UpdateF1 >> Formula 1 News > Kovalainen takes P2

Early times set the pace

No big surprises in the second practice session at Istanbul Park as the teams concentrated on getting in the runs; an early casualty was Sebastian Vettel who got in only four laps before coming to a halt when he suspected a problem.

The German’s time was still good enough for fifth as the track temperature fluctuated during the session meaning quick times set early on the prime tyre were the quicker ones.

Fastest time went to Heikki Kovalainen, the Finn having a cleaner session than McLaren team mate Lewis Hamilton who endured a spin and a couple of off track sessions; Kovalainen went around in 1: 28.841 to take the top spot, with Fernando Alonso – unusual in that he set his time late – setting second fastest time in the Renault just six one-thousandths of a second behind.

Robert Kubica set a good early time for BMW to settle in third best time, a welcome improvement there although team mate Nick Heidfeld finished a lowly 16th, and Williams were again in the mix with Kazuki Nakajima fourth and Nico Rosberg seventh fastest.

Jarno Trulli looked competitive all session and put the Toyota sixth, while Rubens Barrichello set the best Brawn time for eighth, mark Webber came home ninth for Red Bull and Nelson Piquet put in a messy if respectable performance to record tenth fastest time.

The real meaningful stuff comes tomorrow, and UpdateF1 will be there to bring you the news.

Written: Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:42:23