US Grand Prix – Saturday practice

July 1, 2006 by paul
Filed under: Uncategorized

Track temperature 34°C; air temp 28°C; wind 1.5m/s; humidity 57%
Monteiro and Albers are first out of the pits … but they return to the pits
Sato does the same

5mins gone; everyone’s sitting in the garage

10mins gone
Webber and Coulthard take to the circuit
Villeneuve joins them on track
Webber is the first to set a lap time – 1:14.475

15mins gone
Coulthard posts 1:15.207 (P2)
MW 1:14.054
JV 1:14.156 (P2)
MW 1:13.675
Fisichella takes to the grass coming out of Turn 1

20mins gone
Raikkonen 1:13.436
Speed 1:13.417 – that should excite the crowd
Replay shows KR fighting to keep his McLaren on track
Fisichella 1:13.357

25mins gone
M.Schumacher 1:12.484
MS runs a bit wide in T2
MS 1:12.145
Alonso’s first flying lap 1:13.303 (P2)
MS 1:12.100

30mins left; track now 38°C; air 30°C; wind 2.1m/s; humidity 52%
MW spins off onto the grass at the inside of T11 but rejoins OK
Pit-car radio: Button reports “shuddering through the whole run”, especially in T4
Only Massa and Montagny have yet to set a lap time

25mins left
FMa 1:11.039 – takes P1 from his team-leader by 1.061s

20mins left
Yellow flag for MS as he spins at T7

15mins left
Heidfeld splits the Ferraris - 1:12.091 (P2)

10mins left
Sato (P22/last) is over 4.5secs slower than Massa
NH improves his P2 time – 1:12.049 – but still just over 1s behind FMa

5mins left
GF 1:11.940 (P2)
KR being baulked by MS
MS was holding KR up so he could get a good tow off Alonso
MS 1:10.760

Session ends
Fastest lap: MS 1:10.760
2nd: FMa 1:11.039
Button 1:12.269 (P7)