four minutes remaining, Hamilton continued to lead the field with 1m:35.217, ahead of Rosberg, Button, Schumacher and Vettel. Nico would pit as the final minutes of the session counted down. The session would end with no changes in the order with Hamilton still fastest from Rosberg, Button, Schumacher, Vettel, Webber, Sutil, Alguersuari, Kubica, and Alonso in tenth.

Rubens and Nico would not improve been in fifteenth and seventeenth. In what was a repeat of the Friday practice in Malaysia the Williams team will have a lot of work to do overnight if they hope to find some pace for Saturday's qualifying.

Pos  Driver	    Team		    Time      Laps
 1.  Hamilton       McLaren-Mercedes        1:35.217  26
 2.  Rosberg        Mercedes                1:35.465  22
 3.  Button         McLaren-Mercedes        1:35.593  26
 4.  Schumacher     Mercedes                1:35.602  28
 5.  Vettel         Red Bull-Renault        1:35.791  30
 6.  Webber         Red Bull-Renault        1:35.995  29
 7.  Sutil          Force India-Mercedes    1:36.254  31
 8.  Alguersuari    Toro Rosso-Ferrari      1:36.377  43
 9.  Kubica         Renault                 1:36.389  29
10.  Alonso         Ferrari                 1:36.604  33
11.  Massa          Ferrari                 1:36.944  36
12.  Petrov         Renault                 1:36.986  27
13.  de la Rosa     Sauber-Ferrari          1:37.421  32
14.  Kobayashi      Sauber-Ferrari          1:37.431  33
15.  Barrichello    AT&T Williams-Cosworth  1:37.657  30
16.  Liuzzi         Force India-Mercedes    1:37.804  31
17.  Hulkenberg     AT&T Williams-Cosworth  1:37.867  29
18.  Trulli         Lotus-Cosworth          1:39.624  35
19.  Kovalainen     Lotus-Cosworth          1:39.947  30
20.  Glock          Virgin-Cosworth         1:40.233  27
21.  Chandhok       HRT-Cosworth            1:41.008  32
22.  di Grassi      Virgin-Cosworth         1:41.107  28
23.  Senna          HRT-Cosworth            1:41.345  32
24.  Buemi          Toro Rosso-Ferrari