Formula One news
Kovalainen leads McLaren 1-2 on Friday
30 October 2009 / Results / PhotosHeikki Kovalainen moved ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton to lead a one-two result for the McLaren team in Abu Dhabi's second free practice session on Friday evening. The silver pairing led the way from World Champion Jenson Button as Sebastian Vettel, who finished fourth, saw his last quick lap compromised by Giancarlo Fisichella's Ferrari.
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With the sun already setting as the second 90-minute practice began, the field found itself circulating the brand-new track under lights as the session came to a close at 6:30pm local time. Temperatures may have dropped from those witnessed in the afternoon but the growing crowd was still able to enjoy the round figure of 30°C (86°F).
The infamous Yas Marina pit exit did not provide the chaos some predicted it could have although there are busier and more hectic sessions still to come this weekend; Nick Heidfeld was closest to having a problem as the rear end of the BMW stepped out inside the tunnel. With the German finishing 13th, it was a generally disappointing day for the Hinwil team on the manufacturer's final weekend in Formula One; the second car of Robert Kubica was grounded at the Turn 7 hairpin following an engine blow-up.
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| A mixture of sand and construction dusk made for a slippery surface |
At the sharp end, Kovalainen led the way from Hamilton with a lap time of 1:41.307, over two and half seconds quicker than the Englishman's pace-setting effort of the first session. The Woking team therefore looks in good shape to retain third position in the Constructors' Championship this weekend, not least because the Ferraris of Kimi Räikkönen and Giancarlo Fisichella wound up 10th and 17th respectively.
Fisichella, whose 5-race experience with the Scuderia has been a frustrating one, also grabbed attention by slowing down the Red Bull of Vettel on its flying lap; with the German gesticulating angrily in the cockpit, the man attempting to defend the championship runner-up spot finished fourth, behind Button, as Kamui Kobayashi's Toyota impressed with a top five position.
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| Luxury, noise and speed appear to make a good combination at Yas Marina... |
The second Red Bull and Brawn cars of Mark Webber and Rubens Barrichello were locked together in seventh and eighth places as the Force India of Adrian Sutil - which suffered a small number of off-track moments due to a brake problem - recovered to a respectable 11th. Kubica, who watched much of the session from the BMW garage, rounded out the field in 20th spot.
Despite a number of off-track excursions, there were no yellow flags for the duration of the session.
The hour-long third practice session will begin at 2pm local time on Saturday (GMT +4), finishing two hours before the final qualifying of 2009. The progress of both sessions, as well as Sunday's race, can be followed live on GPUpdate.net.
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