Defending drivers world champion Lewis Hamilton topped the times again in Friday afternoon’s second free practice session ahead of Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix.
The 24-year-old Englishman, in his McLaren Mercedes, was quick early in the session and fast again in the closing minutes when he clocked one minute and 47.201 seconds, little more than a tenth of a second slower than his pole time last year.
Hamilton’s speed and performance proved he and his team are back as pace-setters after a dreadful first half of the season, the much-improved McLaren car having carried him to victory in Hungary and then to pole position last weekend in Spain. AFP
Toyota’s Timo Glock was a surprising second quickest given his team’s troubles of late, just 0.016secs behind Hamilton, with Kimi Raikkonen third in his Ferrari, a mere 0.084secs adrift.
The Finn, though, did finish the session by being helped off the track by marshals after running onto the grass at the right-hand Fagnes turn.
Red Bull’s Mark Webber, Renault rookie Romain Grosjean and Force India’s Giancarlo Fisichella completed the top six, followed by the second Toyota of Jarno Trulli.
Sebastian Vettel, who sat out the first session to preserve engines after blowing two Renault powerplants in Valencia, finished 10th, completing 25 laps.
Of possible concern to Brawn GP is their duo of championship leader Jenson Button and team-mate Rubens Barrichello who were 17th and 18th, both just under a second behind Hamilton.
Brawn had expressed confidence earlier this week they had cracked the tyre issues that had affected their running in cooler climes.
But if the evidence of today is anything to go by, it would appear that is far from the case, unless the duo were sandbagging. Telegraph.co.uk
Luca Badoer’s role as Felipe Massa’s replacement at Ferrari could be under further threat after the 38-year-old Italian driver finished last of the 20 drivers - two seconds off of Hamilton’s pace and nearly as much off of Raikkonen, a three-time winner here.
The slippery morning conditions saw several drivers spin off the track including Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi, McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen and Romain Grosjean of Renault, who is making his second career start and finished fifth - 0.132 seconds off of Hamilton.
Practice ends Saturday before qualifying for Sunday’s 44-lap race. The Canadian Press
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