Japanese GP - Wet start
Suzuka, 2 October 2009
Rain has traditionally played a part in the Japanese Grand Prix – remember the deluge at Fuji two years ago? – and the change of venue to Suzuka did not alter the trend. Both free practice sessions were run in the wet, although conditions were slightly better in the morning. While it might look frightening from the outside, Formula 1 drivers are a special breed and most of them seemed to enjoy the experience, as they evaluated both the Intermediate and Extreme wet weather tyres that Bridgestone has brought here, just a short trip of 322 kilometres from their Kodaira City Technical Centre. Both F60s ran reliably today, completing a total of only 62 laps, as conditions in the afternoon meant there was little to learn from lapping the track, which by then had rivers of water running across it. In fact, as Team Principal Stefano Domenicali pointed out, in the end, they went out more to put on a show for the hardy fans in the grandstands than for any work reason. Although being out on track at the end of the session did entitle the driver to do a practice start off the grid, which could be useful if it was to rain on Sunday. Actually, the current forecast is that the weather should improve with each passing day.
The morning times are actually more relevant than those set in P2, with the fastest time being around seven seconds quicker than in the afternoon. Giancarlo was fourth and Kimi was eighth. Quickest this morning was Heikki Kovalainen for McLaren-Mercedes, ahead of local hero Kazuki Nakajima in the Williams, with Adrian Sutil third for Force India. Fifth was Sebastien Buemi in the Ferrari-powered Toro Rosso, ahead of reigning world champion and winner in Singapore last Sunday, Lewis Hamilton in the second McLaren. He led a trio of world champions, as Fernando Alonso in the Renault was seventh ahead of Kimi.
There is one new name on the time sheet today, that of Kobayashi, deputising for Toyota’s Timo Glock, as the German driver was feeling unwell. It is hoped that he will be back to work tomorrow.
Rain has traditionally played a part in the Japanese Grand Prix – remember the deluge at Fuji two years ago? – and the change of venue to Suzuka did not alter the trend. Both free practice sessions were run in the wet, although conditions were slightly better in the morning. While it might look frightening from the outside, Formula 1 drivers are a special breed and most of them seemed to enjoy the experience, as they evaluated both the Intermediate and Extreme wet weather tyres that Bridgestone has brought here, just a short trip of 322 kilometres from their Kodaira City Technical Centre. Both F60s ran reliably today, completing a total of only 62 laps, as conditions in the afternoon meant there was little to learn from lapping the track, which by then had rivers of water running across it. In fact, as Team Principal Stefano Domenicali pointed out, in the end, they went out more to put on a show for the hardy fans in the grandstands than for any work reason. Although being out on track at the end of the session did entitle the driver to do a practice start off the grid, which could be useful if it was to rain on Sunday. Actually, the current forecast is that the weather should improve with each passing day.
The morning times are actually more relevant than those set in P2, with the fastest time being around seven seconds quicker than in the afternoon. Giancarlo was fourth and Kimi was eighth. Quickest this morning was Heikki Kovalainen for McLaren-Mercedes, ahead of local hero Kazuki Nakajima in the Williams, with Adrian Sutil third for Force India. Fifth was Sebastien Buemi in the Ferrari-powered Toro Rosso, ahead of reigning world champion and winner in Singapore last Sunday, Lewis Hamilton in the second McLaren. He led a trio of world champions, as Fernando Alonso in the Renault was seventh ahead of Kimi.
There is one new name on the time sheet today, that of Kobayashi, deputising for Toyota’s Timo Glock, as the German driver was feeling unwell. It is hoped that he will be back to work tomorrow.
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