Webber 8th in opening Chinese practice

For the BMW WilliamsF1 team this weekends Chinese Grand Prix marks the end in the partnership between the WillimasF1 team and engine supplier BMW. In 2006 BMW will be running their own team while WilliamsF1 will be using Cosworth engines. It also marks the end of the relationship with tyre supplier Michelin as in 2006 WilliamsF1 will use Bridgestone tyres.

With the start of the opening Friday practice session Jordan's Friday driver Nicolas Kiesa would be the first out onto the circuit, followed by the other Friday drivers Toyota's Ricardo Zonta, McLaren's Pedro de la Rosa, and Red Bull's Viantonio Liuzzi.

They would be joined by other drivers but the first driver to set a time would be de la Rosa with a 1m:39.317. Kiesa would move into second with a 1m:42.825 but Liuzzi would beat this time with a 1m:41.358. On his next lap De la Rosa would improve his time with a 1m:36.9. Zonta would move into second, with ten cars out on the track, including both WilliamsF1 cars. Ralf Schumacher and Antonio Pizzonia would move into third and fourth.

WilliamsF1 team-mate Mark Webber would move into third, while Ralf Schumacher was now in fourth. With twenty five minutes of the session run the order was De la Rosa from Zonta, Webber, Ralf Schumacher, Pizzonia, Liuzzi, Monteiro, Kiesa, Karthikeyan, and Sato. Both Ferrari's had set times with Michael Schumacher moving into sixth with a 1m:37.9 while Barrichello was down in ninth with a 1m:39.715. Rubens would move into fifth with a 1m:37.1.

With twenty minutes of the session remaining De la Rosa would improve his time with a 1m:35.362, to be some seven tenths faster than his previous time. Both of the BAR cars were finding the going difficult with Button only been able to set a time of 1m:43.060. Zonta would improve his time with a 1m:35.659 to now be just three tenths off De la Rosa's time. Juan Pablo Montoya's first time would see him in third, a time of 1m:36.279. Sauber's Felipe Massa would spin his car at Turn nine and would across the gravel but was able to continue.

As the final fifteen minutes of the session counted down De la Rosa was still fastest, 1m:35.362, with Zonta is less than a tenth behind the McLaren. Montoya was in third. Now it was Renault's Fernando Alonso who was in fourth eight tenths down. But De la Rosa would easily beat his previous time when he went round the Shanghai circuit in a 1m:33.544.

This was 1.8 seconds ahead of second placed Zonta. The second Renault of Fisichella would spin into the gravel at turn two bringing out the yellow flags. With ten minutes left in the session the Renault would be removed from the gravel and the yellow flags would be brought in. Sato would put his BAR, sporting 555 sponsorship logos, in seventh with a 1m:36.9. Team-mate Button was now in sixth. In the closing minutes Kimi Raikkonen would go out to set his first timed lap and would move into third with a 1m:35.481.

The Ferrari of Barrichello would move into second with a time of 1m:355.303. Team-mate Michael Schumacher would move into fifth. So with the end of the session the top ten was De la Rosa from Barrichello, Zonta, Raikkonen, and Michael Schumacher, Montoya, Alonso, Webber, Coulthard, and Button. Pizzonia would finish the session in eleventh.