Team McLaren-Mercedes proved a factor in the second free practice session for the Grand Prix of Turkey with Heikki Kovalainen dominating the timesheets for much of the session.
Kovalainen, Lewis Hamilton teammate’s at McLaren is confident that the aerodynamic modifications introduced by the team for the race have improved the team's performance. The British team has introduced some minor tweaks to its floor, which it ran for the first time on Friday.
Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, the Brawn GP's drivers admitted that they struggled for grip after ending the day uncharacteristically low in the pecking order (Barrichello is 8th, Button is 12th).
Nico Rosberg was pleased with the performance of the updates introduced by the Williams-Toyota team for the race. The German set the fastest in the morning session and then ranked 7th in the afternoon, beaten by his teammate Kazuki Nakajima.
Red Bull Racing driver Sebastian Vettel was left lamenting his lack of running in Friday's practice after being hit by engine problems.
Vettel managed just four laps in the afternoon session after stopping his car when he felt a severe vibration. The problem turned out to be related to the engine.
Robert Kubica (BMW-Sauber) was a surprising third in the afternoon while both Ferrari drivers Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen finished the day in 11th and 15th place, respectively.
On the tire side, the soft, option, green-walled Bridgestones proved to be slower in general across the field. Their grip seems to disappear very quickly. Running them in the race will be problematic.
Free practice session 2, Friday
1 - Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren MP4/24-Mercedes) - 1'28"841 - 37 laps
2 - Fernando Alonso (Renault R29) - 1'28"847 - 35
3 - Robert Kubica (BMW F1.09) - 1'29"056 - 35
4 - Kazuki Nakajima (Williams FW31-Toyota) - 1'29"091 - 37
5 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB5-Renault) - 1'29"202 - 4
6 - Jarno Trulli (Toyota TF109) - 1'29"207 - 40
7 - Nico Rosberg (Williams FW31-Toyota) - 1'29"257 - 40
8 - Rubens Barrichello (Brawn BGP001-Mercedes) - 1'29"305 - 34
9 - Mark Webber (Red Bull RB5-Renault) - 1'29"383 - 39
10 - Nelson Piquet (Renault R29) - 1'29"401 - 38
11 - Felipe Massa (Ferrari F60) - 1'29"416 - 37
12 - Jenson Button (Brawn BGP001-Mercedes) - 1'29"430 - 32
13 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren MP4/24-Mercedes) - 1'29"435 - 31
14 - Timo Glock (Toyota TF109) - 1'29"518 - 40
15 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari F60) - 1'29"520 - 33
16 - Nick Heidfeld (BMW F1.09) - 1'29"550 - 40
17 - Adrian Sutil (Force India VJM02-Mercedes) - 1'30"081 - 32
18 - Giancarlo Fisichella (Force India VJM02-Mercedes) - 1'30"091 - 37
19 - Sébastien Bourdais (Toro Rosso STR4-Ferrari) - 1'30"295 - 39
20 - Sébastien Buemi (Toro Rosso STR4-Ferrari) - 1'30"629 - 36
photo:McLaren
Kovalainen, Lewis Hamilton teammate’s at McLaren is confident that the aerodynamic modifications introduced by the team for the race have improved the team's performance. The British team has introduced some minor tweaks to its floor, which it ran for the first time on Friday.
Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, the Brawn GP's drivers admitted that they struggled for grip after ending the day uncharacteristically low in the pecking order (Barrichello is 8th, Button is 12th).
Nico Rosberg was pleased with the performance of the updates introduced by the Williams-Toyota team for the race. The German set the fastest in the morning session and then ranked 7th in the afternoon, beaten by his teammate Kazuki Nakajima.
Red Bull Racing driver Sebastian Vettel was left lamenting his lack of running in Friday's practice after being hit by engine problems.
Vettel managed just four laps in the afternoon session after stopping his car when he felt a severe vibration. The problem turned out to be related to the engine.
Robert Kubica (BMW-Sauber) was a surprising third in the afternoon while both Ferrari drivers Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen finished the day in 11th and 15th place, respectively.
On the tire side, the soft, option, green-walled Bridgestones proved to be slower in general across the field. Their grip seems to disappear very quickly. Running them in the race will be problematic.
Free practice session 2, Friday
1 - Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren MP4/24-Mercedes) - 1'28"841 - 37 laps
2 - Fernando Alonso (Renault R29) - 1'28"847 - 35
3 - Robert Kubica (BMW F1.09) - 1'29"056 - 35
4 - Kazuki Nakajima (Williams FW31-Toyota) - 1'29"091 - 37
5 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull RB5-Renault) - 1'29"202 - 4
6 - Jarno Trulli (Toyota TF109) - 1'29"207 - 40
7 - Nico Rosberg (Williams FW31-Toyota) - 1'29"257 - 40
8 - Rubens Barrichello (Brawn BGP001-Mercedes) - 1'29"305 - 34
9 - Mark Webber (Red Bull RB5-Renault) - 1'29"383 - 39
10 - Nelson Piquet (Renault R29) - 1'29"401 - 38
11 - Felipe Massa (Ferrari F60) - 1'29"416 - 37
12 - Jenson Button (Brawn BGP001-Mercedes) - 1'29"430 - 32
13 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren MP4/24-Mercedes) - 1'29"435 - 31
14 - Timo Glock (Toyota TF109) - 1'29"518 - 40
15 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari F60) - 1'29"520 - 33
16 - Nick Heidfeld (BMW F1.09) - 1'29"550 - 40
17 - Adrian Sutil (Force India VJM02-Mercedes) - 1'30"081 - 32
18 - Giancarlo Fisichella (Force India VJM02-Mercedes) - 1'30"091 - 37
19 - Sébastien Bourdais (Toro Rosso STR4-Ferrari) - 1'30"295 - 39
20 - Sébastien Buemi (Toro Rosso STR4-Ferrari) - 1'30"629 - 36
photo:McLaren