Australian Grand Prix 2011: Second Practice Session - Part 3
Lap times started improving as the Pirelli tyres gained heat. Fernando Alonso was able to improve on his previous time with a 1 minute 27.112 seconds. Meanwhile, Renault’s Nick Heidfeld finished his lap 9th fastest.
Moments later, Jenson Button fought back with yet another fastest lap that put him above Schumacher. The Briton’s time was a 1 minute 26.156. Felipe Massa further improved with a 1 minute 26.571 to go fifth fastest.
A few corners later, Lewis Hamilton reinstated the McLaren dominance as he became the first driver to break into the 1 minute 25’s with a 1 minute 25.986. Mark Webber brought his Red Bull up into third fastest with a 1 minute 26.854 – The Australian could’ve gone faster but lost a decent chunk of milliseconds in the 3rd sector of the lap.
Sebastian Vettel improved his lap time to a 1 minute 26.014 – Evidence that the Red Bull’s were still in the game.
There was more urgency as the practice session was nearing its end. Michael Schumacher locked up his right front tyre as he steered his Mercedes through turn 1. Timo Glock ran wide on the same turn a few moments later. The Virgin Racing car cut across the grass to return to the track with little damage. Alguersuari moved to 11th with a 1 minute 27.525 seconds.
Moments later, the heavens finally opened up. Race Control declared Wet Track conditions as the drivers reduced their pace. Pastor Maldonado slid off the track and into the grass – Evidently lacking grip on the dry weather Pirellis. As a further safety precaution, Race Control announced that the Drag Reduction System (DRS) had been disabled.
After a cautious finish, the second practice session finally drew to a close.
The McLarens headed the charts with a strong 1 – 2 with Jenson Button going faster than Lewis Hamilton. Fernando Alonso was 3rd for Ferrari – A clear indication that the scarlet machine has the legs to challenge at the head of the pack this term as well. Surprisingly, both Red Bulls finished 4th and 5th respectively - Sebastian Vettel faster than Mark Webber – Perhaps an indication that the Red Bulls were conserving their machinery for the next day?
Michael Schumacher was 6th as he managed to go faster than his young teammate who finished 10th. Felipe Massa, in the second Ferrari, was a touch disappointing in 7th. However, it should be noted that practice sessions should not be solely used as a yardstick to measure performance before ‘competitive’ qualifying and race.
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