adminSPIELBERG, Austria. — Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel recovered from a brake problem in the morning session to post the fastest time in the second practice of the Austrian Grand Prix yesterday.
The four-time Formula One champion, who managed only four laps in the first practice before coming off the Red Bull Ring track, beat Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg by .011 seconds.
Vettel’s teammate Kimi Raikkonen was third quickest, .260 behind, to match his position from the morning, when Rosberg was quickest ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton.
“Pace is good, similar to Rosberg, and fuel is perfect,” the upbeat Ferrari team told Raikkonen over race radio.
It was a frustrating second practice for Hamilton, as the championship leader managed only the fifth best time behind Lotus driver Pastor Maldonado in cool, windy conditions.
Felipe Massa secured pole position for Williams last year — the only driver to beat Mercedes to pole all season — but practice did no go well, and he finished 15th in P2.
“I have no balance at all,” he lamented.
Still, at least the Brazilian showed his reflexes are in fine shape. Thirty minutes into the morning session, he slammed the brakes as Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene accidentally walked out in front of him in the pit lane.
There was no harm done, as a smiling Arrivabene quickly scampered out of the way, and Massa waved to him.
There were no smiles for McLaren after another tough day.
Fernando Alonso was 16th and Jenson Button 18th in the afternoon run.
Alonso’s performance is rendered somewhat irrelevant by the fact he will start the race from the back of the grid because he has used his four allocated engines.
Alonso has taken his fifth Honda power unit, while Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo has used a fifth Renault unit and dropped 10 places on the grid.
Alonso’s drop of 20 places was greater because the Spanish driver was also using a fifth turbocharger and a fifth MGU-H – an exhaust energy recovery system – each of which incur further five-place drops. – AFP.
Online Reporter