Rookie F1

I hate to inform you Alonso; but waxing your legs for cycling doesn’t give you an advantage…if you were a swimmer I would let you off. Oh, if you skim read that (shame on you) I’ll repeat it. Alonso has waxed his legs. I’ll let that sink in.

Read: Alonso re-waxed and ready to race

Recovered?

The light is fading fast here; giving us a glimpse into the conditions the drivers will be qualifying in and what sunday will be like. Listening to the 5 Live commentary is a hoot; definitely the only way to watch the pre-race sessions, they are joined by Karun Chandhok who is hilarious. It would be a shame for him to find himself without a seat next year; but he has definitely shown his ability off the track.

Free Practice 2:

13:00: The session starts and we have the reason behind Barrichello’s untimely stop at the end of FP1; his car lost drive and it’s been changed and he’s all set for FP2.

13:02: Times are posted pretty quickly; Hamilton is first with 1:43.292.

13:10: Sun is definitely setting now. Hamilton confirms his lead with 1:41.664, followed by Alonso (1:42.474) and Massa (1:42.673). Button is still having trouble with his front end…still locking up and as he says this Hamilton creates a massive flat spot on his front left when it happens to him. Clear for anyone to see that McLaren has a stiff chassis compared to others.

1315: Alonso overtakes Hamilton with a 1:41.473 to go top.

13:25: Alonso still has a tight grip on the lead; Webber makes a move to 3rd (1:42.082) and Vettel is down in sixth with 1:42.367.

13:30: Kubica makes a move into 3rd with a 1:41.916 lap, Schumacher marches into 7th with 1:42.246.

13:40: Senna and Hamilton have a moment on the last corner; Senna slows down significantly and this may go to the stewards.

13:42: And it does. And Webber goes into 2nd with 1:41.550.

14:47: Vettel into 2nd with 1:41.534. Hamilton in 4th followed by, Kubica, Button and Massa. Alonso still top.

13:53: Hamilton and Button out on the options (green stripe).

13:56: Petrov in 6th with 1:42.092 (with options). Schumacher locking up and Massa losing rear end. Showing how hard these guys are pushing their cars.

13:58: Alonso pulling back as he comes across some backmarkers. But Massa goes fastest than anyone else in the middle sector.

13:59: Hamilton goes quickest with 1:41.213. Yellow flag out for Alguersuari who spun off after coming into contact with the Astroturf.

14:00: Webber supposed to be out on a 2 lap run…safety car has ruined that.

14:02: Webber into 3rd, Alonso in 2nd, Hamilton extends his lead with a 1:40.888. (Button in 8th)

14:05: Alonso has too much oversteer apparently and pits.

14:06: We’ve had the long fuel runs now…should see some even quicker times now.

14:09: Yellow flag for Massa as he stops on the approach to turn 11. He gets out to make that long walk back to the pits. No, he stays and watches from behind the barrier.

14:11: Vettel now in 2nd with 1:41.145. Hamilton still ahead; Alonso 3rd and Webber 4th.

14:13: Heidfeld struggles under the Yas Hotel. A very forlorn Massa is still watching; his radio call through to his team says ‘no fuel, no fuel’. Red Bull must be smiling; as if Alonso is on the same strategy it means they would have a 1.5 second advantage. Ferrari press relations is ignoring the media…fail!

14:17: Shot of the pit exit…looks like a multi-story car park…a crash he would be disastrous. Conspiracy theories from the 5 Live guys…is this a bluff? The Ferrari pit wall would have known about the fuel levels. Official word from Ferrari is that Massa had a ‘fuel issue’…

14:22: Webber out on track now with the option tire and heavy fuel (1:47.497)

14:23: Hulkenberg’s option tires are devestated…the circuit is in a bad way. He goes back out on a harder compound. Webber staying out so team can replicated a pit stop in darker conditions; can’t be too bothered about his times and happy with his practice performance.

14:26: Jenson Button in for a nose change and back out; they’re obviously trying to figure out this front end problem. Button has only lead Hamilton about 20% of the season, ouch.

14:28: Schumacher front left tire locking up and takes a shortcut across a corner. Hamilton is still leading.

14:30: Still Hamilton, Vettel, Alonso, Webber, Kubica. And we have the checkered flag. Will we have a practice start from Red Bull? Schumacher held up by a Force India at the hairpin.

14:31: Webber 1000th of a second slower than Alonso…very interesting. Wonder if Webber would have pitched a better time if his 2 lap run wasn’t ruined.

14:33: Red Bull are out on the grid for a practice start. Webber out first and parks in 2nd place (his last 2 wins came from here). Hamilton could put a spanner in the works if he wins, Webber 2nd, Vettel 3rd, Alonso 4th – Alonso would win…seriously, who says F1 is boring?!

FP2 Results:

1. Lewis Hamilton – 1:40.888

2. Sebastian Vettel – 1:41.145

3. Fernando Alonso – 1:41.314

Read: Full Results

Later rookies!