Stippler leads Audi charge
Audi led the way at a soaking wet Barcelona in Spain on Saturday morning, as Germany's Frank Stippler topped the times after an hour of free practice
Normally with a wet session like this, the drivers would sit it out in the garages. But with the championship fight between Mercedes' Bernd Schneider and Bruno Spengler - and the lone Audi of Tom Kristensen - approaching its climax, every second of track time is proving crucial.
The little-used short circuit is being employed this weekend, which turns sharp right after the pit lane exit and rejoins the Grand Prix track just before the left-hander that leads up the hill towards the ultra-quick Campsa right-hander.
Stippler lapped in 1:14.266s right at the end of Saturday morning's session in his year-old A4, a fraction clear of fellow Audi drivers Mattias Ekstrom and Heinz-Harald Frentzen (who suffered a trip into the gravel at Turn 1). The top Mercedes was Spengler in fourth, lapping just quicker than title rival Schneider.
Kristensen could only manage eighth fastest time, half a second slower than Stippler's best.
This followed a mixed bag of conditions on Friday, when Schneider led a Merc 1-2-3 when the track finally dried. The weather forecast remains mixed, so qualifying this afternoon promises to be an unpredictable affair.
Pos Driver Car Time 1. Frank Stippler Audi A4 1:14.266 2. Mattias Ekstrom Audi A4 1:14.361 + 0.095 3. Heinz-Harald Frentzen Audi A4 1:14.488 + 0.222 4. Bruno Spengler AMG Mercedes C-Klasse 1:14.569 + 0.303 5. Bernd Schneider AMG Mercedes C-Klasse 1:14.632 + 0.366 6. Martin Tomczyk Audi A4 1:14.632 + 0.366 7. Jean Alesi AMG Mercedes C-Klasse 1:14.699 + 0.433 8. Tom Kristensen Audi A4 1:14.714 + 0.448 9. Mika Hakkinen AMG Mercedes C-Klasse 1:14.721 + 0.455 10. Timo Scheider Audi A4 1:14.740 + 0.474 11. Alexandros Margaritis AMG Mercedes C-Klasse 1:14.772 + 0.506 12. Nicolas Kiesa Audi A4 1:15.010 + 0.744 13. Mathias Lauda AMG Mercedes C-Klasse 1:15.024 + 0.758 14. Pierre Kaffer Audi A4 1:15.037 + 0.771 15. Jamie Green AMG Mercedes C-Klasse 1:15.299 + 1.033 16. Vanina Ickx Audi A4 1:15.427 + 1.161 17. Daniel La Rosa AMG Mercedes C-Klasse 1:15.564 + 1.298 18. Susie Stoddart AMG Mercedes C-Klasse 1:15.575 + 1.309 19. Christian Abt Audi A4 1:15.730 + 1.464 20. Stefan Mucke AMG Mercedes C-Klasse 1:15.833 + 1.567
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