AT&T Williams continue positive start in Bahrain

The AT&T Williams drivers Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima finish in third and sixth after the opening Friday practice for the 2008 Bahrain Grand Prix. Would they be able to continue this encouraging start to the weekend? The second session would get underway. Nico would be told by his engineer that the wind at the circuit was variable, and that they would keep him up to date.

Trulli would be the first driver out on the track. Nico would join the first group of drivers out on their installation lap. He would be joined by Kazuki. Quickest would be Vettel, 1m:37.155, from Trulli, and Nico. Bourdais would go quicker as Kazuki moved into second, 1m:36.325. Nico would go fastest, 1m:36.116, but Bourdais and Kovalainen would push him down to third. Kazuki was fourth, 1m:36.325. Fisichella was now second behind Bourdais. Alonso and Piquet were in fifth and sixth.

Nico would continue out on the track as Kazuki pitted from eighth. Nico would improve his time, 1m:35.451, to be in third. Heidfeld was now fastest, 1m:34.526. Nico would pit from fourth. Heidfeld would lower his time, 1m:34.324, as Trulli and Coulthard moved into second and third. Nico was now in eighth and Kazuki sixteenth, with an hour and twelve minutes remaining. Raikkonen was now fastest with a 1m: 33.550. Massa was in fourth. Both Williams drivers were in their pits as Hamilton went fastest, 1m:33.068. Hamilton was on the softer tyre. Bourdais would improve to be third, 1m:33.407.

Nico would tell his engineer that he was struggling with front lock ups in some places, the rears locking in others. Many drivers were struggling with oversteer. Kovalainen was in fourth with just over and hour remaining. Nico had dropped to be in fourteenth. Kazuki was one place ahead of his team-mate. Coulthard was now fifth followed by Kubica, Heidfeld and Trulli. Kovalainen was also on the softer tyre.

As the session continued Nico was able to improve to sixth from seventeenth, using the softer tyre. Kazuki was now eleventh after been as high as ninth. Massa was now fastest, 1m:32.722. Bourdais was now in fourth after being as high as second, 1m:33.197. This would become fifth as Kazuki moved into fourth, 1m:33.098. So with thirty five minutes left in the session Kazuki and Nico were in fourth and seventh. Kazuki would pit while Nico would leave the pitlane looking to improve his 1m:33.516. And he would do just that moving up to third with a 1m:33.022, using the softer tyre. Nico would pit while Kazuki would return to the track.

Raikkonen was to improve and move into second, 1m:32.447. Nico and Kazuki were now in fourth and fifth, 1m:33.022 and 1m:33.098. Both drivers were out on the soft tyre. Nico would have a moment that would see him leave the track and out onto the run off area. He was able to continue as Kazuki pitted. Kovalainen would move into third as his team-mate Hamilton would spin his car crashing into the tyre barrier ending his session. He would run wide over the kerb causing his car to spin. Both Nico and Kazuki were out on the track. At the front Raikkonen had moved ahead of Massa with a 1m:32.327.

As the session came to a close Kubica would improve to be in fifth, 1m:32.915. Massa was on a quick lap and would move ahead of Raikkonen with a stunning 1m:31.420, 0.9 faster than his team-mate. Sutil and Alonso would have a coming together at Turn one. With the end of the session the order was Massa from Raikkonen, Kovalainen, Hamilton, Kubica, Nico, Coulthard, Kazuki, Bourdais, and Piquet in tenth. A sixth and eighth from Nico and Kazuki was again a positive start to the weekend for the AT&T Williams team.

Pos  Driver        Team                      Time     Laps
 1.  Massa         Ferrari              (B)  1:31.420  30
 2.  Raikkonen     Ferrari              (B)  1:32.327  30
 3.  Kovalainen    McLaren-Mercedes     (B)  1:32.752  30
 4.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes     (B)  1:32.847  26
 5.  Kubica        BMW Sauber           (B)  1:32.915  29
 6.  Rosberg       AT&T Williams-Toyota (B)  1:33.022  34
 7.  Coulthard     Red Bull-Renault     (B)  1:33.048  27
 8.  Nakajima      AT&T Williams-Toyota (B)  1:33.098  33
 9.  Bourdais      Toro Rosso-Ferrari   (B)  1:33.197  37
10.  Piquet        Renault              (B)  1:33.247  37
11.  Button        Honda                (B)  1:33.710  33
12.  Alonso        Renault              (B)  1:33.755  26
13.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault     (B)  1:33.782  34
14.  Trulli        Toyota               (B)  1:33.822  38
15.  Glock         Toyota               (B)  1:33.856  30
16.  Barrichello   Honda                (B)  1:33.966  35
17.  Heidfeld      BMW Sauber           (B)  1:34.023  36
18.  Fisichella    Force India-Ferrari  (B)  1:34.388  35
19.  Sutil         Force India-Ferrari  (B)  1:34.405  34
20.  Vettel        Toro Rosso-Ferrari   (B)  1:34.787  30
21.  Sato          Super Aguri-Honda    (B)  1:35.288  24
22.  Davidson      Super Aguri-Honda    (B)  1:35.712  25