Australian Grand Prix 2011, First Practice Session: Formula One highlights - Part 3
Moments later, there was debris on the circuit believed to be from the engine cover of Kamui Kobayashi’s Sauber – Hopefully the team would be able to get the car back on track before the start of the second practice session.
The first practice session of the 2011 season finally drew to a close.
As things stood, it appeared to be a Red Bull front row with local driver Mark Webber setting the quickest time ahead of teammate Sebastian Vettel. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso trailed in third; almost a second behind the leading pace. Nico Rosberg again proved to be the ‘better’ Mercedes driver as he ended the session fourth fastest. It was further indication that the Mercedes can be competitive although seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher was down in 8th. The two McLaren drivers followed fifth placed Rubens Barrichello with Kamui Kobayashi and Vitaly Petrov rounding up the top ten.
While practice sessions are generally considered as a somewhat ‘informal’ outing that basically involves teams merely giving their respective cars a gentle push so as to get a feel of the surrounding, the first practice session at Albert Park however, was a lot more than that. The teams had issued their respective statements regarding their preparations for the coming season.
The injection of technology meant cars could vary their pace around the circuit – Namely, the adjustable wing or the Drag Resistance System (DRS) along with the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS). To compliment that, this was also Pirelli tyre’s debut race after taking over from Bridgestone as the sole tyre manufacturer of the multi-billion dollar motorsport.
Moreover, it was also a measure of where the team stood after all the hard work that went into pre-season testing. If nothing else, it was also, potentially, the first glimpse of all 22 cars on one track.
On the flip side, it was still a ‘practice session’. The constructors knew that competitive qualifying was yet to follow and it made for an excellent opportunity to try out some mind games so as to keep the opponent guessing. While Red Bull Racing were dominant yet again, it was still interesting to see where the rest of the pack lined up come qualifying.
Could Ferrari make a lunge for the podium and start the race at the front row or did McLaren Mercedes still have a couple of tricks up their sleeves? Could Michael Schumacher be able to exhibit the same level of intensity and competitiveness that compliment his reputation of a seven-time World Champion?
Log on to Bettor.com for the highlights package of the second practice session of the Australian Grand Prix from Albert Park.
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