No improvement for WilliamsF1 in 3rd UK practice

For the BMW WilliamsF1 team the opening Saturday practice session for the British Grand Prix would again see both drivers way off the pace. Nick and Mark would finish the session in fifteenth and sixteenth places. Both drivers woud limit their track time, completing just twelve laps between them.

Friday's practice at Silverstone was very much a time the where the McLaren would dominate, with Friday test driver Pedro de la Rosa fastest in both sessions. Would they be able to repeat this in Saturdays practice sessions?

With the start of the session Minardi's Patrick Friesacher was first out of the pit lane. He was joined by Jordan's Tiago Monteiro and team-mate Christijan Albers. Kimi Raikkonen would make an early appearance as the drivers completed their installation laps. Kimi would be joined by Juan Pablo Montoya. With fifteen minutes of the session run Jacques Villeneuve would complete his installation lap, but no driver had set a time. Villeneuve would set the first timed lap, with a time of 1m:30.774. He would be joined by Friesacher with a time of 1m:29.616. Jacques would improve his time with a 1m:25.726 while Patrick's time was now a 1m:27.637. With just over twenty minutes of the session remaining these two drivers were the only ones to set a time. Patrick would improve with a time of 1m:26.996.

Villeneuve would return to his garage while Renault's Fernando Alonso would head out. Alonso would quickly set a time, going fastest with a 1m:23.061. He would improve on this with a 1m:21.576. Rubens Barrichello was also out and the Brazilian's first lap would see him set a time of 1m:24.460. Sauber's Massa was in third with a time of 1m:25.126.

Ferrari's Michael Schumacher was also out and his first lap would see him set a time of 1m:33.970. The second Renault of Fisichella was out and Giancarlo would improve his time setting a time of 1m:22.331 to move into second. Michael was now in third with a 1m:23.109. BAR's Takuma Sato was in fifth with a 1m:23.865. Albers was slowest with a time of 1m:26.925. Massa was now in fourth with a time of 1m:23.544. Sato would drop to sixth.

With under ten minutes remaining only ten cars had set a time. Neither BMW WilliamsF1 cars had taken to the track. Massa would improve his time with a 1m:23.217, but not his fourth place. Nick would complete his installation lap. Klein was now thirteenth while Red Bull team-mate David Coulthard was twelfth.

Nick's first lap would see him move into eighth with a time of 1m:25.442, but Ralf Schumacher would push him one place down the order when the Toyota driver moved into eighth with a time of 1m:23.698. Sato was now in fourth while team-mate Button was now in twelfth. Nick would improve to be in tenth with a time of 1m:23.960. At the front Kimi was now second behind Alonso, with a time of 1m:21.577. In third was Fisichella, with Michael in fourth.

Sato would take fourth from the German with a time of 1m:22.289. But just as quickly Montoya would take this spot with a time of 1m:22.377. It was all happening with the session only having two minutes remaining. Mark Webber was in sixteenth with a time of 1m:23.705, while Nick was now in fourteenth. Raikkonen was able to go fastest with a time of 1m:20.975. Button had moved into third with a time of 1m:21.996. Klien was in the top ten in ninth with a time of 1m:22.645.

So with the end of the session the top ten was Raikkonen from Alonso, Button, Fisichella, Montoya, Sato, Massa, Michael Schumacher, Klein, and Ralf Schumacher. Nick and Mark would finish the session in fifteenth and sixteenth places.