Lewis Hamilton (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes) set the marker on the opening day of running for theGerman Grand Prix – the Grosser Preis Santander von Deutschland - by using Bridgestone’smedium compound Potenza tyre to set the day’s fastest lap time at the 4.57 km Hockenheim circuit inBaden-Württenberg, for the tenth round of the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship.
Hamilton set his time – a 1min 15.025 secs – in the afternoon 90 minute practice session, when thetrack was drier and the temperatures were warmer than those seen in the morning. Hamilton wasalmost seven tenths faster than the next driver, Felipe Massa (Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro). Massa’steam-mate, Kimi Raikkonen, went third fastest in this session.
In the morning drivers initially faced a wet circuit and both Bridgestone’s wet and extreme wet tyreswere used. The circuit dried and lap times fell rapidly, with Bridgestone’s dry grooved tyres beingused in the latter third of the 90 minute session. Hamilton was also fastest in this session, with a 1min15.537 secs, set on the hard compound Potenza. Hamilton’s team-mate, Heikki Kovalainen wassecond fastest with a time just over a tenth slower. Massa was third quickest in this session.
This is the first race weekend where the current range of Bridgestone Potenza tyres have been usedat Hockenheim. Lap times were faster than those set on Friday’s running when Formula One lastvisited here two years ago, when there was tyre competition. Today’s fastest lap time was just undera second adrift of pole position in 2006.
Hirohide Hamashima - Director of Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development, said:
“This morning track conditions were changing very quickly as the circuit dried, so we couldn’t collectmuch useful tyre data. In the afternoon, however, the circuit was improving with every lap. Both thehard and medium compound worked well,so it is difficult to say which will be the better fortomorrow’s qualifying and Sunday’s race. Some cars and drivers had an advantage with the mediumtyre today, but others had an advantage with the hard. We will now analyse the wear rate anddiscuss the data with the teams to get a fuller picture for this weekend.”
| 
|