Changeable conditions for Saturday practice

On a cold and windy Saturday the teams would have a full hour of practice remaining prior to this afternoon's qualifying. After Friday Mark Webber and Nico Rosberg were in fourteenth and twenty second positions. There was some dampness on the certain parts of the track. With the start of the session it would be Ide first out. He was followed by Massa and Liuzzi. Both of the MF1 cars were also out.

Button, Barrichello, and Michael Schumacher were also out. Massa would spin his car and was able to keep going. Michael was back in his garage, joined bt Massa. Some drivers were running with wet tyres while others were out on the extreme wet tyre. Ide would spin at the same place, approach to Turn nine, and was able to continue. Ide would set the first time a 2m:17.638. Both Toyota's were also out. They were joined by Villeneuve and Fisichella.

Trulli would set the first quick time with a 1m:50.442. Coulthard and Montoya were also out for their installation lap. Trulli would run wide at Turn one. Raikkonen was also out. With ten minutes of the session run neither Mark or Nico had come out. Fisichella would move to the top of the times with a 1m:43.382 and Villeneuve was second. Ralf was third with a 1m:48.948 but Coulthard would move ahead of the German.

Montoya was now second but it would be Villeneuve who would move to the top of the times with a 1m:41.860. The times were well of the 1m:26 second times from Friday. Kimi was now in fifth with a 1m:48.284. Now we would see both of the WilliamsF1 cars out on their installation laps. Only Heidfeld and Sato had yet to come out. Fisichella was now fastest with a 1m:39.879. Button would complain to his team about the white lines on the track.

Alonso would leave the track at Turn one going across the gravel. Nico would run wide in the corner prior to the start/finish straight. Nico was in ninth with a 1m:52.278. The rain had returned and the conditions were getting worse. Nico would move into fourth with a 1m:46.346. Alonso was now in third with a 1m:41.750. Alonso would have another off track moment at Turn one.

Nico would return to his garage. Klien was slowest with a 1m:52.480. Mark was sitting in his car in his garage closing following proceedings via his monitor. The rain would ease and Alonso would move to the top of the times with a 1m:39.654. There was thirty five minutes remaining in the session. The track was drying as Klien and Mark returned to the track. Button would spin at Turn four but was able to keep going. Ide would leave the track at Turn one.

Klien would also spin at Turn four. Heidfeld was now in fifth with a 1m:44.123. Liuzzi and Barrichello were now in fourth and fifth. Mark was down in eleventh as he got the feel for the track. He would return to his garage. He would have a moment at Turn three when he ran wide. Button was now fastest with a 1m:39.007. Liuzzi was now in third. Villeneuve would push Button into second when he went fastest with a 1m:38.935. Coulthard was now fourth.

At the front Fisichella was now fastest, 1m:36.419, followed by Heidfeld, 1m:38.159. But Jacques would move ahead of his team-mate and into second with a 1m:37.994. Button and Barrichello weer in fourth and fifth with twenty five minutes remaining in the session. Nico and Mark were in twelfth and thirteenth. Klien was now in fourth with a 1m:38.811. Early pace setter Alonso was down in eighth, as the sun came out and we had blue sky.

Massa and Michael Schumacher were both out. Albers would run wide at Turn six and beach his car in the gravel ending his session. The Michelin runners were certainly holding the advantage. Michael would move into fourth with a 1m:38.405. Nico was now in tenth with a 1m:39.401, 2.987 seconds off the quickest time. mark was in seventeenth. Michael was now in third with a 1m:37.805.

Nico would return to the pit lane but was quickly back out again. Massa was now in second with a 1m:36.506. Mark was now back out after having only completed six laps. Alonso was going back out running on slick tyres. mark's first alp would see him in fifth with a 1m:38.036. Barrichello was now in third with a 1m:37.481. Mark was now in seventh and Nico twelfth.

Alonso would get a wobble up at Turn four as he hit a damp patch on the circuit. Mark would run wide at Turn fifteen and take to the grass. He would return to his garage. Villeneuve would go fastest with a 1m:36.281. Montoya and Raikkonen were down in eighteenth and nineteenth places. Trulli was on a quick lap moving into fifth with a 1m:37.492. Team-mate Ralf Schumacher was now in third with a 1m:36.445. Heidfeld was back out on the track.

Liuzzi was now in second with a 1m:36.373. With only a few minutes remaining Scott Speed was in ninth. Heidfeld would go fastest with a 1m:35.335. So we had BMW Sauber's in the top two positions. Michael was out and would move into seventh. On his next alp he would make a small mistake at Turn thirteen and would abort his lap as the session came to an end. With the end of the session Mark and Nico were in twelfth and fifteenth places.

After practice Patrick Head, in an interview for local TV station Channel ten spoke of what the team achieved. He said: "Seeing the way the tyres behave on this track with the changing  conditions is mainly what is has been about this morning. We have not been too following lap times, just getting the drivers happy with things.

Are the drivers happy. Head added: "I think they are reasonably happy. The drivers did not do a lot yesterday. Alex did a lot of running yesterday and we are happy with out tyre choice. It will be fine."