Mark Webber executes successful Korean practice
Red Bull's Mark Webber has set the pace for Korea's inaugural Grand Prix with a speedy lap time of 1:37.942 during the second practice session.
His result usurps hope for McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, who had topped the first practice amidst mounting pressure to perform during this weekend's
event as he challenges race favourites Red Bull and Ferrari.
Australian Webber, who is leading the driver's championship with 220 points, praised the Hermann Tilke circuit.
“It has got a couple of unique sections which are always good,
it's nice to have a bit of a challenge at a new venue we go to...We have to keep chipping away and doing what we can with our programme and working on our car, there is a lot of information to gather on a new venue and we have done that pretty successfully.”
The 5.621 km track is believed to be suited to the Red Bull cars, with its mixture of high-speed straights and complex turns, and after team-mate
Sebastian Vettel's victory at Suzuka earlier this month, Red Bull's rivals will be seeking a result to keep them in contention for the championship title.
Fernando Alonso of Ferrari retained his threat with a 1:38.132, a mere 0.190 behind Webber, while Lewis Hamilton came in third with a time of
1:38.279.
Renault scored a surprise success with Polish driver Robert Kubica, who finished fourth in practice, followed by McLaren's Jenson Button and
Ferrari's Felipe Massa.
Vettel uncharacteristically failed to make his mark during the session after spending the practice time trying to elude Lotus' Jarno Trulli,
and finished seventh. Webber also faced difficulties as his vehicle slipped into a spin at the treacherous Turn 12, but recovered in time to continue and successfully complete his next lap. Button's McLaren demanded attention when the rear overheated in the
pit lane, but returned to the track after the fire was safely extinguished.
With the unpredictable nature of this season's remarkable championship the ever the reigning factor, Korea's introduction into the world Formula
One will be a flourishing and festive event, with critics anxiously awaiting the results in this third to last race of 2010. Qualifying begins on Saturday, October 22.
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