Friday Practice1: Busy session for Vettel

By BMW Sauber F1 Team
October 6 2006

In the first free practice session for the Japanese GP, held in wet conditions, Sebastian Vettel was the only BMW Sauber F1 Team driver to set a time. The team's GP regulars, Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica, made do by completing an installation lap.

It was another fine performance by BMW Sauber F1 Team test driver Sebastian Vettel. In his first wet session at the wheel of a Formula One car, the young German completed 20 laps comprising three stints, and once again he impressed by setting competitive lap times and making no mistakes.

While working on a set-up for the wet conditions, he set a personal fastest lap time of 1:46.585 minutes, thus securing third place and being the fastest Michelin-shod driver. Even more impressive: It was only his seventh practice session at the wheel of a Formula One car, his first in wet conditions - yet he didn't have a single off-track moment.

As conditions are expected to improve over the course of the weekend, the BMW Sauber F1 Team opted not to send its GP regulars out, as there wasn't much to learn for dry conditions on the wet track.

The fastest lap time of the session was set by Honda's test driver Anthony Davidson.