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The start of the
opening ninety minute Friday practice would see the Williams F1 team facing
a damp track with the intermediate and even wet tyre being used in the
session. Pirelli had brought the medium and hard dry tyres for this race but
the teams also had access to the 2014 tyres for practice. For Williams this
race would be the last for team driver Pastor Maldonado and the end of the
teams relationship with Renault. On the driver front Ricciardo would be
replaced by Kvyat at Torro Rosso while at Force India Calado would replace
Di Resta. The session would commence with no one keen to go out on the wet
track. This race would be the last in their current format with the V8 era
coming to an end as well as several design changes including smaller front wings.
Drivers would start to come out for their installations laps with Valtteri
Bottas out first for Williams. Pastor would follow shortly after with the
intermediate tyre in use in the damp conditions. Originally the team had
planned to test the 2014 tyres but that was before the wet weather arrived.
Both Williams drivers would pit after one lap. Perez and Calado had yet to
come out for their installation laps with Perez first to
come out. Button would be the first driver to set a time of 1m:26.184.
Rosberg was also back out setting a 1m:25.747 to go fastest with fifteen
minutes of the session completed. Perez would set a 1m:32.562 to be third as
more drivers returned to the track, including Gutierrez, Hulkenberg,
Hamilton, Kvyat, and Sutil. A 1m:25.391 from Button to be quickest seeing
him pit. Both Williams drivers would take to the track with Button coming
back out as Rosberg set a 1m:24.781 to again be quickest.
Hulkenberg was now fourth followed by Hamilton and Gutierrez. Hamilton would
spin at Turn three seeing him have to reverse and get going again. Valtteri
would go sixth with a 1m:27.972 but would drop to seventh. Pastor was down
in tenth with a 1m:28.616. Hamilton would improve to be third with a time of
1m:25.473 followed by Perez and Hulkenberg. Valtteri was now eighth and
Pastor eleventh. Sutil was in sixth with time of 1m:27.115. Both McLaren's
would pit with neither Ferrari, Red Bull, and Lotus cars having come out
yet. Kvyat would set a 1m:27.113 to be sixth with Hulkenberg fifth. Hamilton
would improve to be second with a time of 1m:25.277 while Valtteri had
dropped to be ninth. Both Ferrari's were out on the track along with
Kovalainen in the Lotus. Valtteri would pit currently in tenth with Pastor
still eleventh. Massa would move up to sixth with a 1m:26.248, while
team-mate Alonso would move into ninth with a 1m:26.609. Pastor would join
Valtteri in the pits with the pair now twelfth and thirteenth. Kovalainen
was now eleventh as the track cleared after the drivers first runs.
Pastor would come in saying that it was very slippery and had asked for some
setup changes. Alonso would improve to be fourth, 1m:25.593, with Kovalainen
moving up to tenth, 1m:26.330. Both Williams drivers would return to the
track with fifty minutes remaining in the session again running on the
intermediates. Calado was on his first flying lap for Force India.
Grosjean's first lap would see him fourteenth, 1m:27.323, while Kvyat would
set a 1m:26.064 to be sixth. Kovalainen was now seventh with a time of
1m:26.133. Vettel was now out on the track in what looked like aero runs
running on the hard slick tyre. Button and Perez were now back out as Vettel
pitted briefly. The only drivers yet to set a time were Webber and Vettel as
Vettel came out on the 2014 development tyre. Pastor would pit after a short run with
Button pitting. Vettel was told to it as they had the data they needed.
Valtteri would also pit with thirty five minutes remaining. With thirty
minutes remaining there was very little activity out on the track.
Webber was now out on the track with his first lap a 1m:26.141 to be eighth.
For Williams they were currently in fifteenth and sixteenth. Vettel was the
only driver yet to set a time. Several other drivers would start to come
back out including Rosberg, Kovalainen, Hulkenberg, and Vettel. Webber was
now in fifth with a lap time of 1m:25.797. It was reported that the rain
would ease in the closing stages of the session. Several teams were confident that they would be able to get some
running on the 2014 tyre. Vettel was now in twelfth, 1m:26.333, with Webber
pitting. Vettel would improve with a 1m:25.634 to be fifth. with ten minutes
remaining both Williams drivers were back out on the track. Vettel would
improve again to be third with a 1m:25.387. Button was now fourth followed
by Alonso, Webber, Perez, Kvyat, Kovalainen, and Hulkenberg tenth.
Valtteri and Pastor were currently sixteenth and seventeenth with times that
were closely matched, a 1m:27.269 compared to a 1m:27.358. Pastor would go
off at Turn four but was able to keep going. Both Mercedes cars were back in
their pits finished for the session. The session would come to an end with
Rosberg remaining fastest from Hamilton, Vettel, Button, Alonso, Webber,
Perez, Kvyat, Kovalainen, and Hulkenberg tenth. For Williams Valtteri and Pastor would remain in sixteenth
and seventeenth. As per usual the team would complete pit stop practice as
the drivers came back in. Not a lot could be drawn from the session given
the changing damp track conditions. Replays would shoe Valtteri also leaving
the track at Turn twelve but was able to continue. |
