Abu Dhabi GP Friday and Saturday Practice Thread

[Icon]

3 more hours before practice, Hope we will out-pace red-bulls. :thumb

Forza Ferrari

:ferrarifl:ferrarifl:ferrarifl:ferrarifl:ferrarifl :ferrarifl:ferrarifl:ferrarifl:ferrarifl

[goferrarigo]

Well in practice i am just expecting maybe 10-15 in the first practice session and then around p 4-5 in the second, unless they are going to run a completely different session as normal.

[Hermann]

Rain.....


http://desmond.yfrog.com/Himg12/scaled.php?tn=0&server=12&filename=9tvo.jpg&xsize=640&ysize=640


:lou

[Joni]

And it was predicted no rain! :-E

[Hornet]

Wow.

These year we sure have been getting alot of rain everywhere we go

[SanderV]

Morning all.

Let's hope for the perfect weekend, starting today. Bit disappointed about the rain though.

[Hermann]

News from Lobato: no more rain, track is dry. Lets see some action hopefully!


http://i53.tinypic.com/15iuxh.jpg

[Greig]

:ferrarifl:ferrarifl:ferrarifl

[vcs316]

The track is drying extremely rapidly after that earlier shower with the 28 degree ambient quickly warming the track surface.

[vcs316]

08:59 Championship leader Fernando Alonso is also ready to head out for his first lap of the weekend.

08:58 Sebastian Vettel is ready for action in his Red Bull machine ahead of a high-pressure weekend for the young German.

[vcs316]

Mercedes says: "The sun is back out at Yas Marina and we're ready for the start of P1..."

[vcs316]

Here we gooooo

:ferrarifl :ferrarifl :ferrarifl

[Hornet]

Anyone got any live stream links please, thank you :pray

[Haris]

Anyone got a link? Thanks.

[vcs316]

Installation laps continue with Kubica and Alonso among the drivers currently touring around the damp circuit.

13:02
According to the BBC there are some new developments to the Red Bull's F-duct and rear wing.

13:01
The track is still damp in places but a dry line should soon appear.

13:00
Klien is the first driver on track and they are all going out on intermediates by the looks of it. Alguersuari, Buemi and Petrov are all out.

[SanderV]

http://www.firstrow.net/watch/36618/2/watch-f1-grand-prix---abu-dhabi-%28practice-1%29.html

[Sempre_Ferrari]

Looking forward to a great weekend and no matter the outcome this season has been spectacular and great to watch Ferrari and Fernando's comeback from an erratic first half of the season :thumb

Forza Scuderia, Fernando e Felipe ...siete gia Campioni nei mie occhi :ferrarifl

[Hornet]

http://www.firstrow.net/watch/36618/2/watch-f1-grand-prix---abu-dhabi-%28practice-1%29.html
Thanks!

[vcs316]

Alonso has intermediates on his Ferrari as he wraps up his installation lap and heads to the pits.

Vettel looks a bit twitchy and runs wide as he finds the level of grip. Schumacher also runs wide.

[vcs316]

Ferrari reports: "Both drivers are back in the garage. They reported that the track is still damp here and there, especially from T11"

[vcs316]

We might not get a huge amount of action over the next 20 minutes or so as the teams wait for the circuit to dry. There is no point for the likes of Alonso and Vettel using up engine mileage in the wet.

[MundoX]

http://sportstream24.com/f1/watch_online_1.php

[SanderV]

http://sportstream24.com/f1/watch_online_1.php

Thanks. English commentary :-)

[vcs316]

At Red Bull, Dr. Helmut Marko is in deep conversation with his charge Sebastian Vettel with the German showing no immediate sign of heading out.

[vcs316]

30 minutes into the session and we are still waiting for our first timed lap. No cars on track at the moment.

[vcs316]

Kobayashi is not looking like he is going out any time soon as he chats with Peter Sauber and Monisha Kaltenborn.

Trulli is on the pit wall talking to team boss Tony Fernandes.

[Greig]

Well this is good for our engines :-D

[RedRebel40]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Fiondella]

Morning all.
From beeb live text:

gizmo_ on Twitter: "Based on my F1 game, Webber will wipe out Alonso, Ham & Vettel, crash into Sutil then start driving backwards around the track."

[Stormsearcher]

zzzzzzz........... snore fest so far. :roll

[brava]

Now they started

[vcs316]

Force India says: "Not much happening at the moment. Track is still wet from the rain and still very green"

[brava]

Massa on track with hard tyres

[vcs316]

Massa is also out on hard tyres.

13:49
Buemi and Liuzzi are also out on track.

13:48
Petrov sets a 1:51.465, over ten seconds off the lap record. Hulkenberg is only marginally quicker on a 1:51.207.

[vcs316]

Webber and Alonso are out on track now.

[vcs316]

Massa is told to pit his Ferrari because of a "small telemetry problem"

[vcs316]

57 min: Alonso puts in his first proper lap of the day to go second quickest with a 1m46.419s.

57 min: Webber crosses the line in 1m46.626s to go second behind Petrov.

[Fiondella]

Nando P2 2/10s ahead of Webber

[Fiondella]

Correction P1 :-)

[vcs316]

Alonso goes one better with his next lap to top the times in 1m45.807s.

[Fiondella]

I feel a Ferrari 1 2 coming on this weekend. Oh Yes

[Sempre_Ferrari]

I feel a Ferrari 1 2 coming on this weekend. Oh Yes

+1

[Fiondella]

Oh Webber 6/10s ahead now

[vcs316]

The Australian moves up two places to top the list with 1m45.177s.

[Greig]

Rear wheel sensor problem for Massa, no biggie :-)

[vcs316]

Alonso and Petrov have returned to the pits.

[vcs316]

Rear wheel sensor problem for Massa, no biggie :-)

Phewwww:-)

[Fiondella]

Vettel 9/10s bloody hell

[Greig]

they were doing 1.39's in qual last year

[vcs316]

they were doing 1.39's in qual last year

The fastest time here last year was a 1m39.695s set in Q2 by Lewis Hamilton

[Fiondella]

Ok so rubbering in :-)

[vcs316]

Alonso is back on track for a second run.

[Fiondella]

Would be good for Nando to slap in best time this sesh just to give Webber the eebie jeebies

[vcs316]

Alonso is currently a long way off the pace of the Red Bulls but that's no surprise as we've seen Ferrari run heavy on Friday at almost every race this season.

[vcs316]

Alonso clocks the fastest time through the twisting final sector as he moves up to fifth quickest.

[Fiondella]

Hamster looks like going P1

[SanderV]

Hamilton P2, immediately on the pace.

[Fiondella]

Is Alonso doing long run?

[RedRebel40]

today Alonso will give more attention to the qualifying speed.

[Sempre_Ferrari]

today Alonso will give more attention to the qualifying speed.

I don't think that will happen till end of FP2, as usual Ferrari don't show their pace in FP1 and concentrate on race setup.

[vcs316]

Alonso is going out for one last run.

[Greig]

So Red Bull will be strong here then, McLaren too by the looks of things

[racingbradley]

OMG the bulls are strong here too!

[Hornet]

I think Vettel will win this one

I only hope that someone gets in between him and Webber to prevent them from swapping places. Hopefully Lewis can do that, if not Alonso.

[Stormsearcher]

OMG the bulls are strong here too!

Should we even be surprised? Those cars have been monsters on almost every track. But Macca are looking strong, Maybe lewser can take out vettel or webber.. I think we are not showing our cards yet... i believe we will be up there locking horns with the bulls.

[Stormsearcher]

I think Vettel will win this one

I only hope that someone gets in between him and Webber to prevent them from swapping places. Hopefully Lewis can do that, if not Alonso.

We need alonso on the podium... No other result is safe enough.

[Ferrari Man]

it s all early days yet.. this is only practise so there is still alot to come from the ferrari...:pray

[Greig]

We will have a better idea next session when we probably turn the revs up

[Brakefade]

Stop micro analyzing. Wait until Saturday practice to get a better idea of the pace of the cars.

[bonzo]

We will have a better idea next session when we probably turn the revs up

No, I think we will be sandbagging in FP2, as well. No need to show the car's potential until end of FP3.

[Lithium]

We will have a better idea next session when we probably turn the revs up
This!
If we finish out of the top 3-4 in FP2, I might get slightly worried :-E but even then, they might only try the quali runs tomorrow (unlikely tho, as quali is vital now!!!!!)
C'mon Ferrari, show us your cards and leave Webbo wetting his pants!!! :-D

[TheProdigalSon]

This!
If we finish out of the top 3-4 in FP2, I might get slightly worried :-E but even then, they might only try the quali runs tomorrow (unlikely tho, as quali is vital now!!!!!)
C'mon Ferrari, show us your cards and leave Webbo wetting his pants!!! :-D

No, it's important not to peak early. We saw what happened to Vettel in Singapore when he peaked to early - fastest in most of the practice sessions but was then unable to make it count in qualifying.

[FerrariF60]

hi everyone

is anyone have any good english links for FP2?

thanks.

[Ferrari Man]

i dont like their prediction of rain showers for the weekend..

[xpman]

remember larst year both Mclaren and RedBull strong here and Hammy should of won this race but not for the car and as we know the RdBulls this year have a even better car. So actualy This race is going to be tough and is a Very good job that Alonso has some 11 points advantage pitty not more. Yes this years Ferrari is a Billion times better car than larst year but still. So as long as Alonso keeps to the plan and just finishes in top 3 places and Webber behind him then should be Job Done and we are :champ:ferrarifl Oh my hopoe is that Massa will come ALIVE this weekend and drive like a man possessed only way hes gona help Ferrari and Alonso.

[SanderV]

Stream with BBC 5 live sports extra commentary: http://sportstream24.com/f1/watch_online_1.php

[Grinsomx]

hi everyone

is anyone have any good english links for FP2?

thanks.

the link is on page 1 or 2 of this thread but i'll make it easy
http://sportstream24.com/f1/watch_online_1.php

bookmark
http://sportstream24.com
www.livescorehunter.com
www.firstrow.net
more streams than you'll ever need

[brava]

Different rear wing for Fernando, with lower down force, Inside Ferrari says

[brava]

P1 for Alonso

[Lithium]

P1!!!!!!!!!! Pole!!!!!! :-D

[FerrariF60]

P1!!!!!!!!!! Pole!!!!!! :-D

yes that would be nice if Alonso can keep P1 for quali

[LAROSA SpA]

Stream with BBC 5 live sports extra commentary: http://sportstream24.com/f1/watch_online_1.php

Thanks for the link, its great :-D

[scuderia_nano]

We shouldnt get worried about Friday times. I remember Alonso saying that he would want to beat the Bulls on Sunday. And let that come true! :thumb:pray

[brava]

Red Bulls on track now, let's see how we stand against them

[Lithium]

Pole!!!!!!!!!! :-D

[Kyss4k]

P1 again for Fernando.

[m schumy]

BBC F1 analyst Anthony Davidson: "This is now crunch time. It is a mental game now. The cars are as competitive as eachother. The Ferraris will be a lot closer to the Red Bulls and we have seen this morning that McLaren have picked up a bit of pace. It is going to come down to Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso and who is going to crack first."

[xpman]

Have to say even though this its 2nd GP , I still think this track Will become a Classic track over time and is still an awesome track and venue even after 1 year

[brava]

BBC F1 analyst Anthony Davidson: "This is now crunch time. It is a mental game now. The cars are as competitive as eachother. The Ferraris will be a lot closer to the Red Bulls and we have seen this morning that McLaren have picked up a bit of pace. It is going to come down to Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso and who is going to crack first."

Webber will crack first.

[m schumy]

1315: As Alonso goes quickest with a 1:41.473, it is worth mentioning that BBC Radio 5 live have an exclusive interview with the Spaniard to be broadcast in their preview programme from 2030 GMT on Friday evening. The Ferrari driver says he believes the turning point of his season was his victory in Korea two races ago: "I never really thought I was out of the championship but also I was not thinking until maybe Korea that I had a strong possibility to win it. To be 11 points in front of second place was a great result for us, and a strong boost for the team. After that, I thought, yes, we can do it." He adds that if he does not win this year's title, he will win one "very soon - I'm very confident for the near future".

[m schumy]

Webber will crack first.

I think that too :thumb

[Ste]

This onboard audio sync issue is doing my head in. Makes watching onboard horrible!

[LAROSA SpA]

I think Karun is 100% correct in his comments.

Why can't he replace Legard.

[brava]

Red Bulls not as fast as Alonso in S2 and S3

[Hornet]

Different rear wing for Fernando, with lower down force, Inside Ferrari says

Looks like it works :-D

[m schumy]

BBC Sport's Andrew Benson: "You will have noticed Jenson Button complaining about locking his front brakes (re: 1311). This has been a problem for him since Korea, and it is rooted in a new brake-bias system that McLaren are trailling and which they have not yet perfected. All the teams have systems, about which they are very secretive, that change the brake bias from front to rear as the downforce bleeds off the car as it slows down during braking. The system on Button's car is aimed at 2011, and McLaren are trying to get a head start on it. Button used it in Korea - and that is what caused him to be so slow in the race. But he decided to stick with it in Brazil, where he also struggled with it. We believe he has it on again for Friday practice in Abu Dhabi."

[brava]

Inside Ferrari

Fernando will go back to FP1 rear wing, while now Felipe will use the lower down force rear wing

[medeni73]

Red Bulls not as fast as Alonso in S2 and S3

I thought Red Bulls should be the quickest ones in S3 ??? Weird...but good also ;)

[brava]

I thought Red Bulls should be the quickest ones in S3 ??? Weird...but good also ;)

Vettel lost half a second to Fernando in S3, and Webber lost two tenths in S3

[Ste]

Woo! Got a bit of Brundle on red button coverage!

[LAROSA SpA]

Woo! Got a bit of Brundle on red button coverage!

:clap

[medeni73]

Wow Kubica P3 ... Renault could also mix into the showdown... :)

[Tifosi]

Yes, thank you Martin. We have the wick turned down because we're DESPERATELY short on engine mileage and STILL we're running first at the moment :roll

[Ste]

Wow Kubica P3 ... Renault could also mix into the showdown... :)

Doubt it. He's probably on a low fuel run while everyone else is doing high full runs. :-)

[SanderV]

Do you get a grid penalty for changing a practice engine? Tomorrow they will use different engines right?

[MMREDDY]

Alonso is on lighter fuel load it seems. Hope the times will come down further

[FerrariF60]

Wow Kubica P3 ... Renault could also mix into the showdown... :)

it's only practice guys...i know Kubica is a good driver, but there are so many different variables: fuel loads, engine revs, SANDBAGGING....
we'll never knwo the real truth until QUALI ON SATURDAY....when ALONSO will take POLE

[Hornet]

Do you get a grid penalty for changing a practice engine? Tomorrow they will use different engines right?

We have 8 engines, and we can change between them however we like

We will only get a penalty if we use a 9th engine

[Hornet]

Wow, Lewis cut across the track into the pit entry, looked like he almost collided with another car

[SanderV]

We have 8 engines, and we can change between them however we like

We will only get a penalty if we use a 9th engine

Thanks, but will we be using today's engine again tomorrow? Probably if it's our best engine left I guess.

[Hermann]

Looks like the different rear wings don't make such a big difference? Fernando being 0,009 faster last lap.

[medeni73]

Alonso now 0.200 ahead Hamilton :) Too bad Massa seems not able to find his pace...

[RACERX11]

Ferrari is to use a different engine for saturday and sunday... if I recall correctly, the engine used in Monza , is the one that will be used tomorrow.

[Kyss4k]

Now that is interesting. Fernando did the same time with the lower downforce wing like he did with the high force one.

[brava]

Now that is interesting. Fernando did the same time with the lower downforce wing like he did with the high force one.

Lower fuel level after some laps?

[medeni73]

Soft tyres havent been used yet...who could profit more from them what do you think?

[Ste]

Webber just went for a quick lap and wasn't able to beat Alonso's time. Out by 8 hundredths.

Vettel also going for a quick lap now, PB in S1 and a PB in S2, but nowhere near Alonso's S2 pace.

Commentators suggesting Hamilton may get a fine/penalty for the Senna incident.

[Kyss4k]

Lower fuel level after some laps?

Well We don't know the fuel levels sure so you may be right.

[WS6TransAm01]

insident with car 2 and 21 investigated after FP2?

[Stormsearcher]

hi everyone

is anyone have any good english links for FP2?

thanks.

http://www.firstrow.net/watch/36619/4/watch-f1-grand-prix---abu-dhabi-%28practice-2%29.html

[medeni73]

Vettel seems in trouble too...not one clean round from him untill now...

[Ste]

Here goes Seb.

PB, PB. Wow. goes P2. Lost over 2 tenths in S3.

[m schumy]

McLaren test driver Gary Paffett: "It went pretty well this morning. We had more tests to do on rear wing and that went well. We have more changes for one of the wings tonight. Lewis has a bit of locking but Jenson is struggling more, but other than that the cars are well balanced and there are not many other problems."

[brava]

LOL Vettel...he tried but didn't make it.

[NJB13]

Neither Seb or Mark able to beat Nando's time. Not that important really, but, it is on the positive side :-)

[medeni73]

If Alonso "finds" 0.100 in S1 it shouldn't be problem to get the pole...

[LAROSA SpA]

Here goes Seb.

PB, PB. Wow. goes P2. Lost over 2 tenths in S3.

Did he make a mistake in Q3?

Because I think that's were Webber lost time on his 2nd position lap

[NJB13]

Did he make a mistake in Q3?

Because I think that's were Webber lost time on his 2nd position lap

S3 belongs to the F10 :-)

[medeni73]

to repeat myself...who do you think can improve more on soft tyres?

[SanderV]

to repeat myself...who do you think can improve more on soft tyres?

Hard to say really. If I remember correctly Alonso was pretty fast on the primes during last week's race. One lap pace (options) has not been our strength this season so I don't expect too much.

[Hornet]

Guess we have to wait and see for them to do their runs on the soft
I think it would be really close between us and the red bulls

Are they putting the low downforce wing back on Alonso car? Thought I saw the mechanics putting on some screws or something

[brava]

Alonso is back on the lower downforce and with soft tyres

[Greig]

Massa had a spin

[Ste]

Massa has had a spin on the option tyres.

[SanderV]

Massa had a spin.

[Greig]

Nando quicker

[DIEK]

Massa spin...

[Greig]

On option

[brava]

Massa purple S2

[Greig]

Massa quickest in S2

[SanderV]

Alonso aborted his lap, Massa purple S2.

[Ste]

Alonso also no the soft compound.

PB in S1 on a 17.8. Only a few hundredths quicker than his previous best.
Equalled his best in S2, now up by a tenth and a half.

Ah, he's backed off.

Massa has done a purple S2, but only by hundredths.

Hamilton goes P1 by 0.251 from Alonso. Purple in S3.

Alonso going again, PB again in S1, similar time to the previous lap. Lost a tenth on his PB in S2 but had to back off due to the yellow flags.

[NJB13]

Dam TR, wanted to see how everyone went on options :-(

[brava]

wow hamilton

[Ste]

Hamilton going purple in S1 on a 17.6, while Alonso is on a PB in S1, a tenth up on his previous best.

Alonso now PB in S2 as well, slightly quicker than before.

Vettel 2 tenths down in S1 over Hamilton and a tenth over Alonso.

Massa purple in S2, a tenth or so quicker than anyone else. Alonso lost 2 tenths in S3 and stayed P2 a tenth down.

Webber goes P3 - all sectors purple. Massa up to 5th and Hamilton improves massively in S3 by 2 tenths. Leads now by 0.426.

[medeni73]

0.426 lead is too much...low fuel perhaps...

[Ste]

Frankly, if Hamilton is first, that's great for us. We are looking good at the moment, although nobody knows what fuel loads people are on. Usually we don't know the full story until Qualifying.

At the moment though, Hamilton leading from Alonso with both Red Bulls behind us would be fine. :-)

[Hornet]

Looks like both RB are really pushing hard. Good :-D

[Greig]

Alonso complaining of oversteer

[Ste]

Alonso Radio:

"I have too much oversteer, I don't know what we're going to do"

Not 100% sure if the 2nd part of that quote was actually said. Sounded like that.

[dfunk257]

Alonso Radio:

"I have too much oversteer, I don't know what we're going to do"

Not 100% sure if the 2nd part of that quote was actually said. Sounded like that.

I think Fernando is playin mind games with that comment.

[Greig]

Massa stopped

[Ste]

Massa has stopped on track.

[dfunk257]

oh no felipe

[NJB13]

Felipe, what's up?

[WS6TransAm01]

why is massa stoped...

:Hmm

[Hornet]

Oh boy... not again
Hope its not the engine

[Greig]

I bet hydraulics lol

[Ste]

They had the telemetry issue this morning, I wonder if it's an electronics issue.

[Lithium]

I think Fernando is playin mind games with that comment.
Yea, he probably wants to say that they could go even faster :lol
RBR 1.2. is FAR from guaranteed this weekend. McCheaterz look very fast, Ferrari very good too.

[NJB13]

Vettel fastest S1

[Red Rocket]

Let's blame it on Mclaren's ECU

[Ste]

We need to improve our S3. Losing 3 or 4 tenths there. Now Vettel is improving in S1, 2 tenths quicker than Alonso has managed so far.

Vettel seems to struggle in S2 though. Always 1 or 2 tenths slower than anyone else.

[m schumy]

BBC F1 analyst Martin Brundle: "What has surprised me is how good the McLarens look. We do know the Red Bull and Ferrari drivers are short of engine mileage and they'll be cruising in terms of engine power so we won't know the full story until tomorrow. I get a feeling that Lewis Hamilton could just get in among the Red Bulls and Alonso and add another complexity to the championship scenario."

[kazi]

We're getting good at stoping on track during practice :)

[SanderV]

Massa's bad luck again? :roll

I hope Alonso isn't too worried and I don't think he really is. We are looking pretty good at the moment. Massa seemed to struggle in the laps before he stopped.

[NJB13]

Anyone heard anything concrete yet on Felipe's problem?

[medeni73]

Both Massa and Alonso didnt manage to have full clean round on soft so its hard to say where are we loosing time...and I dont think we will cos I guess they re gonna drive full tanked at the end of session...

[SanderV]

Insideferrari reports a 'technical problem'.

[Ste]

So, Massa's problem was that they had no fuel. Did they do that deliberately? I think they're playing mind games, suggesting Fernando is on low low fuel as well. Hmm.

Massa radio:

"Out of fuel, no fuel, ok so I stop the car"

[Kyss4k]

No fuel for Felipe :-D:-D:lol:lol

[Tifosi]

"No fuel"?

[FerrariF60]

massa ran out of fuel....or fuel pump?

[dfunk257]

BBC F1 analyst Martin Brundle: "What has surprised me is how good the McLarens look. We do know the Red Bull and Ferrari drivers are short of engine mileage and they'll be cruising in terms of engine power so we won't know the full story until tomorrow. I get a feeling that Lewis Hamilton could just get in among the Red Bulls and Alonso and add another complexity to the championship scenario."

Its only Friday. RB and Ferrari will not show their true hand until qualy i believe.

[Greig]

no fuel lol, pretty poor stuff if true, probably more like a fuel feed problem

[SanderV]

Strange, maybe a fuel pump problem or something?

[NJB13]

ROFL, ran out of fuel....
They gotta be playing mind games, they wouldn't advertise what fuel level they were running

[medeni73]

well thats not good :) empty tank and still such a bad times...

[kazi]

Massa radio:

"Out of fuel, no fuel, ok so I stop the car"


Ahh i have missed the good old Ferrari screw-ups like forgetting to put fuel in the car :)

[kazi]

Massa radio:

"Out of fuel, no fuel, ok so I stop the car"


Ahh i have missed the good old Ferrari screw-ups like forgetting to put fuel in the car :)

[Hornet]

lol, wow. Sure glad we didn't run out of fuel on Sat or Sun
This is such an important weekend

[Ste]

Ah, how about this for a theory....

Could Ferrari be testing fuel consumption? So they can see how light they can fuel Alonso for the race...

[ferrarific]

No fuel for Massa

[dfunk257]

ROFL, ran out of fuel....
They gotta be playing mind games, they wouldn't advertise what fuel level they were running

i agree. 1 from Fernando, now Felipe.

[LAROSA SpA]

ROFL, ran out of fuel....
They gotta be playing mind games, they wouldn't advertise what fuel level they were running

Gotta hope there playing mind games, make Felipe run slowly with no fuel.

[Fiondella]

Cannot believe he ran out of fuel. Smells like horse do do

[Ste]

Ferrari say a 'Fuel issue' but they don't know exactly what.

[Fiondella]

No mind games from Nando he had definate oversteer in the middle of turm back end let go abruptly

[NJB13]

Ferrari say a 'Fuel issue' but they don't know exactly what.

Do you believe that radio transmission and the fuel comment?

[Fiondella]

So Nando on high fuel run to finish session

[dfunk257]

Commentators r talkin about it. pit lane is talkin about it.
Ferrari masterplan going well so far!

[Red Rocket]

According to all the BBC talk they seem more confused so I am sure Red Bull and Mclaren are equally confused. Let's hope it was a mind game issue.

[FerrariF60]

massa ran out of fuel....or fuel pump?

[Fiondella]

Looks like they're all doing high fuel runs

[Ste]

Do you believe that radio transmission and the fuel comment?

Yea, I think they wanted to test when the car would run out so they can see how lightly they can fuel Alonso in the race :-D

Doubt that is the case, who knows. It's weird that they would publicise that over the radio though.

[Fiondella]

Yeah someone relieved his self in Massa's fuel tank

[NJB13]

Yea, I think they wanted to test when the car would run out so they can see how lightly they can fuel Alonso in the race :-D

Doubt that is the case, who knows. It's weird that they would publicise that over the radio though.

Velly Intellesting

[AvantiFer]

RBR 1 second faster in high fuel runs... :(

[medeni73]

ALonso seems slower in long-runs than Red Bulls and Hamilton... May not mean much cos we dont how FULL are they...

[Ste]

RBR 1 second faster in high fuel runs... :(

Alonso is running 160KG, Red Bull are running 50KG. :-D

Who knows what fuel they are running. Alonso was quicker at the start of these stints, so it's impossible to tell.

[Greig]

Ah, how about this for a theory....

Could Ferrari be testing fuel consumption? So they can see how light they can fuel Alonso for the race...

They do that anyway off course, without the need to run out of fuel :-)

[m schumy]

BBC F1 analyst Anthony Davidson: "After doing the qualifying runs with the option tyres the teams will then put the fuel back in to get an idea of the balance and what the gear ratios are going to be like with the heavier fuel."

BBC pit-lane reporter Holly Samos: "Ferrari's head of communications ignored the media and went to find Rob Smedley in Felipe Massa's garage. He then confirmed, yes it was a fuel issue. We won't know until we get the car back what the issue was."

[Greig]

Not a bad session for us, think we are in good shape for tomorrow :-)

[AvantiFer]

Maybe it is true and we are sandbadging and we've been higher on fuel all the time and Massa's problem was part of that sandbadging, but maybe not and we're screwed! ;(

[Ste]

Not a bad session for us, think we are in good shape for tomorrow :-)

Agree. :-)

[SanderV]

Not too bad, but like I said before it's going to be a tough task this weekend. Shame about Massa's problem, hope that's it for the weekend.

[medeni73]

well its not that bad :) the most important thing Alonso stayed in fron of Webber with Soft-Tyres-time and Webber couldnt catch him even with super-softs...

[Greig]

Lewis will certainly play a part in the title on Sunday if he does not crash out :-) I guess he would rather a Red Bull driver won it though :lol

[brava]

Maybe it is true and we are sandbadging and we've been higher on fuel all the time and Massa's problem was part of that sandbadging, but maybe not and we're screwed! ;(

We're not screwed at all...if the race finish in the same order as the FP2, Alonso is WDC

[NJB13]

Agree. :-)

+1

[Red Rocket]

The usual suspects. Ferrari kept their cards quite close.

Good luck everyone here on getting a good nights sleep tonight.

[SanderV]

Ant optimistic about Alonso, McLaren gonna be up there as well.

[AvantiFer]

We're not screwed at all...if the race finish in the same order as the FP2, Alonso is WDC

Yes but FP2 is based in low fuel runs only, and looking at Vettel's time I think Webber can be there too for qualy. Anyway, it's still FP2, let's wait and see how it goes tomorrow :D

[Tifosi]

We look ok and i like the fact that Hami might actually come in useful for once :-)

[RACERX11]

light up some candles folks.... we are going to need all kinds of help.............. from Massa, Hamster and a bit of luck...


:pray :pray :pray :pray :pray :pray

[brava]

Yes, Lewis may play an important role...I wish Massa is up there to help too.

[elekvault]

InsideFerrari Soft tyres look to degrade significantly today

Lol, this TOTALLY looks like mind games to me...

[Hornet]

Can't believe I'm saying this but I hope they don't penalize Lewis by dropping his grid position for that incident at the pit entry.

Well, its not like they don't give Lewis reprimands only so yeah, at least they should be consistent :-P

[AvantiFer]

When someone is ahead of RB's in FP he usually gets P3 in qualifying, so I wouldn't bet for Hamilton being useful yet...

[Alessandra]

Hasn't been a great season for Felipe and radios, has it?:-)

[racingbradley]

Yes, Lewis may play an important role...I wish Massa is up there to help too.

That would be sooooooooo very ironic LH helping Alonso to win his 3rd title :lol
Maybe he does want to become a Ferrari driver:-(. Uncle Ron are you listening?????????????

[dfunk257]

Im abit worried about Lewis ruining Fernandos race. Unless ure at the front, stay away Lewis!!!!

[bonzo]

Im abit worried about Lewis ruining Fernandos race. Unless ure at the front, stay away Lewis!!!!

No way Lewis helping Fernando! They do not like each other and Lewis (as he said it already) would rather see Mark WDC than Nando for a third time. Lewis might play that tricky role, knowing his feelings towards Nando. Only Massa can be of help if he can sort his problems out tomorrow and make a quali that he used to do before.

[m schumy]

Free Practice 1 Results

http://i51.tinypic.com/2wlsga1.jpg


Free Practice 2 Results

http://i56.tinypic.com/2rge62t.jpg

[m schumy]

BBC F1 analyst Karun Chandhok: "The McLarens are looking really good for a race win, more so than most people expected. A Hamilton victory puts Fernando Alonso in prime position for the championship."

Ferrari on Twitter: "Soft tyres look to degrade significantly today."

[ferrari4life]

Why would Hamilton prefer webber to win.. webber was the one that pretty much put hami out of the title in singapore.
he might help vettel.. hope he gets in between the bulls. if we cant do it.

[type056]

[img]http://www.4shared.com/photo/rj1R-Bv5/FP2.jpg[/imgl]

[racingbradley]

Hmm it all depends on how much Lewis would like to drive the red car :-ZZ

[Hornet]

I see no reason for Lewis to help anyone. He should just go out and win it for himself.

Would be a shame if he tries anything funny just because he wants to see a particular driver becomes the champion.

[Kingdom Hearts]

Hamilton want revenge on Alonso (2 overtakes in 2 races because Hamilton's own mistakes). Hamilton is dangerous enemy always, maybe this weekend more. We look good so far but Hamilton is on the mix and I doubt Reb Bull is showing their cards yet.

[Red is Best]

Not bad, but I didn't expect Lewser to be that fast. If he gets pole, no problem. But if he gets between the RB's and Alonso, we're in for a really complicated Sunday.
Also I'm glad that Massa is showing signs of improvement. He could turn out to be (finally) useful during the race.

[Stormsearcher]

I very much doubt that Lewis would deliberately sabotage Nandos race ( or of webber or vettel for that matter)... But he is a dangerous driver to get around or have behind. So best we keep away from him.. and take pole. ;-)

[Nova]

If FA doesnt win, then I prefer Ham to win....for this race, n this 1 alone, I dont mind seeing him win..providing of course that FA finishes 2nd....

And where did the silly notion of LH driving for Ferrari ever come from???

No, but really....I dont expect any change in Q...the RB's are still the fastest cars..dam, what do they got in those things???
N the RB's wont show their cards till tomorrow..

[RockyRaccoon]

I can't take the nerves! I hope for an Alonso Hamilton front row but I don't see it happening, I don't think we seem all that strong at this point, particularly on the long runs.

[Ferrari Man]

I m just hoping we have our engine revs turned down considerably to save the engine life to be able to tweek em back up to the max for quali 3.. No point in been top of the practice sessions .. They get you nothin..

[Ferrarichamp]

If Ham wins with Webber 2nd, alonso will only need to finish P5 to claim the title, Web & Alo would be tied on points but Alo would have 1 more win :-)

[bonzo]

I m just hoping we have our engine revs turned down considerably to save the engine life to be able to tweek em back up to the max for quali 3.. No point in been top of the practice sessions .. They get you nothin..

The engine used today won't be the engine used tomorrow and the race. I think (correct me if I am wrong), Ferrari can use one engine on FA car for FP3 tomorrow and change it with a different one for quali and race, however, that is a lot risky....Just two hours between FP3 and quali

[Ferrari Man]

The engine used today won't be the engine used tomorrow and the race. I think (correct me if I am wrong), Ferrari can use one engine on FA car for FP3 tomorrow and change it with a different one for quali and race, however, that is a lot risky....Just two hours between FP3 and quali

Damn I think you might be right..

[racingbradley]

The engine used today won't be the engine used tomorrow and the race. I think (correct me if I am wrong), Ferrari can use one engine on FA car for FP3 tomorrow and change it with a different one for quali and race, however, that is a lot risky....Just two hours between FP3 and quali

I would imagine the engine used for practice 3 will be the one used for the weekend-------it would be a bit dangerous to have to change an engine in 2 hours------it wouldn't allow for any hiccups:-)

[SanderV]

Indeed, as far as I know the engine used on Friday is different from the one used on Saturday and Sunday...

[Rosso Corsa]

A fairly typical Friday for us, up in the mix. It's ALL to play for.

[scuderiafan]

I hope Hamilton does well this race, BUT the McLaren was fast in Korea Practice too, and they were miles off in Quali.
We always 'sandbag' on friday, and i'm suprised that some aren't surprised at our slow fp1 pace. We will go well here i hope.
Point is, this is only practice.

[Sianellen]

Ferrari
Fernando Alonso, P1 - 1:44.121, 6th; P2 - 1:41.314, 3rd
“This weekend has got off on the right foot for us, as we gathered a lot of data which is now being evaluated by our engineers. The first thing to do on a Friday is to check that everything is alright and that the handling of the car corresponds to what we have seen in the simulations and after that you have to work on improving performance by changing set-up and aerodynamic downforce levels and that is exactly what we did during these three hours. We are reasonably pleased with the car’s level of competitiveness and the fact it feels easy to drive, but we know there is still more potential that can be extracted to go even quicker. I expect tomorrow’s qualifying to be very tight: let’s hope we can get closer to the Red Bulls than we have been in the past. There is no point in speculating over the possible scenarios that could unfold in the race: we have to concentrate on ourselves and on how to make the car go faster."

Felipe Massa, P1 - 1:45.160, 11th; P2 - 1:41.583, 6th
“Overall, it was a good debut for me at this track, where I was unable to race last year. My times came down progressively, both because of the changing track conditions and also, as lap after lap, I managed to learn where I could push harder. It was a shame I had a little problem towards the end of the second session which prevented me from doing my last series of laps with a heavy fuel load. I hope to be able to continue to make progress so as to be in the fight for the top places. The car seems to handle well: now we must analyse the data we have gathered to try and make the right choices in terms of set-up and aerodynamic configuration. I am sure that there is room to improve our performance level.”

Stefano Domenicali, Ferrari team principal
“As always you have to take Friday’s results with a grain of salt because there are too many variables at play to be able to draw a really precise conclusion. We are tackling this weekend with the same sort of approach that we have adopted throughout the whole season: we are well aware of our target and we will do our utmost to reach it, without spending too much time doing the sums. We can claim to have got off to a reasonable start, but there is still a lot of work to do. We are up against very strong rivals in Red Bull and McLaren and beating them will be very difficult, but we will leave nothing to chance. This is a special event for us: we have many ties to Abu Dhabi, a country in a state of rapid growth and which has become something of a second home for us. Coming here and being able to see a fantastic structure like the Ferrari World Abu Dhabi was really exciting: everyone should come and spend at least one day at it!”

Chris Dyer, Ferrari chief engineer
“The surprise today was the rain shower which hit the track just before the first free practice session! It’s not what one expects here in Abu Dhabi, but luckily, it did not upset our planned programme in any way. As for the rest, we can say that, at least from what we have seen, it was a Friday like so many others this season. Fernando had no problems and is reasonably pleased with the handling of his car on a first flying lap while there is probably still some work to do on a longer run, especially as at this track the tyres seem to suffer with higher degradation than we are used to seeing at other venues. Felipe had a problem with the fuel injection system, which meant he was unable to finish his programme, but the consequent lack of some data that he might have gathered does not constitute a serious handicap to the rest of his weekend’s preparation. We must try and up our performance level still further, especially as regards qualifying, which will be the crucial stage of this weekend. We have all the elements we need to make our choices.”

[Tifoso]

How do we look? Red Bulll?

[goferrarigo]

I think we look extremely competitive and definitely look like we have a good shout of pole and certainly the win. Red Bull either are sand bagging or are not as fast as the rest of the year like they were at Monza. Hope this is true.... :pray

[Tifoso]

I think we look extremely competitive and definitely look like we have a good shout of pole and certainly the win. Red Bull either are sand bagging or are not as fast as the rest of the year like they were at Monza. Hope this is true.... :pray

Excellent! Thank you :wine

[Rob]

well watched the FP1, will watch SFP in little while, we look really good. Car looks great, nice and stable turn in good. Lets see what happens tomorrow in qualie, have good feeling about it. Working in morning so be in mad dash to get home :-??

Heard Hamilton had incident with Senna, what happened??

[siberianlady]

well watched the FP1, will watch SFP in little while, we look really good. Car looks great, nice and stable turn in good. Lets see what happens tomorrow in qualie, have good feeling about it. Working in morning so be in mad dash to get home :-??

Heard Hamilton had incident with Senna, what happened??

Ham got a reprimand no more no less.
I watched both practices- we look OK! Feel positive about this weekend!

[NJB13]

How do we look?
Yeah Baby!


Red Bulll?
Apparently there were some strange odours detected from the RB garage. It was also noted that whilst the RB team arrived at the garage wearing jeans, most left wearing brown corduroy.

[KurtC]

it's all about Alonso, having hamilton in the front could be good could be bad...