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The final
practice session for the 2011 Australian Grand Prix would commence with the
normal rush of drivers coming out for their installation laps. Both AT&T
Williams drivers Rubens Barrichello and Pastor Maldonado were to complete
their single lap and return to their pits. Rosberg would be the only driver
out on the track. He would return to their pit lane but would rive through
it to stop and the end to practice a start. After another lap he would
return to the pit lane. The track was now empty with Glock been the first
driver to return. Still neither HRT had come out of the pit lane.
He was joined by team-mate D'Ambrosio and Petrov. Finally we would get to
see a HRT car leave the pit lane with Liuzzi taking to the track. But it
would not last long as Liuzzi would stop out on the track to be pushed
behind the barrier. Glock was now fastest with a 1m:35.394 with Petrov
second from D'Ambrosio third. More drivers were taking to the track
including Buemi, Perez, Button, Heidfeld, Kovalainen, and for Williams
Pastor. Petrov was now fastest with a 1m:31.119. Perez was now fastest with
a 1m:30.263. Alguersuari was also out joined by Hamilton, Vettel,
Schumacher, and Kobayashi.
Button would have a moment locking up and taking to the gravel at Turn
three. He would continue only to pit. The times would start to come down
with Petrov fastest with a 1m:28.385. Perez was second with Heidfeld now
third. Pastor was now fifth with a 1m:30.496. Rubens was now out on the
track as Petrov went faster with a 1m:27.709. Buemi was fourth while
Schumacher would jump up to second, 1m:28.227, but Heidfeld would move ahead
with a 1m:27.903. Vettel would set a 1m:27.337 to go fastest while Petrov
would pit. Hamilton was now fifth while for Pastor it would go wrong as he
went off and across the gravel at Turn six after having locked up the rear
of his car and could not
retain control. Pastor would be lifted away to be put behind the barrier.
Rosberg was now second with a 1m:27.493 while Rubens was only in eleventh
with a 1m:29.521. Prior to his stop Pastor was in twelfth with a 1m:30.496.
Vettel would pit while Petrov and Heidfeld were in third and fourth. After
the frustration of Pastor's off track moment Rubens would give the team some
signs of pace. He would move up to fifth, 1m:28.068, but he would drop to
seventh as Button moved into third and Kobayashi sixth. Rubens was now
eighth as Alonso moved into seventh, 1m:28.029. Rubens would pit as Pastor
dropped down to fifteenth. Of the top ten drivers only Alonso was on the
track. Webber was now fifth, 1m:27.883.
So with just under thirty minutes remaining it was Vettel from Rosberg,
Button, Petrov, Webber, Heidfeld, Kobayashi, Alonso, Rubens, and Massa in
tenth. Webber would post a 1m:26.993 to go fastest as Rosberg and Button
would return to the track. Webber's time was on the harder tyre. Pastor was
now in eighteenth and Rubens ninth. More drivers were returning the track
with Buemi up to second with a 1m:27.008. Hamilton was down in fifteenth
while team-mate Button was on a quick lap going fastest with a 1m:25.961.
Pastor would say that he completely lost control of his car under braking.
Webber would improve with a 1m:26.159 while Vettel was now fourth and
Alguersuari fifth, 1m:27.374.
Perez would tour slowly back to his pit followed by Button and Webber.
Rosberg was now sixth from Petrov, Hamilton, Heidfeld, Kobayashi, Alonso,
with Rubens now twelfth. Vettel would find pace going fastest with a
1m:25.327 while Buemi was fourth with a 1m:27.008. On the softer tyre Petrov
would move into fifth, 1m:27.097, but this would become sixth when Alonso
moved up to third with a 1m:26.121. The track was fairly empty as drivers go
ready for their qualifying practice runs. Alonso's time was on the softer
tyre. Fifteenth placed Massa was out on the softer tyre. Rubens was still in
his pit with a suspected gearbox oil leak seeing his gearbox come off.
Rubens would not come back out for the rest of the session.
Hamilton was up to third on the softer tyre, 1m:26.037. Vettel was still
fastest with just under ten minutes left in the session, with a best time of
1m:25.327. Button was second, 0.634s slower. Webber was currently in fifth
as more drivers took to the track with seven minutes remaining. Rubens was
now in thirteenth and Pastor eighteenth. Karthikeyan would come out for a
very slow installation lap. Massa was up to seventh, 1m:27.011, while Webber
was on a quick lap while Petrov moved up to second with a 1m:25.906. But
Webber's lap would see him second, 1m:25.364 to be just 0.037 behind Vettel.
Button was now fourth from Hamilton, Alonso, Rosberg, Kobayashi, Buemi, and
Massa. Vettel was looking to improve with fastest times in sector one and
two. Hamilton was now third with a 1m:25.553. Vettel's time was a stunning
1m:24.507 to leave even his team-mate Webber 0.857 second behind him.
Vettel's time was on the softer tyre while Webber would pit as Hamilton
moved into third with a 1m:25.553. Button would improve to be fourth,
1m:25.567. The session would end with Vettel setting a 1m:24.556 on his
second lap on the softer tyre. Rubens was now sixteenth and Pastor twenty
first.
After the encouraging start to the weekend following Friday practice it had all
gone wrong come Saturday morning. Qualifying is going to be a real struggle
for Pastor but Rubens may be able to make it into Q3 so long as they can fix
the issue with his gearbox. |
