Mark Hughes: Trackside View

Out of the second Lesmo and a 190mph ride down a narrow chute, patches of shade and light from the canopy of overhanging trees. Then it opens into brightness. But that light is only an ambush, for there's an accomplice lying in wait: Ascari chicane.

Down a gear and a thread-the-needle entry left before it then opens out, the right and left that follow just a flow of acceleration. That piece between the beginning of the braking to the first exit is key, the only important part, the mid-corner minimum that will determine the speed all the way down to the distant Parabolica.

There is a huge variety in the quality of the cars here. From the Hondas - the drivers of which have to lose so much speed under braking just to make the initial turn that they are accelerating back up to speed on exit where others are still fighting for control, going much quicker - to the McLarens, the only cars seemingly unaffected by the changing direction of the airflow as they make the initial turn.

Every other car, once it's made the initial turn and clambered over the left-hand kerb, then has to decelerate upon landing, to keep from running out of road on the right. But not the McLaren - it jumps, lands and keeps accelerating.

A BMW gets into the turn quite fast - Nick Heidfeld in aggressive form - but the engine note drops for a millisecond or so as the driver fights to keep it on track after touchdown from the kerb, and only with it wrestled onto the correct trajectory does the engine pitch begin increasing.

Lewis Hamilton, as well as being in what is the best car through this section, is using every inch of the limited track width - to the extent that he's actually kicking up dust on the approach, so far over to the right that he's having to do his own rubbering-in.

At this time, early into the Friday session, he's the only one braking past the beginning of the kerbing on the right, and the car twitches, right-left before he coincides the left twitch with the turn in. It's dramatic to behold, and at first you wonder if he's overdone it. But it's the same every lap. Once onto that first apex kerb, the car flies - but it lands beautifully, way better than a Ferrari, the only comparably fast car.

Aided by its flat landing, he's already accelerating at a point where others are fighting. Fernando Alonso comes out later and though his approach to the braking area is different - earlier on, earlier off - and less dramatic he carries in a similar amount of speed and his car is similarly perfect over the first kerb and the associated landing.