WilliamsF1 struggle in final practice session

The opening Saturday practice at the Shanghai International circuit would see the BMW WilliamsF1 drivers of Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya first and second, now the teams would be making their final preparations in the fourth practice session for this afternoons qualifying.

With the day continuing to warm up Jaguar's Mark Webber was the first driver out. He would be joined by several other drivers including the Toyota's of Panis and Zonta. Ricardo Zonta would set a time of 1m:35.058 to go fastest. Team-mate Panis would set a time of 1m:35.921. Giancarlo Fisichella would move into third with a 1m:41.921. But as more cars were to come out Giancarlo would quickly drop down the times.

Renault's Fernando Alonso would move into second with a 1m:35.321. Both McLaren drivers were out with Coulthard moving into third, but a mistake in the final sector would see Kimi lose time and finish his lap in seventh with a 1:37.803. Ralf would come out from his garage and would quickly look at setting a quick time.

BAR's Takuma Sato would claim third with a 1m:35.465, while Jacques Villeneuve would set a quick time that would see him in fourth, a lap time of 1m:35.522. Ralf would be very quick on his first lap been 0.6 seconds up after the first sector. He would finish his lap with a time of 1m:34.769 to be fastest. He was just 0.4 down on his time from the earlier session.

But Ralf's time would be beaten by his brother Michael when the Ferrari driver would set a time of 1m:34.692 to go fastest. Team-mate Rubens Barrichello would start his first quick lap but could only manage a 1m:38.603. Back at the front it would be Zonta who would go fastest again for Toyota, with a time of 1m:34.518.

On his second run Rubens would set a time of 1m:34.699 to see him move into third. Juan Pablo would also be looking at a very quick time and he would complete his lap with a time of 1m:34.458 to go fastest. Raikkonen would also be looking very quick and he would be fastest of all after two sectors. Kimi would easily beat Juan Pablo's time finishing his lap with a 1m:34.210. But Michael Schumacher would also respond to the flurry of quick
times.

Michael would go fastest in the first two sectors finishing his lap with a time of
1m:33.448 to go fastest. Michael was some 0.7 seconds ahead of Raikkonen. Such was the pace of his lap it would be very surprising if it is beaten with fifteen minutes of the session remaining. Giancarlo Fisichella would move into fourth with a 1m:34.286. Rubens Barrichello would set a time of 1m:33.796 to be second behind team-mate Michael.

At this time Juan Pablo and Ralf were sixth and ninth, with both drivers over a second slower than the fastest time. Juan Pablo's FW26 was the fastest car on the track setting a speed of 332 kph. BAR's Jenson Button was now up into fourth with a 1m:34.233. Sato would improve to now be in eleventh with a 1m:35.155.

With five minutes left in the session Villeneuve would move ahead of his Renault team-mate, Alonso, with a 1m:35.309 to be thirteenth. Alonso would respond with a time of 1m:34.627 to move into eighth. Rubens would try to challenge Michael but would fail in his attempt. Raikkonen was now in third with a 1m:34.042. Jordan's Nick Heidfeld would go sixth fastest with a 1m:34.404. It certainly looked like the conditions were helping the Bridgestone teams.