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With the
diffuser row behind them the Williams team would get their 2009
Formula One season underway with the opening ninety minute practice session
for the 2009 Australian Grand Prix. With the pit open several cars would
take to the track lead by Kubica, for their installation lap. Both Nico Rosberg and
Kazuki Nakajima would come out for their lap and return to the pits. With
five minutes completed only Alonso and Barrichello had yet to come out.
With the extensive list of changes taking place in Formula One it will be
interesting to see how they impact on the racing. As for who would be
running with KERS was still an unknown. Nico was up on the pit wall looking relaxed
as he spoke to his engineer. The track was empty for a lengthy twenty minute
period with Barrichello making his first appearance on the track. After an
installation lap he would return to the pits.
 Buemi
was next out making his first race weekend appearance in Formula One. He
would set the first time of the 2009 season with a 1m:41.493. With an hour
remaining Buemi would improve with a 1m:36.659. His next lap was a
1m:35.296. Raikkonen was next out as Buemi went faster with a 1m:33.622.
Raikkonen was on a quick lap setting a 1m:32.121. Alonso would leave his pit
for the first time with fifty five minutes remaining. Heidfeld was now out,
joined by Nico. Trulli, Massa, Hamilton, and Kazuki. Raikkonen's new time
was a 1m:28.718.
Buemi and Alonso had pitted. Buemi's fastest time was a 1m:32.788. Kimi
would take to the grass at Turn one. Nico was third with a 1m:34.330. Button and
Glock were also out on the track. Heidfeld was now second, 1m:31.735, as
Massa ran wide under breaking at the second last corner. Nico was now second
with a 1m:29.962. Raikkonen was still fastest with a 1m:28.458. The track
was very busy now as Trulli moved into fourth, 1m:31.589.
Massa was third, 1m:30.593 but Trulli and Hamilton would move ahead of him.
Nico was still second. Kazuki was ninth with a 1m:38.220. He would drop down
to eleventh. Massa was now second, 1m:29.772, followed by Heidfeld and Nico.
Trulli was fifth and Hamilton sixth. Button was able to move up to be second
with a 1m:28.641. Vettel would stop at the side of the track as Kimi pitted.
His team would tell him that he had a hydraulic pressure problem. Button
pitted as Kazuki had moved up to seventh with a 1m:30.493. Kazuki had run wide at
Turn one taking to the grass. Kovalainen was now third and Kazuki sixth,
1m:29.402.
Nico was still second with a 1m:28.501. This was just 0.043 behind
Raikkonen. Kovalainen was now fastest with a 1m:27.982. Nico was fastest in sector two,
but he would pit with forty minutes remaining. The order was Kovalainen from
Raikkonen, Nico, Button, Barrichello, Kazuki, Massa, Webber, Glock, and
Kubica. Kazuki was still out on the track. Barrichello was now fastest with
a 1m:27.743. Alonso had yet to set a time. Glock was now third with a
1m:28.418. Slowest was Bourdais with a 1m:38.620. Kazuki had pitted.
Sutil would improve with a 1m:29.062 to move up to ninth. Raikkonen was back
out on the softer Bridgestone tyre. He would go fastest in the opening two
sectors. He would finish with a 1m:26.750. Alonso was back out joined by
Button. Alonso was down in seventeenth with a 1m:30.338. Hamilton was also
back out looking to improve from his fifteenth. Raikkonen's fastest time in
2008 in the same session was a 1m:26.461 so Kimi is not that much slower despite the
massive changes to the cars.
 Button
was fourth with a 1m:28.290. Kazuki was back out currently ion tenth,
1m:28.852. Button was now second with a 1m:27.467. Jenson was still on the
harder tyre. This was 0.717 behind Raikkonen as Nico came back out. Alonso
was now in ninth, 1m:28.613. Kazuki would pit from eleventh. Barrichello was
in third. Kazuki's right rear tyre had punctured forcing him back into his pit.
Piquet would spin at Turn one. He would take to the gravel but was able to
get going again. Trulli was in fifth followed by Massa, Glock, and Nico in
eighth.
Nico would improve to be fourth, 1m:27.789. He was still on the harder tyre
with fifteen minutes remaining. Nico would again improve with a 1m:27.293,
to be 0.543 behind Raikkonen. Nico would pit. Kazuki was down in twelfth. So
the order was Raikkonen from Nico, Button, Barrichello, Kovalainen, Trulli,
Glock, Massa, Kubica, and Heidfeld in tenth. Barrichello would take to the grass at
Turn one. Sutil was now sixth, 1m:27.993. Kazuki was back out trying to make
up time after his puncture.
With eight minutes left several drivers would return to the track.
Kovalainen was now third, 1m:27.453, as Kazuki went sixth fastest with a 1m:27.964. As
the last five minutes started only a few drivers were still in their pits;
Button, Webber, and Bourdais. Nico was still second and Kazuki sixth. Kazuki had
improved with a 1m:27.615 with two minutes remaining. Barrichello was now
second with a 1m:27.226 as Nico went fastest in the middle sector. Kazuki
was now third with a 1m:27.287. Nico, still, on the harder tyre goes fastest
with a 1m:26.687. Kazuki was now fourth.
The session would end with Nico still fastest with a 1m:26.687, followed by
Raikkonen, Barrichello, Kazuki, Kovalainen, Button, Massa, Glock, Sutil, and
Alonso in tenth. Kazuki was able to sneak in on his last lap a 1m:26.736 to
move into second. So we have a Williams one-two. Great start to the weekend. |
