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On a dry and
sunny day the first Friday practice session for the 2011 European Grand Prix
would commence with Vettel taking to the track first. More drivers would
take to the track for their installation laps. For the AT&T Williams F1 team
first out would be Pastor Maldonado. As the drivers went around there was
plenty of dust coming up from the track. The drivers would return to the
pits with five minutes of the ninety minute session completed. Rubens
Barrichello would take to the track while Rosberg would set a time of
2m:06.412 on what was a slow lap. Pirelli had brought its medium and soft
compounds to this race. This was
the first time that the medium tyre had been used.
The only car yet to come out was Heidfeld as we had both McLaren's out on
the track. He was joined by both of the Torro Rosso cars and Kovalainen.
Both McLaren's would pit with Hamilton having a front wing change and then
return to the track. For Williams Rubens was running a new exhaust system.
Hulkenberg would set a 1m:47.942 as Rubens returned to the track. Both Torro
Rosso cars were back in their pits while Schumacher had also come out for a
constant speed run. Hulkenberg had lowered his time with a 1m:46.302 while
Schumacher set a 1m:54.397. A 1m:44.929 from Hulkenberg as Karthikeyan and
Glock took to the track. Hulkenberg would improve a again with a 1m:43.769.
Schumacher had pitted as Hulkenberg would get it wrong hitting the wall
going into Turn twelve. He locked up the car with the rear of the car
stepping out seeing the car into the wall.
Rubens had pitted while Pastor would take to the track. Both Alguersuari and
Ricciardo were back out on the track joined by Kobayashi. Alguersuari would
set a 1m:45.373 to be second followed shortly after by Pastor with a
1m:45.381 to be third. Ricciardo was now fourth with a 1m:48.049. A
1m:44.358 from Alguersuari as Pastor moved into second with a 1m:44.017.
Hulkenberg was still fastest as Glock and Liuzzi took to the track. Pastor
was on a quick lap setting a 1m:43.455 to be fastest. Alguersuari was up to
second with a 1m:43.686. Perez and Massa were also out on the track as more
drivers improved their times. Schumacher in
fifth set a 1m:44.761. Alonso was also out on the track as Alguersuari set a
1m:43.576 but remained second. As the track improved the times started to
come down. Rubens was back out joining Pastor. Pastor was running with the
old exhaust, the opposite to Rubens.
Schumacher was now fourth as Massa moved in to sixth, 1m:44.536. Alonso was
now fifth, 1m:44.338, as Alguersuari pitted. Heidfeld had moved up to third,
1m:43.597, as Pastor ran wide after locking up his front. Schumacher was now
fastest with a 1m:43.050 followed by Ricciardo. Pastor was now third while
Rubens was down in twelfth, 1m:47.870. Sutil was up to fourth, 1m:43.487.
This would become fifth as Massa went fastest with a 1m:42.530. Heidfeld was
now second, 1m:42.756, but Sutil would move ahead with a 1m:42.618. Alonso
would move ahead of his team-mate with a 1m:41.683, with fifty minutes
remaining in the session. Pastor had now pitted while Rubens had set a
1m:46.311 but remained in twelfth. Perez was now seventh, 1m:43.388, with
Pastor now ninth. Rubens would lower his time with a 1m:44.010 but was now
thirteenth. Button and Hamilton were now in sixth and seventh. Alonso was on
a quicker lap setting a but his last sector would see him fail to improve.
Sutil was now second with a 1m:42.006.
Massa was third from Button, Heidfeld, Rosberg, Petrov, Schumacher,
Hamilton, and Rubens. Rubens had set a 1m:43.163. But Perez would move ahead
seeing Rubens now eleventh. Pastor was still thirteenth. Massa and Sutil had
pitted while Alonso had set a 1m:41.239. Massa was back out and would also
improve with a 1m:41.758. Webber was now sixth while for McLaren Button was
third and Hamilton fifth. Rubens would pit
while Pastor had returned to the circuit. Button had set a 1m:41.926 as
Alonso pitted. Vettel's second lap was a 1m:45.160 to see him seventeenth.
Rubens was now twelfth and Pastor fourteenth. Webber was now up to second
with a time of 1m:41.285. Vettel would improve with a 1m:43.860 but remained
seventeenth. Webber was now fastest with a 1m:40.852, to be 0.387 ahead of
Alonso. He would lower this with a 1m:40.597 as Rubens
returned to the track.
Pastor would lower his time with a 1m:42.841 to be tenth. Rubens was now
fourteenth with the track quite busy. Webber would again lower his time with
a 1m:40.403 remaining fastest. Alonso was second from Massa, Button, Sutil,
Hamilton, Heidfeld, Rosberg, Alguersuari, and Pastor in tenth. Webber would
pit with thirty minutes remaining. Vettel was down in sixteenth but it was
confirmed that his was running the Silverstone specification engine mapping
in this session. Pastor had pitted again as Rubens moved up to thirteenth
with
a 1m:42.982. Heidfeld would improve with a 1m:41.967 to be fifth. Petrov was
now ninth seeing Pastor drop to twelfth and Rubens thirteenth. Heidfeld was
now third, 1m:41.580. Rubens was back out along with Massa. Heidfeld would
pit while team-mate Petrov set a 1m:41.748 to be fourth. Alonso was back out
as Massa would lock up at Turn twelve running wide.
Rubens would complain that there was a big vibration in his car. Petrov
would improve with a 1m:41.227 to now be second, with twenty minutes
remaining in the session. Hamilton and Button were sixth and seventh, with
both drivers testing various new aerodynamic parts. Alonso would go fastest
in sector one as Petrov pitted. Vettel was back out after having his engine
map returned back to the Valencia specification. With fifteen minutes left
those at the front were back out with Heidfeld, Massa, and Hamilton all out
on the circuit. Pastor had also left the pit lane along with Webber. Massa
would pit remaining fifth as Hamilton improved to be fourth, 1m:41.510.
Rubens would also return to the circuit with just over ten minutes
remaining. Vettel was up to fourteenth as Alonso pitted briefly. Ricciardo
was now in tenth, 1m:42.451, with Pastor and Rubens fourteenth and
sixteenth.
Webber's quickest time was a 1m:40.403 as Petrov returned to the track.
Rosberg and Schumacher were tenth and eleventh. Sutil was eighth with a time
of 1m:42.006. Rubens would improve with a 1m:42.704 to be thirteenth. Pastor
was now in fifteenth with three minutes remaining. There were now only three
cars in the pits as the session drew to a close. Glock would spin at the
exit of Turn five, ending up parked across the
track. The session would come to an end with Webber still fastest. Rubens
and Pastor would remain in thirteenth and fifteenth. But like all early
Friday practice sessions it is early days with the team running several new
parts on the FW33. |
