2014 Australian Grand Prix Friday - Practice
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Both drivers' sessions are over, the cars are deeply stuck. They were two separate, but simultaneous, incidents at different parts of the track.
Crash
And Grosjean has spun the Lotus into the gravel as well!
Crash
Another Force India in the gravel, and this time it's stuck. Hulkenberg spins off at Turn 8.
Vettel and Bottas remain almost inseparable time-wise. Constantly running in the mid-to-high 1m34s. The former remains on the soft while the latter is on mediums.
Button and Ricciardo are also on mediums, in case we hadn't mentioned.
Button and Ricciardo are also on mediums, in case we hadn't mentioned.
Hamilton pits for a practice stop, and smoke pours from the front brakes. He rejoins.
Rosberg pits, as does Button. The majority of the drivers remain on track though.
Crash
Perez ploughs through the gravel at Turn 8 after flicking the Force India out of line when he touched the grass.
In terms of laps, Bottas is leading the way on 33 with Vettel one behind - a far cry from the reliability woes of Jerez and Bahrain.
The Mercs look good - 29 and 30 laps respectively for Hamilton and Rosberg. On the other end of the scale, no laps for Maldonado, one for Ericsson and 11 for Grosjean.
You fear for Caterham this weekend on this basis.
The Mercs look good - 29 and 30 laps respectively for Hamilton and Rosberg. On the other end of the scale, no laps for Maldonado, one for Ericsson and 11 for Grosjean.
You fear for Caterham this weekend on this basis.
Speaking of Ferrari, what of its pace at the moment? Alonso's looking OK, a regular in the mid-1m34s at the moment. That's as fast as we're seeing right now. Raikkonen's not quite up to his team-mate at present.
Raikkonen was just sussing out how close he could get to the wall on the backstraight before sweeping in for Turn 11. Very, it turns out.
Rosberg is immediately back into 1m33s on the medium tyre and Hamilton also dips back into that bracket. We make that 11 laps for Hamilton on the softs.
What we can ascertain from these numbers is anything in the 1m34s is solid and the 1m33s are very good indeed.
Hamilton and Rosberg (the latter now on mediums) continue to circulate comfortably in the 34s, as is Vettel. Button and Bottas have long-held a similar pace, with Ricciardo, Magnussen and Massa a bit off their team-mates.
It would be brave to put all your eggs in one basket based on this, but if that's how you feel then remember the Castrol GP Predictor is back.
Hamilton and Rosberg (the latter now on mediums) continue to circulate comfortably in the 34s, as is Vettel. Button and Bottas have long-held a similar pace, with Ricciardo, Magnussen and Massa a bit off their team-mates.
It would be brave to put all your eggs in one basket based on this, but if that's how you feel then remember the Castrol GP Predictor is back.
Bottas is now given a fuel target to aim for over his next four laps.
Rosberg is thinking in race mode and asks his Mercedes team how he's doing on the fuel target. The response is positive.
Few cars hitting traffic which means a direct comparison is difficult.
Obviously, the fuel loads of each car is unknown, so on some level it's a futile endeavour regardless. But this could be crucial come Sunday - especially given the strictest of strict stances on the new fuel limits.
Obviously, the fuel loads of each car is unknown, so on some level it's a futile endeavour regardless. But this could be crucial come Sunday - especially given the strictest of strict stances on the new fuel limits.
Vettel and Gutierrez just went wheel to wheel through Turns 1 and 2, with the Sauber ending up on the grass on the exit. Gutierrez didn't look over-keen to let the world champion pass, and equally Vettel wasn't in the mood to mess around.
Big crowds are sat on the grass banks around the Albert Park street circuit. It's a scorcher of a day and the Aussies have flocked in droves to catch a first glimpse of new-look F1.
Ricciardo clips the grass on the exit of the fast Turn 11/12 again as he does a lovely drift out of the corner.
Rosberg's fallen into the 1m34s now, his team-mate Hamilton just a fraction quicker - though his rubber is a few laps newer. Vettel's holding steady around the low 1m34s mark, with Button and Bottas not at all far from that sort of pace.
This is a better assertion of the race's potential pecking order, and it looks promising. You'd have to say the Mercs look strongest, but not in a "total domination" sense.
This is a better assertion of the race's potential pecking order, and it looks promising. You'd have to say the Mercs look strongest, but not in a "total domination" sense.
Grosjean locks up into Turn 1, but unlike so many other people today, he hauls it around the corner without needing to cut across the grass.
Breaking news
Force India
Here's some news we suspect will be popular - the FIA is to "address" the problem of F1 cars' ugly nose designs before the 2015 season:
FIA to address nose issue for 2015
Ericsson watches on from the Caterham garage. No indication he's going to be leaving that in his F1 car any time soon.
Vettel's falling away from Rosberg's pace on the soft tyre, with Bottas lurking around the Red Bull's pace at present. Massa, on the medium tyre, is a second or so off his team-mate.
Vergne and Grosjean improve their respective times in 11th and 18th.
Quick glance at the times as teams settle into the longer runs, and on that last lap Rosberg was 0.18s faster than Vettel, despite being on slightly older softs.
Breaking news
That's settled the order, so time for a recap of (almost) the first hour:
* Rosberg sets the early pace, but Hamilton shades his team-mate with Mercedes cars comfortably quickest on the softer tyre
* Alonso and Button set fastest sectors but fall short overall
* Merc-engined cars several km/h quicker on the front straight
* Caterham confirms Kobayashi will miss the session, no sign of Maldonado's Lotus
* Rosberg sets the early pace, but Hamilton shades his team-mate with Mercedes cars comfortably quickest on the softer tyre
* Alonso and Button set fastest sectors but fall short overall
* Merc-engined cars several km/h quicker on the front straight
* Caterham confirms Kobayashi will miss the session, no sign of Maldonado's Lotus
Quote
Kvyat with a plea for Toro Rosso: "It's impossible to warm up the tyres like this, guys, I'm having to do too many things."
BEN ANDERSON: "Sergio Perez is able to keep the throttle nailed through the right-hander at Turn 12, while the Toro Rossos are having to lift. But you can hear the excessive wheelspin at the exit for the Force India driver. The Toro Rosso engine also sounds garbled as it transitions from the left to the right-hander."
With the top spot secured, Mercedes tells Hamilton to head for the pits as they'll now switch to long runs.
Stopwatch
Hamilton goes...quickest! His 1m29.625s shades Rosberg by 0.157s.
And again in sector two...
It's not quite as good as Alonso's first sector, but that's right in the ballpark for Hamilton.
Out comes Hamilton for his first crack on the soft tyre.
BEN ANDERSON is watching trackside at the fast Turn 11/12 sweeper: "Daniel Ricciardo has been hustling the Red Bull here. It looks planted through the right-hander as does the Mercedes. The Williams look solid and the Sauber drivers seem to be a little more busy at the exit."
Vergne says Toro Rosso's braking issues are getting a little bit better, as his crew admit it might be something that can only be resolved overnight.
Just three cars on track now - Rosberg, Raikkonen and Sutil.
Quick glance at the speed traps shows the Merc-engined cars at the 316-7 km/h mark.
Ricciardo, as a Renault rep, hit 310.
Ricciardo, as a Renault rep, hit 310.
That's three different cars strongest in the three different sectors of the track then: Ferrari in the first, McLaren in the second and Mercedes in the third.
Not a lightning middle sector from Alonso, and that costs him the quickest time. It's a strong end to the lap, just off Rosberg's final sector time, but he falls 0.350s short.
Magnussen goes seventh fastest as Alonso gears up for a flying lap on the softs. He's 11th at present...
...and immediately goes quickest in the first sector.
...and immediately goes quickest in the first sector.
By: Matt Beer, Ben Anderson, Scott Mitchell, Edd Straw, Sam Tremayne
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