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On another sunny
day the final practice session for the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix would get
underway. For the Williams F1 team both drivers had finished outside the top
ten after Friday practice so the goal was to find that extra pace. The start
of the session would see a rush of drivers coming out, running on the harder
Pirelli tyre. Both Pastor Maldonado and Bruno Senna would complete their
installation lap while test driver Valtteri Bottas looked
on from the Williams pit. Frank Williams was also back in the pit looking on
as both Williams cars were checked over. Last out would be the two McLaren's
with Hamilton last to return to the pits. The only car on the track was that
of Alonso who was completing a second installation lap.
Ten minutes of the session had been completed with no times being set. First
back out would be Pic in the Marussia, joined by Raikkonen, Glock, Petrov,
and Perez. Grosjean would take to the track in the second Lotus. More
drivers would join them including both Torro Rosso's, Rosberg, and
Karthikeyan. Pic would set a 1m:28.495 as Grosjean
stopped out on the track. Schumacher was also out as Grosjean parked his car
and got out ending his session. A 1m:35.772 from Raikkonen with Karthikeyan
and Glock third and fourth. Perez was now third with a 1m:35.798. Ricciardo
would set a 1m:27.907 to be fastest. Rosberg was now third with a time of
1m:28.953. Bruno was now out on
the track seeing the track now very busy.
Forty minutes were Hamilton was now ninth with a 1m:25.749 remaining as
Ricciardo set a 1m:25.672. Rosberg would move ahead with a 1m:25.158 to be
fastest while Schumacher was in fourth. Raikkonen was up to second,
1m:25.362, but this would become third as Perez went to the top of the times
with a 1m:24.554. Pastor was also out on the
track and would set a 1m:24.689 to be second. Grosjean's problem was fuel
pressure. Rosberg wa snow third while Bruno was down in thirteenth with a
1m:31.016. Kobayashi would join Perez moving up to third, 1m:24.951.
Ricciardo would improve to be fifth, 1m:25.307. Hamilton was out on the
track with no one using the soft tyre. Raikkonen was
sixth with Webber moving into seventh followed by Hulkenberg. Bruno had set
a better lap time seeing him move up to ninth, 1m:25.763, using the hard
tyre, but Bruno would move ahead with a 1m:25.660 to be eighth. Hamilton
would continue to improve moving up to third with a 1m:24.907. Pastor had
also found time setting a 1m:24.571 but remained in second. Vergne was now
in fourth, 1m:24.936.
Vettel was out on the track and was in seventh, 1m:24.967, while for
Williams both drivers had pitted with just under thirty minutes remaining.
Alonso had yet to set a time but his first run would see him third,
1m:24.730, as Rosberg took to the track on the soft tyre. Rosberg's time on
the hard tyre was a 1m:24.937, as Vettel moved up to third with a 1m:24.628.
Pastor was still in second and Bruno down in twelfth. On the soft tyre
Rosberg was on an improved lap finishing with a 1m:24.070 to be 0.484 ahead
of Perez's hard tyre time. This was just under nine tenths quicker than his
hard tyre time for the Mercedes driver. Massa would complain about poor grip
levels while Button would complain about poor traction with his rear end.
Bruno was back out on the track joined by Perez.
With just over twenty two minutes remaining Vergne would go fastest with a
1m:23.833 running on the soft tyre. Perez would also improve to again be
fastest with a 1m:23.742 also on the soft tyre. Pastor was back out as
Ricciardo moved up to fourth, 1m:24.331. This would see Pastor in fifth
while Bruno was down in thirteenth. Pastor was on the hard tyre for his
second run while Schumacher would run wide at Turn nine ruining his soft
tyre run.
Despite this his time was good enough to see him in ninth, 1m:24.825. Webber
was back out while Grosjean was able to get ready to return to his car after
his car was brought back to the pits and repaired by his mechanics. Bruno
was also on the hard tyre. Fifteen minutes remaining as Rosberg was out on
the soft tyre again while Bruno had pitted. Pastor would also come in with
the order Perez from Vergne, Rosberg, Ricciardo, Pastor, Vettel, Alonso,
Hamilton, Schumacher, and Kobayashi in tenth. Webber was in eleventh and on
track with the hard tyre.
Pastor's time on the hard tyre was certainly very competitive as the final
ten minutes of the session started. The top four were all out on the track
as Vettel pitted from his run on the hard tyre. Alonso was out on the soft
tyre and was on a quicker lap. Perez was on the soft tyre but was setting
times seeming to indicate that he was running a higher fuel load hiding his
true pace as Alonso set a 1m:23.807 to be second. Bruno was back out as
Massa moved up to fifth with a 1m:24.179 running on the soft tyre. The track
was now very busy with Bruno out on the soft tyre as Raikkonen moved up to
fourth with a 1m:23.936. Button would take this spot with a 1m:23.909 with
Pastor now in tenth. Hamilton was on a very quick lap but his lap would be
ruined at the last chicane, having set fastest times
in the first two sectors. Bruno was twelfth with a 1m:24.653 as Pastor,
running on the soft tyre, was on a better lap moving to the top of the
times.
Kobayashi had been fastest from Webber with a time of 1m:23.350 but Pastor's
1m:23.336 would see him quickest. Bruno was down in fourteenth and also on a
quicker lap as the final minutes counted down. Bruno would set a 1m:24.409
to be thirteenth while Vettel was on a quick lap with his final sector time
seeing him move to the top of the times with a 1m:23.168. Pastor was now in
second as the session came to an end. Kobayashi was now third from Webber,
Perez, Alonso, Vergne, Button, Raikkonen, and Rosberg in tenth. It was a
great effort from Pastor to finish in second but but Bruno would only manage
fourteenth. But his final run had been spoilt but having to back off due to
yellow flags in the final sector. Certainly a practice session that produced
very mixed results for the Williams team. But based on Pastor's pace Q3 in
qualifying looks like a certainty for Pastor. Another positive result was
Pastor's pace on the hard tyre. |
