Belgian F1 Grand Prix 2012: Friday's Free Practice Report (VMM)

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LEWIS HAMILTON
- MP4-27A-04
- FP1: 2m16.827s (+5.438s), 5 laps, 15th
- FP2: No time, 2 laps, 14th

“It’s been incredibly wet today – there were lots of rivers running across the track and lots of aquaplaning, so you had to be very wary out there. There’s no real benefit to be gained from pushing the car, but there are always things we can learn, so we did a couple of installation laps to check the effects of the upgrades we’ve brought to this race and see how the tyres switch on in the wet.

“It’s going to be challenging tomorrow, but everyone is in the same boat – no joke intended! If it dries out, the track will be green in the morning, so you’ll be setting the car up during a couple of runs in FP3.

“Nevertheless, it’s great to be back out on track. A Formula 1 car would be fun to drive even if it were snowing, so I just enjoyed every little bit of lap I had.”

JENSON BUTTON
- MP4-27A-02
- FP1: 2m16.861s, 8 laps, 16th
- FP2: No time, 2 laps, 16th

“We did a couple of installation laps, but that was about it. The weather was better during the morning session because you were able to do a couple of laps with only a little bit of aquaplaning. This afternoon was extremely wet – the only reason we ran in FP2 was to do out-laps and in-laps in order to practise our starts.

“For most of the lap, you’re not really pushing – then, halfway down the Kemmel straight, it suddenly gets wetter. It’s a different type of asphalt, which doesn’t drain as well. As soon as you hit that, you feel the car slow down and then it starts to spin its wheels.

“Hopefully, the worst conditions have blown over and we can get down to business tomorrow. It’s been such a long break that we just want to get out there and enjoy ourselves.”

MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

“It’s hardly surprising to be here in Spa and find that the weather is cold, wet and misty. Unfortunately, that means that Formula 1’s much anticipated return after the summer break has been effectively pushed back by 24 hours because none of the drivers were able to set representative times out there today.

“Despite the limited running, we were able to conduct a little bit of useful work, evaluating the performance of our aerodynamic upgrades and looking at tyre performance. With the field so closely covered, even the tiniest scrap of data can be useful.

“Finally, while today didn’t offer much to the many thousands of Formula 1 fans who loyally packed the grandstands and hillsides of Spa-Francorchamps, it’s worth remembering that McLaren’s past reverberates around this mighty circuit. Yesterday would have been the 75th birthday of our founder, Bruce McLaren, who scored McLaren’s first-ever grand prix victory at this circuit back in 1968. In many ways, the McLaren story is interwoven with Spa’s post-war history, and it’s fantastic to be here again this weekend to continue that legacy.”

~ Official photos and report courtesy of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes ~

Copyright © 2012, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.

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Belgian F1 Grand Prix 2012: Friday's Free Practice Report (MBAMGF1)

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Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg began their 50th Grand Prix weekend with MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS today at a very wet Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium, with this weekend also marking Michael’s 300th Grand Prix.

• Weather conditions in Spa were very wet throughout the day with continuous and heavy rain showers
• P1 saw little action until late in the session when the drivers were able to complete a few laps on the wet tyres
• P2 was also a washout with Nico and Michael the first drivers to go out after an hour to complete practice starts

Nico Rosberg
“Although it was raining hard, we learned a little about the behaviour of the car today. We collected some data for the starts, balance and tyre temperatures as you can always learn something in the rain. The weather conditions were very special out there but it wasn’t dangerous as long as you went slowly where the big puddles were. We expect it to be dry on Sunday so that’s why we didn’t risk going out too often today.”

Michael Schumacher
“Coming to Spa this year is very special for me, especially with the honour of being awarded the honorary citizenship of Spa on Thursday, and I look forward to a stunning race weekend. Unfortunately the weather today did not allow us to do much more than just basic work as there was too much rain coming down in both sessions. There was a lot of aquaplaning, even when just cautiously cruising around the circuit which sometimes you did not see or expect at all, so proper driving was not possible. But we have a lot of basic data from Spa and we know what to expect. Tomorrow´s practice will nevertheless be very important, especially as the weather is supposed to be much better. I look forward to going out on this beautiful track again tomorrow.”

Ross Brawn
“There was a limited amount of work that we could achieve today given the conditions, especially as the forecast for Saturday and Sunday looks better. However we did learn some things which could be useful so it was not a complete washout of a day. It’s a shame for the fans here that they weren’t able to see more track action and thanks to those who stuck it out till the end. It’s a special weekend for us with Michael reaching the impressive total of 300 Grand Prix starts, and it’s a great pleasure for me to have worked alongside him for almost all of them!”

Norbert Haug
“There is not much to say about this first day after the summer break when heavy rain prevented everybody from any meaningful running. The forecast predicts a dry circuit tomorrow, so Spa will possibly be the fourth race in a row with different conditions on Friday than for the remainder of the event. This means again a great challenge for all teams to get the set-up right during the one hour practice session tomorrow morning.”

~ Official photos and report courtesy of MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS ~

Copyright © 2012, mercedesgla. All rights reserved.

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