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Friday at Suzuka
would see the BMW WilliamsF1 drivers finish the day in tenth
and twelfth, with Mark leading Antonio. For the first time the team had
adopted the use of secondary wing profiles on their front wing. These additional
wings have been seen on the Renault's. The use of these devices is aimed at
improving the downforce at the front of the car.
Saturday and the opening practice session was declared wet. The first driver
to go out was Toyota's Jarno Trulli. He would return to his garage but other
drivers including Ralf Schumacher, Montoya, Albers, and Doornbos would come
out for their installation lap. Trulli would come back out, joined by Kimi
Raikkonen. Trulli would return to his garage. The rain was still falling.
The only drivers out on the track were Michael Schumacher, Sato, and
Monteiro. Michael would be left alone out on the track. Michael would set the first
time of the session, 1m:46.543. Zonta's time yesterday was in the 1m:30 seconds.
But for Michael it would go wrong when he would go off the circuit in the
first sector, bringing out the yellow flags. Michael would go off into the tyre
barrier damaging the front suspension of his car. The Ferrari was eventually
removed from the circuit.
With twenty five minutes remaining in the session the circuit was empty. the
Red Bull of David Coulthard would take to the circuit and would set the
second time of the session, 1m:54.592, which was 8.049 seconds slower than
Michael's time. David would improve his time with a 1m:53.346, but this was still 6.8
seconds slower than the quickest time. Sauber's Felipe Massa would join
Coulthard out on the circuit with just over fifteen minutes remaining in the
session. But after completing his installation lap he would return to his
garage, joined by Coulthard. The conditions looked to be very difficult.
The next to venture out was Albers. He would be the third driver to set a
time, a lap of 1m:54.254 to be third. Villeneuve and Doornbos were also out
on the circuit with ten minutes remaining. Both drivers would return to
their garages. The first of the BMW WilliamsF1 cars would come out, that of
Antonio Pizzonia. Albers would move into second with a time of 1m:52.700.
Button was also out on the circuit, joined by both Jordan's, Raikkonen, and
Klein.
Karthikeyan would set a time of 1m:52.827 to move into third ahead of
Coulthard. Button would return to his garage, while the second McLaren of
Montoya would come out for the first time. There was five minutes remaining
in the session. Barrichello was also join those drivers out on the circuit.
Antonio would set a time of 2m:01.207 to move into fifth but Monteiro would
move ahead of the Brazilian with a time of 1m:55.920. So would Kimi,
1m:58.829, who was now sixth. Antonio was in seventh.
Mark Webber was also on the circuit as the final minutes counted down.
Antonio would improve to now be in third, 1m:51.049. Montoya was in second
with a time of 1m:49.097, but team-mate Raikkonen would push him down one
place when the Finn went second fastest with a time of 1m:48.729. Antonio
would improve with a 1m:50.537 to be fourth. Team-mate Webber would move
into this spot with a time of 1m:49.484. Neither of the Renault's had come
out so far in the session.
With the end of the session the top ten was Michael Schumacher, Raikkonen,
Montoya, Webber, Pizzonia, Karthikeyan, Barrichello, Button, Monteiro,
Albers, Coulthard, Sato, and Klien. No other drivers had set times.
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