Formula One news

McLaren pleased with first day

McLaren Mercedes drivers Heikki Kovalainen and Lewis Hamilton finished Friday's second Free Practice session for the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps in third and fourth positions respectively. In a session which was disrupted by light rain and a red flag half an hour before the end, Heikki completed 19 laps and set a time of 1m48.740. 

"In mixed conditions like this afternoon, there's not a lot you can learn about the set-up - but there's a lot at risk if you lose the car. In the damp, the kerbs were extremely slippery - like ice, almost - so we weren't in a great hurry to go out this afternoon until the track dried out," said Kovalainen. "It's hard to know where everybody stands because of the rain, but our times in both sessions show we're looking competitive."

Hamilton commented, "This morning, the temperatures were quite low so the track lacked a bit of grip and made warming the tyres more difficult than normal. The wet-dry conditions we encountered are typical of Spa, but they make if difficult to change your set-up because you're always attacking a moving target. Still, we got some good data this morning before the rain came, so we feel we're in good shape for tomorrow."
Team boss Ron Dennis added, "The changeability of the weather, both this morning and this afternoon, influenced our decision to concentrate on race set-up and tyre selection procedures. The result was a smooth and uneventful pair of practice sessions for us today. We're now looking forward to what we believe will be improving weather conditions throughout the remainder of the weekend."

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