Mixed Fortunes for Williams Pair

As Heidfeld boasted of a trouble-free day to set the 12th fastest time, Webber was left complaining of balance problems and a general lack of confidence in the long-run performance of his FW27.

Heidfeld, who ended the second session 12th overall, said: "I've enjoyed myself today because this is a circuit I always like. Obviously temperatures are very high, but that's usual here and I think our tyres should be quite strong in these hot conditions as in the past here.

"Otherwise we managed to complete our entire programme without any problems. I tried a variety of different set-up options and from our tyre work I think we will have a good tyre choice for tomorrow."

Webber, who was three places further down the timesheets, added: "We have plenty of work to do as I am not happy with the balance of my car. We will work from here to try to improve before tomorrow, so we can improve our long runs as they don't look good enough at the moment."