Australia: Midfield in practice as the rain hits

By Phil Huff
April 1 2006

Honda Racing F1 head into qualifying looking somewhat slower than the competition, with Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button ending the rain affected session in eighth and 13th place respectively.

However, our rivals at Renault and McLaren also suffered a mixed session, with Fisichella up in fourth and world championship leader Fernando Alonso down in 17th. McLaren's drivers didn't post competitive times, propping up the bottom of the time sheets.

At the head of the field were both BMW-Sauber drivers, with Nick Heidfeld edging out ex-BAR racer Jacques Villeneuve.

With qualifying just two hours away, the weather patter on intermittent showers is set to remain.