Formula One news

Rosberg fastest in afternoon practice

Nico Rosberg has finished fastest in Bahrain on Friday, as the Williams driver retook the position he has become accustomed to in practice this year. The German led a generally incident-free session from Fernando Alonso's Renault with Trulli the leading Toyota in third spot. The two Red Bull cars rounded out the top five with championship leader Button sixth in the first Brawn.

Conditions remained the hottest of the season at the Sakhir circuit, with ambient temperatures reaching 36°C (97°F). Rosberg set his final time of 1.33.339 towards the end a session which saw most drivers suffering for grip on the sandy track surface, particularly at Turn 10 behind the pits.

Another strong showing for Sutil left him seventh

Behind the leading six, Adrian Sutil demonstrated yet another impressive performance with seventh position for Force India as the second Toyota of Glock wound up eighth. Lewis Hamilton cemented a midfield spot for McLaren in eleventh although team-mate Kovalainen ended up eight places further back.

Ferrari's nightmare start to the season does not appear to be fading with Massa and Räikkönen finishing 16th and 18th. The BMW team often uses the tactic of fuelling heavily on Friday, although the two white cars appear to be struggling more in Bahrain with 17th and 20th places for Kubica and Heidfeld. The German suffered a lurid moment towards the end of the session, nearly losing control at Turn 2.

The chequered flag signalled the last of Friday's running in the Middle East, as teams now prepare race simulations and review telemetry ahead of final practice and qualifying tomorrow.

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