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The second
Friday practice for the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix would see Williams F1's
Bruno Senna return to the wheel with Valtteri Bottas running in the first
session. It was confirmed that the Force India team would not take part in
the session preferring to get their team members back to their hotels. For
Williams Pastor Maldonado would take to the track early, joining several
other drivers. Pastor would set a 1m:36.518 to be fastest followed by Vergne
and Glock. For his first run Pastor was on the medium tyre. Bruno Senna had
yet to take to the track. Kobayashi would go fastest, 1m:36.198, but he was
soon passed by Perez with a 1m:35.905. Pastor was now third followed by
Raikkonen, Vergne, Ricciardo, and Kovalainen. But Button would be the first
of the quicker drivers to set a time going fastest with a 1mn:34.500.
Ricciardo would improve to be third with ten minutes of the session run.
Pastor would pit with other drivers taking to the track including both
Mercedes cars, both Ferrari's, as Kobayashi moved up to third, 1m:35.600.
Schumacher was now second, 1m:34.505 while Button had pitted. Alonso was up
to third, 1m:35.244, but Webber wopuld push everyone down one place when he
went fastest with a 1m:34.366. Button was
now second from Schumacher, Alonso, Rosberg, Perez, Kobayashi, Massa,
Ricciardo, and Pastor. Rosberg would move ahead of Webber with a 1m:34.346.
We still had yet to see Bruno come out onto the track. Vettel was now out on
the track as Schumacher went fastest with a 1m:34.329. But Schumacher's time
at the top would be brief as Vettel went
fastest with a 1m:33.639, running on the medium tyre.
Both Force India cars would not be taking to the track so it was Hamilton
and Senna who had yet to set a time. Pastor would return to the track this
time on the soft tyre. He would set a 1m:35.459 to be seventh. Bruno was on
the mediums. Bruno was in fourteenth, 1m:36.570, on his first timed run.
Vergne would move up to sixth, 1m:35.229, running on the soft tyre. More
drivers were also coming out with the option tyre. Button was back out on
the track, currently in fifth, while team-mate Hamilton was sixth,
1m:35.114. But Kobayashi would move up to fifth on the soft tyre, 1m:34.411.
Perez would also move up the order to be seventh. Pastor had pitted after a
brief run currently in eleventh. Bruno had dropped to sixteenth with an hour
remaining.
Bruno would improve with a 1m:36.169 but remained sixteenth. Vettel would
return to the track as both Sauber's pitted. Bruno would also pitted while
Rosberg returned to the track. Despite this there was only a small numbers
of drivers on the track. Vettel was on a quick lap, running on the soft
tyre, setting a 1m:33.525 to be 0.804 ahead of Schumacher. Rosberg was also
on a quick lap also on the soft tyre. He would set a 1m:32.816 to be
fastest. Pastor would return to the track, currently eleventh splitting the
Ferrari's of Alonso and Massa. Webber was on a better lap improving to be
second, 1m:33.262. Like others he was also on the soft tyre. Alonso would
improve to be sixth, 1m:34.449. Pastor was now twelfth while Bruno had
pitted currently in sixteenth. There were just six drivers on the
track with just under fifty minutes remaining.
Button would return to the track joined by Bruno. Grosjean was able to
improve to be eighth, 1m:34.615. Pastor was now thirteenth and Bruno
seventeenth. Bruno had only completed seven laps at this point compared to
the fifteen of Pastor. Ricciardo would move up to eleventh with a 1m:34.895.
The top seven drivers were now all out on the track
as Bruno started an improved lap. He would set personal bests in the first
two sectors but would not improve his position, 1m:36.169. Schumacher was
out on the set of soft tyres setting a new first sector fastest time but he
would back off when hitting traffic. Bruno was again on a better lap but he
would pit. With thirty eight minutes remaining Rosberg was fastest from
Webber, Vettel, Schumacher, Kobayashi, Alonso, Button, Grosjean, Hamilton,
and Perez in tenth. Pastor was still out on the track, currently fifteenth,
on a longer run.
Both Red Bull cars had returned to the track with KERS not available for
Webber. Pastor would pit with under thirty minutes remaining. Bruno was
still out on the track while Pastor would return after a short stop.
Hamilton was able to set an improved lap making good use of s et of soft
tyres. He would be fourth with a 1m:33.747. Both Red Bull's had pitted
Webber had come in after locking up his front left going into Turn 10.
Pastor had completed twenty five laps with twenty two minutes remaining.
Bruno had now completed eighteen laps. Hamilton would pit as Alonso came out
on the medium tyre. Both Mercedes cars were running a race start simulation
while for Williams Bruno would pit while Pastor was back out. The track was
now very busy as the final fifteen minutes commenced. Only four drivers were
in their pits while Bruno had also come back out. Now only Webber and Perez
were in their pits but Raikkonen would pit. Both Perez, Raikkonen, and
Webber would return with ten minutes remaining.
As the final ten minutes counted down drivers were out on longer runs some
on the medium tyre. Alonso would pit briefly while for Williams Pastor was
on a longer run having completed thirty five laps. Bruno had completed
twenty seven laps with four minutes remaining. Drivers were doing longer
runs on the soft tyre, including both McLaren's.
The final stages of this session was really a case of learning about tyre
performance for Sunday's race. The session would end with Pastor and Bruno
fifteenth and eighteenth. Bruno would pit with the end of the session
followed by Pastor. Rosberg was still fastest from Webber, Vettel, Hamilton,
Schumacher, Button, Kobayashi, Alonso, Grosjean, and Perez in tenth.
Again
it was a session where it was hard to draw any conclusions as to the
Williams F1 teams pace given that it looked like both drivers were focusing
on longer race type runs, but the team still has work to do as they prepare
for Saturday. Saturday's practice should give a better idea as to
Pastor's and Bruno's pace. |
