Hamilton tops second practice session

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

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Lewis Hamilton was fastest in Friday’s second practice session at Abu Dhabi.

The McLaren driver was a quarter of a second quicker around the 5.5km track than Sebastian Vettel.

With Fernando Alonso third and Mark Webber fourth all four championship contenders were in the top four.

Alonso made the early running in the session, lapping quickest while the drivers were still using medium tyres.

But when the teams switched to the super-soft compound Hamilton went fastest. However a spin for Jaime Alguersuari brought out the yellow flags, meaning some drivers had to abort their laps.

Hamilton had one hiccup in the session when he came across Bruno Senna’s HRT at speed. He went off at the penultimate corner then swerved around the HRT to get into the pit lane.

Other drivers found that purposefully running wide in the final corners was a useful aid to getting a faster lap time.

Late in the session Felipe Massa came to a halt in the Ferrari. He was heard on the radio broadcast saying the car had run out of fuel.

The Renaults of Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov were fifth and seventh fastest.

Michael Schumacher was 11th, just two-hundredths of a second slower than Nico Rosberg, but unhappy at being held up by a Force India driver late in the session.

Pos.CarDriverCarBest lapGapLaps
12Lewis HamiltonMcLaren-Mercedes1’40.88825
25Sebastian VettelRed Bull-Renault1’41.1450.25728
38Fernando AlonsoFerrari1’41.3140.42629
46Mark WebberRed Bull-Renault1’41.3150.42729
511Robert KubicaRenault1’41.5760.68831
67Felipe MassaFerrari1’41.5830.69521
712Vitaly PetrovRenault1’42.0961.20831
81Jenson ButtonMcLaren-Mercedes1’42.1321.24428
915Vitantonio LiuzziForce India-Mercedes1’42.2031.31531
104Nico RosbergMercedes1’42.2221.33429
113Michael SchumacherMercedes1’42.2461.35829
1210Nico HulkenbergWilliams-Cosworth1’42.4491.56132
1314Adrian SutilForce India-Mercedes1’42.5351.64721
1423Kamui KobayashiSauber-Ferrari1’42.7681.88026
159Rubens BarrichelloWilliams-Cosworth1’42.9142.02637
1622Nick HeidfeldSauber-Ferrari1’42.9502.06234
1717Jaime AlguersuariToro Rosso-Ferrari1’43.1282.24017
1816Sebastien BuemiToro Rosso-Ferrari1’43.5842.69633
1919Heikki KovalainenLotus-Cosworth1’45.1804.29236
2024Timo GlockVirgin-Cosworth1’45.2594.37131
2118Jarno TrulliLotus-Cosworth1’45.6124.72435
2225Lucas di GrassiVirgin-Cosworth1’46.0535.16529
2320Christian KlienHRT-Cosworth1’47.2106.32232
2421Bruno SennaHRT-Cosworth1’47.4346.54628

2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

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    Keith Collantine
    Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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    108 comments on “Hamilton tops second practice session”

    1. I think Hamilton will be the one who will win this GP. But not title

      1. If hamilton wins the race, Alonso will win the title.

        1. Hamilton winning the race will have next to no effect on the drivers actually in contention for the title. Or rather should I say, if he is leading the race it has very little effect, sure the points between one and two are slightly more than the other gaps, but ultimately the three in the fight have to cross the line in the whichever order for them to win, it matters less if they do not occupy the front grip slot.

          1. Urr except if Hamilton wins. Alonso only has to come 5th so that is quite a big difference….

            1. haha nice. V True :)

          2. yea, it has a huge impact because he is taking 25 points away from everyone. Mark and Seb need every available point possible unless Alonso DNFs (which I think he has only done once this season – SPA, so not likely)

            If Web/Seb/Nando (with Ham leading)are 4th (12pts), 6th (8pts) and 8th (4pts) that means there is 8 point spread over 4 grid positions (result is Nando at 254 and Web at 250 and a Hamilton win = Nando is WDC).

            If they are 1st (25 pts), 3rd (15pts), and 5th (10pts) then there is a 15 point gap…..HUGE difference – Web = 263 and Nando = 256….Web is WDC, so hamilton has become crucial to the outcome….

            1. In Malaysia Alonso was classified, but that was basically a DNF, at least in terms of points.

      2. Alonso could take pole & victory.

      3. Personally I think the Red Bulls were sandbagging. So was Alonso. We will know their true pace only tomorrow.

        1. I really do not think Ferrari and RB were sandbagging in this session, however, I do not think Lewis will get pole tomorrow. It could be Vettel, followed by Lewis, Fernando and Mark in quali.

      4. I hope he does. It will be such a great consolation!

    2. A Hamilton win would be welcome for Alonso winning the title. However, Ferrari is taking easy on their engines on practices and Red Bull loves to play dead.

      1. I don’t think they are taking it easy on the engines today. Ferrari said they were using a different engine today than the one they will use for 3FP, Quali & Race. So, there was no reason to be conservative this time. However, the engine used by Fernando in this session was a high mileage one, thus, we can expect some more pace out of the Ferrari tomorrow with a fresher engine.

    3. News getting better for Fernando.

      1. ..he always needs someone help to win ;)

        1. well the pit tunnel would be an interesting place to have a crashed car, would it not?! hard to get it out from there…hehe

        2. yeah as if…

          nuff said…….

    4. I know he won’t win the title but a win would be very welcome.

    5. Well, this gets even more interesting: what happens if, going into the final laps of the race, the order is Hamilton – Vettel – Webber – Alonso? Do Hamilton and Vettel move over and let Webber win the race and the title, or do they take the win for themselves and let Alonso be crowned champion?

      1. I believe Lewis will take the win and not look behind. Understandable too

        1. Exactly, why would Lewis prefer Webber to win rather than Alonso?

          1. Depends, between him and his uncle Ron, I’m sure they could come up with a hundred million reasons.

            1. Hamilton and Alonso don’t really have a massive problem with each other anymore – more respect than anything else.

              Ron’s not driving the car.

          2. Jarred Walmsley
            12th November 2010, 19:38

            Not sure but Lewis has said that he would prefer Webber to win the title if it proves impossible for him to do so. It was in one of the round-ups a couple of days ago, not quite sure which one though

          3. Actually, Lewis did say he would like to see Webber take the title. Im a fan of Lewis, but since he doesn’t have a chance at the title this year anymore, i would be glad if he could help Webber and get in the way of Alonso :P

            1. Ooops, didnt see your comment there Jarred. My reply was for Santi, sorry for repeating the same idea!

        2. From a Ferrari fan’s perspective. Personally, I think he’ll move over. He has, after all, said he’d like to see Webber win.

          1. Oh come on, enough with this silly scenarios

            1. Silly scenario? Hamilton actually did say he’d like to see Webber win.

          2. No way, that would be an absolute outrage. No driver from another team has pulled over to let someone win. It’s one thing for Massa and Vettel to pull over for Alonso and Webber, but come on, Hamilton pulling over for a Webber win would go against everything that every sport in the world has ever stood for. Not a chance.

            1. I agree. That would be disgraceful, and highly unsportsmanlike if it occurred. Its kind of obvious that Fernando is the last person Lewis would like to see as champion, but I do not think he would stoop low enough to let Mark by, and deny Fernando the title.

            2. Did Villeneuve let the McLaren’s past at Jerez in 1997? Yes, that was a completely differet matter. Being a HAM fan, i still think that would be wrong.

            3. Do you honestly see a racer like Hamilton pulling over for anyone without a car problem? I don’t: it’ll go against everything he is as a racing driver to do so.

            4. That would be disgraceful, and highly unsportsmanlike if it occurred.

              Remind me again who openly said they’d do what he could to help Massa win the championship ;)

              I don’t see it happening anyway. He won’t be champion, so he won’t care who is.

            5. @JT19 – Villeneuve moved over becasue all he need was 3rd to win the WDC. It was too risky to battle, Shumacher was already out and 4th place was far behind. It was a safe conservative move. Trust me, JV of all people didn’t care if Mika and Mclaren won.

              that is a bad analogy to Ham moving over for Web….your analogy would be relevant to Alonso crashing (like Shummy) and Webber only needing 9 points to win (like JV) and letting say….Hamilton and Button by (like mika and DC) instead of fighting to guarantee himself the WDC…

          3. I don’t think he’ll actively and deliberately move over, but if for instance Vettel let Mark through and Webber sent one up the inside of Hamilton then I don’t think Lewis would defend too hard.

          4. Hamilton move over and allow a red bull to win? lol I know you guys don’t want Alonso to win but now you’re really clutching at straws

          5. Personally, I think he’ll move over. He has, after all, said he’d like to see Webber win.

            Of course Hamilton won’t ‘move over.’ I think he’d care much more about (a) winning the race and (b) not having to deal with endless negative coverage, FIA proceedings, legal battles and general public agro because he let a Red Bull past. Or a Ferrari. Besides: if he crosses the line first, there’s still a chance – however remote – he could win the championship with a pile up behind him or whatever. Sorry PM, this one is just nonsense.

            1. David BR, you’ve hit the nail on the head for this ridiculous idea. Shame on you PM for bringing up this idea. I guess your a Webber fan.

            2. Actually, I’m not a Webber fan at all. Can’t stand him. I think he’s overhyped and it’s impossible for me to listen to anything the so-called “expert commentators” have to say about him because it’s just incessant hero-worship and usually wrong. In fact, I’d say Webber is my second-least favourite driver on the grid.

              Can you guess who I despise the most?

          6. A man PM, you’ve great stories to tell. He won’t move over and Hams win will make Alonso WDC for the 3rd time!!

          7. But now, Hamilton and Alonso are friends.

            They send sms and have a coffee together ;)

          8. He has, after all, said he’d like to see Webber win.

            To remind you PM, Hamilton has also not ruled out a move to Ferrari in the future. So, will he infuriate his future employers?

            It would be incredibly unbelievable if Hamilton did that, it would make Webber even more undeserving of the title.

      2. Yeah, but what if…

        Hamilton wins, Vettel 3rd, Webber 6th and Alonso out of the points/DNF.

        Then the points would look like this:

        HAM 247
        ALO 246
        WEB 246
        VET 246

        That’s what I’d love to see!

        1. that’s what i’ve been hoping for – karma for 2007. I did read that Hamilton wants Webber to win if he can’t be WDC himself. Can’t wait!

          1. Please let it be!! They would have to knight him for that….Sir Lewis Hamilton, I like the sound of that!

          2. karma 07 has been used in 08 Interlagos… no more karma available

        2. There is one necessary condition for this scenario: Jenson Button finishing between Hamilton and the rest. Yes, other’s could do it, but not likely. So I’m sure Lewis would like Jenson Button has to turn up for work on a Saturday for a change.

      3. highly doubt Vettel will let Webber through if Lewis is ahead of him as there is no deal to say that Lewis will let Webber through.

      4. I hope he will then just push on to victory. Alonso is the person i would like to win the title the least, but If he lets Webber go by because he would like him to win would be a pity. If Webber is not fast enough to catch him, it is his own problem.
        Anyway he would need his team to aid him, and telling who is behind and how long so he don’t let more then one go by, and i really doubt they would do that. Hamilton also has a responsibility for his team, and for McLaren it is more important to win the last race of the season, then who of the other guys wins the title.

      5. Why on earth would Lewis (and Mclaren for that matter) ever do that? Seriously? He doesn’t give a bleep about you (and many other people here) not wanting Alonso to win the title.

        The “I hope Alonso’s engine blows up” and “Hamilton’s gotta crash into Alonso/let Webber pass” kind of comments are really getting annoying.

        1. Glad I’m not the only one who prefers to see the drivers race rather then have a DNF

        2. Wacky Races anyone?

      6. There’s no way lewis (or any other driver, for that matter) would sacrifice a win so that another teams’ driver could win the title over his rival. Thats completely ridiculous to think that Lewis would sacrifice himself just because he said he’d rather have webber win the title than alonso.

      7. That would be very silly indeed.

    6. Funny how Lewis could be Fernando’s best ally if he is indeed the fastest, but a real pain if he is between him and a (or two) red bull.

    7. Not sure whether Redbull and Ferrari were sandbagging, as I think Vettel did push quite hard and the pace of Massa on low fuel was pretty bad…

      1. Sandbagging is only any good in pre-season testing when you don’t want the opposition to know how good you are. Byt the time the final race of the year comes around, everyone can already predict where you’ll be. So there’s little point to it.

        1. Yea, that’s true. Correct me if I’m wrong, but in practice 1 and 2 the teams are running different set ups with different fuel loads and they are not yet in their race form, so it may be a decent indicator of pace, but it is certainly not 100% accurate.

    8. Alonso may have to invite Lewis and Nicole over for calvados and cigars some time.

      Where is Hamilton getting this speed? Don’t even mention the world “upgrade.” McLaren’s upgrades are about as good as Microsoft’s. The only upgrade for that would would work is to remove ballast.

      And where is Jenson Button? Why do I have to search and search on the timesheets for this man all the time?

      1. now that’s funny!

      2. He was fabulous last year in this track.

      3. haha, or a codemasters upgrade. Question: Did Button come on the radio to complain?

        I see into the future and he will complain straight after qualifying, starting 7th

        1. …and he will say two things: “front wheels locking” and “no grip”

          1. I’m starting to think McLaren should sell a Jenson Button doll with a pullstring, making him say things like “can’t get heat into the tyres”, “There’s no grip, I can’t stop the car”, “the tyres aren’t working, the car is undrivable”, “there’s something wrong with the balance of the car”, …

      4. Apparently Jenson is running parts on his car for next year which Hamilton is not.

        Give the guy a break DaveW. You are always so negative about the drivers.

        1. Oh, and apparently it’s those new parts which are causing the front locking issues…

          1. Well he complained about it during at least the last two races and he wasn’t running those parts then.

        2. McLaren said during the session they were not running any 2011 parts.

      5. hilarious! :P
        that comment made my day, thanks Dave!

        It’s a pity though, it only makes for more frustration, to see that Mclaren only caught up the teams ahead of them in the LAST race…
        had it been a few races earlier, things would’ve been quite different.

        Although, even so, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, this was only FP2.

    9. Hope a win for Lewis, a DNF for alonso, a 3rd for Vettel and 6th for Webber. U know what that means!!! McLaren Mercedes waited till the final race to get it right? Someone needs to be FIRED at the Woking factory!

      1. wow, that would be crazy. Kinda what happened with Kimi and Lewis in 07, but with Kimi on the receiving end.

        I don’t ever hope for DNFs for anyone and I would like to see Alonso win, but only if he comes and dominates….pole, FL, win. he has been driving almost perfectly towards the end of this season. I really don’t want to see him cruising around in 3rd or whatever while Ham leads and Webber is back….

        If Alonso does DNF, then I think I like you scenario above….

    10. My prediction is that ALO will be in trouble half-way during the race (pit stop issue, tyre coming off, engine blow up, something). HAM will lead the race and it will be up for VET and WEB to fight among themselves to see who’s the winner. They will be too close to each other. They both figure out who wins or who loses if they both manage to finish the race.

      1. “Speaking at the Yas Marina circuit on Thursday, Horner answered the avalanche of questions about team tactics by restating his formula that the drivers will not receive any orders but will be trusted to act in the team’s interests.”

        I would rather leave it to the barista in the RedBull cantina to decide when to switch than the drivers. These guys have proven that 1. don’t give a damn about each other and 2. they end up hitting things in tricky situations.

        Hamilton looking quick and RBR “leaving it to the drivers.” Alonso can go ahead and get the flag ready for the cockpit. Yes, there is fine for that, but so what.

    11. Stefanos Vasilis McLaren-Mercedes
      12th November 2010, 15:19

      Alonso shaved his legs! He is gonna be the shaved-leg champion! Hahahaha! Tomorrow is gonna do a bikini or brazilian (for the honnour of his teammate Massa!)????

      1. He has possibly done some bycicle racing with Alberto Contador, they are buddies.

    12. This looks better for Alonso now…..

    13. if hamilton in front he will not let anybody move over except one condition webber second and a win give him the title ….alonso is very far though but hamilton prefer to win but lose the wdc on second and rivals win the wdc … i’m sorry he will lose anyway

    14. Would be interesting to see the starting grid from last year, so that we can compare?

        1. Jarred Walmsley
          12th November 2010, 19:57

          Well, Keith based on those comments it looks like you already knew Jenson was at McLaren by this time last year.

      1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Abu_Dhabi_Grand_Prix

        Hamilton was pole with Vettel and Webber 2nd and 3rd on the grid

        You can’t look much into that as Alonso was in a Renault and Ferari were not competitve last year. The Red bulls have come on strong since last year and are much faster than the Mclaren this year, so i’d say a Red bull will be on pole, but which one? It will be close between them.

    15. Top speed at the speed trap anybody? Who was on top?

      1. 1 1 Jenson Button 17:11:15 319.2
        2 23 Kamui Kobayashi 18:21:33 317.6
        3 7 Felipe Massa 17:40:30 316.5
        4 12 Vitaly Petrov 17:55:10 316.2
        5 15 Vitantonio Liuzzi 17:11:48 315.8
        6 14 Adrian Sutil 18:09:01 315.6
        7 8 Fernando Alonso 17:12:24 315.2
        8 17 Jaime Alguersuari 17:37:21 313.0
        9 5 Sebastian Vettel 17:46:13 312.1
        10 11 Robert Kubica 17:46:31 312.1
        11 6 Mark Webber 18:05:01 311.6
        12 18 Jarno Trulli 17:05:56 311.5
        13 2 Lewis Hamilton 17:09:22 311.5
        14 4 Nico Rosberg 18:10:07 310.9
        15 21 Bruno Senna 17:07:40 310.8
        16 3 Michael Schumacher 17:10:27 310.3
        17 22 Nick Heidfeld 18:08:57 310.1
        18 10 Nico Hulkenberg 17:30:54 309.8
        19 9 Rubens Barrichello 17:08:49 309.5
        20 16 Sebastien Buemi 18:27:12 309.5
        21 19 Heikki Kovalainen 17:08:05 308.0
        22 24 Timo Glock 17:27:02 307.7
        23 20 Christian Klien 17:02:57 307.2
        24 25 Lucas di Grassi 17:04:39 306.3

        1. Looks like it’s better to trade straight line speed for ultimate lap times.

    16. There are two open questions:

      Was Hamilton overly aggressive to Senna on his pit entry? From the angle of the FOM fead it looked “optimistically marginal.”

      What might the race director / marshals say about the drivers going more than wide (i.e. four wheels off track plus kerbs) and still getting good lap times recorded?

      1. The stewards have given Hamilton a reprimand fur cutting the pit lane entry line.

        No more than it deserved I reckon.

        1. Jenson Button also Topped the Speed Trap in Pit Lane to the tune of 1000 Euros.

    17. I think Alonso will be in first for ages, with Hamilton behind and then he will allow Lewis to take the win because he knows second is enough, and that by sacrificing a win, it negates the advantage from Germany.

      1. Somehow I don’t think that Alonso will let Lewis passed or be thinking about the 7/25/whatever points that maybe he shouldn’t have had from Germany.

        More likely that Lewis will try another badly judged run up the inside of his opponent and take the pair of them out. Thus leaving RedBull to pick up all the pieces.

      2. If he wins this race, he will have more then 7 points over the next placed contender, so the 7 points wont matter.

        Not that they matter at all in my opinion. :P

    18. unlikely but exciting scenario:
      P1- Ham (247 pts)
      P3- Vet (246 pts)
      P6- Web (246 pts)
      DNF-Alo (246 pts)

      then (on the last lap) hamilton puts it in the wall, Alonso wins the title on a three way tie, and the drama of germany will hang over his third crown for ever….

      1. If Ham stuffs it in the wall Vettel moves up to Second and wins.

    19. Man, i think i am getting a little obsessed with F1 at this point!!!Its all i can think about and i have an exam on Monday! Can you believe my luck?? My last paper is a day after the final race!!!

      1. I feel for You – Lack of missing bad planing, eh?
        Make an exam preparation plan, put in milestones and convince Yourself that You are only allowed to watch the Quali and later the Race if You have done your homework according to plan, etc. But its not an easy one, I admit it. Last year I was offered a possibility for a free trip and ticket to the GP in Barcelona wednesday before the GP. Problem was I had to sail on a Sea Acceptance Test that weekend – and I was Project Manager on the System: Planning and allocated resources made it impossible to postpone – Damn Damn Damn…

        1. Thanks Palle, advice much appreciated…A possible free ticket to the Barcelona GP??? Just Wow!!

    20. What I would like to see is for Vettel to have a problem early on in the race and be out of the championship.

      Alonso in the lead, Webber in second, Lewis Third. Going into the last lap Webber try a late braking move on Alonso and Alonso does not budge and they stuff each other into the wall. Leaving Good ‘ole Lewis to cruise to the Win and the Championship.

      Talk about a Dramatic end to a Dramatic Season.

      1. Hamilton will crash into someone as usual. Hopefully his buddy Alonso, then Webber can win the title and stop whining about team orders.

    21. Interesting take on today on the Italian site, autosprint – they said that contrary to most of the year, the Ferrari of Alonso is have difficulty in race conditions with heavy fuel and the soft tires – major graining issues. Conversely, he looks very good over a single lap with the hard tires. They speculate that Ferrari maybe trying everything to be in front of the Red Bulls at the start – even sacrificing race pace. The title maybe lost at the start if he has to play catch up….

      Yes, a Hamilton pole would be GREAT news for Ferrari if it can’t be Alonso.

    22. I think that is to early to say that Hamilton is the faster guy. I bet in RB pole, hamilton third and Alonso fourth…

    23. Button is running new brake bias system:

      BBC Sport’s Andrew Benson: “You will have noticed Jenson Button complaining about locking his front brakes (re: 1311). This has been a problem for him since Korea, and it is rooted in a new brake-bias system that McLaren are trailling and which they have not yet perfected. All the teams have systems, about which they are very secretive, that change the brake bias from front to rear as the downforce bleeds off the car as it slows down during braking. The system on Button’s car is aimed at 2011, and McLaren are trying to get a head start on it. Button used it in Korea – and that is what caused him to be so slow in the race. But he decided to stick with it in Brazil, where he also struggled with it. We believe he has it on again for Friday practice in Abu Dhabi.”

      Probably be running something else tomorrow.

      1. So in Korea they ran an experimental system that they knew would cause problems and that caused Button to be more than 1 second off the pace, for 2011, or something, when they were fighting for a WCC? I don’t buy that. Button was just slower than usual.

        1. Good point but I if they did, they thought they had nothing to lose and if it paid off it would of be a big advantage to Button… given his recent form it was worth a gamble if that is what happened.

    24. please oh please. stop referring to drivers each and every single time by their Twitter names. We know they’re on Twitter, we don’t want to be forced to mentally translate everytime who the Aussie grit or the real jb, or even the_fifth_driver is. They have names and this applies even when WE are on Twitter.

      for everything else, thanks for the eccellent service.

    25. Now that Hamilton is no longer a threat, Alonso is getting over his fixation with the Brit. Alonso is the most likely to have the strength of character to win. In fact, Webber, whilst having the strongest car has the biggest mental challenge. I hope Alonso wins it. Vettle and Webber just aren’t world champions in my opinion, although I expect that Vettle will be, one day……

    26. Will Hamilton will create the greatest upset in the 61 years of Formula 1 history by becoming the WC this weekend?

      Though he will have a very tough job but I think he is capable of doing that.

    27. Hamilton fast in 1 practice session and he’s won the race already! Hilarious.

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