Friday Second Free Practice - French GP
Toyota's Cristiano da Matta went quickest in the second practice hour for Sunday's French Grand Prix in another rain-affected session at Magny-Cours on Friday.
Toyota's Cristiano da Matta went quickest in the second practice hour for Sunday's French Grand Prix in another rain-affected session at Magny-Cours on Friday.
Brazilian da Matta took top spot from Renault's Jarno Trulli by more than half-a-second with a time of 1:15.516 in the closing seconds of the session. Trulli ended 0.688 down on da Matta with BAR-Honda's Anthony Davidson taking third place late on as the track continued to dry after a mid-session shower affected running.
Davidson's BAR-Honda teammate Jenson Button and Ferrari's World Champion Michael Schumacher both posted the same time to take fourth and fifth respectively.
Fernando Alonso ended sixth for Renault in their home race with David Coulthard seventh quickest and Kimi Raikkonen ninth for McLaren-Mercedes as they debuted the team's new car. Jaguar's Mark Webber split the McLaren pair in eighth, while Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello completed the top ten.
The session had started with a damp track following a torrential downpour before the green light, but the times tumbled as the track dried with Mark Webber, Marc Gene, Anthony Davidson and Button all sitting on top before Trulli.
Toyota test driver Ricardo Zonta had a trip across the gravel at turn three 17 minutes into the session but managed to get his car back onto track. Raikkonen was then lucky to avoid an accident when he put a wheel on the wet run-off area but the Finn managed to collect the car before it could send him into a spin.
The FIA said that as both practice sessions were declared wet, teams now have until 12:00 on Saturday to make their tyre choices for qualifying and Sunday's race.
Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. da Matta Toyota (M) 1:15.518 12 2. Trulli Renault (M) 1:16.206 + 0.688 9 3. Davidson BAR-Honda (M) 1:16.231 + 0.713 17 4. Button BAR-Honda (M) 1:16.397 + 0.879 8 5. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1:16.397 + 0.879 7 6. Alonso Renault (M) 1:16.454 + 0.936 10 7. Coulthard McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:16.464 + 0.946 8 8. Webber Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 1:16.745 + 1.227 14 9. Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:16.794 + 1.276 10 10. Barrichello Ferrari (B) 1:17.094 + 1.576 5 11. Panis Toyota (M) 1:17.303 + 1.785 10 12. Fisichella Sauber-Petronas (B) 1:17.324 + 1.806 13 13. Montoya Williams-BMW (M) 1:17.556 + 2.038 5 14. Gene Williams-BMW (M) 1:17.688 + 2.170 17 15. Zonta Toyota (M) 1:17.735 + 2.217 15 16. Klien Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 1:17.936 + 2.418 10 17. Sato BAR-Honda (M) 1:17.967 + 2.449 11 18. Massa Sauber-Petronas (B) 1:18.614 + 3.096 7 19. Pantano Jordan-Ford (B) 1:18.711 + 3.193 10 20. Wirdheim Jaguar-Cosworth (M) 1:19.179 + 3.661 16 21. Heidfeld Jordan-Ford (B) 1:19.270 + 3.752 12 22. Bruni Minardi-Cosworth (B) 1:19.349 + 3.831 10 23. Glock Jordan-Ford (B) 1:19.490 + 3.972 25 24. Baumgartner Minardi-Cosworth (B) 1:19.636 + 4.118 13 25. Leinders Minardi-Cosworth (B) 1:19.914 + 4.396 16 All timing unofficial
Stoddart Believes Radical Steps are Good for F1
Stoddart Believes Radical Steps are Good for F1 Stoddart Believes Radical Steps are Good for F1
Barrichello Quickest in First Qualifying - Brazilian GP
Barrichello Quickest in First Qualifying - Brazilian GP Barrichello Quickest in First Qualifying - Brazilian GP
Saturday First Free Practice - Brazilian GP
Saturday First Free Practice - Brazilian GP Saturday First Free Practice - Brazilian GP
2023 F1 Japanese GP results: Max Verstappen wins
2023 F1 Japanese GP results: Max Verstappen wins 2023 F1 Japanese GP results: Max Verstappen wins
F1 Japanese GP: Verstappen cruises to victory, Red Bull ties up constructors' crown
F1 Japanese GP: Verstappen cruises to victory, Red Bull ties up constructors' crown F1 Japanese GP: Verstappen cruises to victory, Red Bull ties up constructors' crown
Sargeant handed penalty for third car rules breach ahead of F1 Japanese GP
Sargeant handed penalty for third car rules breach ahead of F1 Japanese GP Sargeant handed penalty for third car rules breach ahead of F1 Japanese GP
Live: F1 Japanese GP updates
Live: F1 Japanese GP updates Live: F1 Japanese GP updates
How Tsunoda has eliminated a crucial F1 limitation
How Tsunoda has eliminated a crucial F1 limitation How Tsunoda has eliminated a crucial F1 limitation
How McLaren has revamped its F1 team to become a contender again
How McLaren has revamped its F1 team to become a contender again How McLaren has revamped its F1 team to become a contender again
Why precedent doesn’t favour Massa’s F1 legal challenge
Why precedent doesn’t favour Massa’s F1 legal challenge Why precedent doesn’t favour Massa’s F1 legal challenge
Why Sainz’s Singapore F1 success was not just about DRS genius
Why Sainz’s Singapore F1 success was not just about DRS genius Why Sainz’s Singapore F1 success was not just about DRS genius
The signs that suggest an immediate Red Bull resurgence in F1's Japanese GP
The signs that suggest an immediate Red Bull resurgence in F1's Japanese GP The signs that suggest an immediate Red Bull resurgence in F1's Japanese GP
The lessons Russell can take from his "two-centimetre" Singapore F1 mistake
The lessons Russell can take from his "two-centimetre" Singapore F1 mistake The lessons Russell can take from his "two-centimetre" Singapore F1 mistake
Singapore Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023
Singapore Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023 Singapore Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2023
The Singapore secrets that helped Sainz end Verstappen's F1 winning streak
The Singapore secrets that helped Sainz end Verstappen's F1 winning streak The Singapore secrets that helped Sainz end Verstappen's F1 winning streak
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.