Hungarian GP Friday Practice Overview
By Luke Marc Carlile-Stanton
August 4 2007
The 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix weekend is underway, and the action started on the Friday in the two free practice sessions. Toyota had a reasonable first day with both drivers consistently in the heart of the mid-field battle. Here is a brief-overview of the events from the first day of the 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix.
Free Practice one was set in sunny and hot conditions, typical of the weather at the Hungaroring when Formula 1 is in town (2006 excepted...)
Session One
Of the Toyota's Ralf was fastest in 10th on a 1.23.802s with Jarno not too far behind in 12th on a 1.24.318. Robert Kubica sprung a surprise in the BMW-Sauber to be fastest on a 1.22.390, however he did use the soft tire to set that lap.
Brazilian Felipe Massa was second for Ferrari ahead of team mate Kimi Raikkonen just ahead of the Mclaren duo of reigning World Champion Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. Nick Heidfeld in the second BMW-Sauber rounded out the top 6.
American Scott Speed got the sack after a high profile fall out with the Scuderia Toro Rosso team and was swiftly replaced. His replacement is German Sebastian Vettel, who raced in this years American Grand Prix in place of injured Robert Kubica for BMW-Sauber. He has been released from his BMW-Sauber testing contract and will complete this season and also race in 2008 for Toro Rosso. He ended the first session in a respectable 16th place on a 1.24.905.
Japanese star Sakon Yamamoto makes his debut for the Spyker team, who have found a permanent replacement for Christijan Albers. Unsurprisingly in his first drive in the car he was 22nd and last on a 1m.28.118.
Hungarian GP, free practice session one times
1. KUBICA BMW 1m22.390s
2. MASSA Ferrari 1m22.519s
3. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 1m22.540s
4. ALONSO Mclaren 1m22.585s
5. HAMILTON McLaren 1m22.654s
6. HEIDFELD BMW 1m22.891s
7. ROSBERG Williams 1m22.983s
8. BUTTON Honda 1m23.294s
9. BARRICHELLO Honda 1m23.601s
10. SCHUMACHER Toyota 1m23.802s
11. DAVIDSON Super Aguri 1m24.102s
12. TRULLI Toyota 1m24.318s
13. WURZ Williams 1m24.321s
14. COULTHARD Red Bull 1m24.474s
15. KOVALAINEN Renault 1m24.733s
16. VETTEL Toro Rosso 1m24.905s
17. FISICHELLA Renault 1m24.920s
18. LIUZZI Toro Rosso 1m24.976s
19. SATO Super Aguri 1m25.307s
20. WEBBER Red Bull 1m25.584s
21. SUTIL Spyker 1m26.332s
22. YAMAMOTO Spyker 1m28.118s
Session Two
The second session took place in cooler temperatures to the first but still in the scorching Budapest heat.
This time it was Jarno who was the fastest of the Toyota's in 9th place on a 1.21.857 while Ralf ended up 11th on a 1.21.912.
Alonso was fastest this time around on a 1.20.919 just ahead of Finnish Renault star Heikki Kovalainen. The British media's new superstar Lewis Hamilton was third despite a spin at the end of the session trying to pace Sakon Yamamoto's Spyker.
Nico Rosberg's Williams, Nick Heidfeld's BMW-Sauber and Kimi Raikkonen in the Ferrari rounded out the top 6.
The new boys, Vettel and Yamamoto were 20th and 22nd respectively.
Hungarian GP, free practice session two times
1. ALONSO Mclaren 1m20.919s
2. KOVALAINEN Renault 1m21.283s
3. HAMILTON McLaren 1m21.338s
4. ROSBERG Williams 1m21.485s
5. HEIDFELD BMW 1m21.517s
6. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 1m21.589s
7. MASSA Ferrari 1m21.620s
8. FISICHELLA Renault 1m21.698s
9. TRULLI Toyota 1m21.857s
10. KUBICA BMW 1m21.906s
11. SCHUMACHER Toyota 1m21.912s
12. WURZ Williams 1m21.987s
13. WEBBER Red Bull 1m22.325s
14. COULTHARD Red Bull 1m22.483s
15. DAVIDSON Super Aguri 1m22.510s
16. BUTTON Honda 1m22.550s
17. SATO Super Aguri 1m22.556s
18. BARRICHELLO Honda 1m22.727s
19. LIUZZI Toro Rosso 1m23.136s
20. VETTEL Toro Rosso 1m23.148s
21. SUTIL Spyker 1m23.673s
22. YAMAMOTO Spyker 1m26.307s