Felipe Massa tops second Indian Grand Prix practice
Felipe Massa put Ferrari on top as the Formula 1 teams continued to get to grips with India's Buddh International circuit in the second free practice session ahead of this weekend's inaugural grand prix in the nation.While the Ferrari's new front wing continued to prompt distinctive showers of sparks as it vibrated again the track surface, the revised car showed promising pace, with Massa lapping the dusty track in 1m25.706s 18 minutes before the end of the session to claim the top spot.
His team-mate Fernando Alonso also showed well in third, 0.224 seconds off Massa's pace.
They were split by champion Sebastian Vettel, whose Red Bull had been quickest for the majority of the afternoon, until Massa's fast time saw the German pipped by 0.088s.
Morning pacesetter Lewis Hamilton, who will go into qualifying for a three-place grid penalty for disregarding yellow flags earlier today, was fourth quickest in the best of the McLarens, with his team-mate Jenson Button sixth behind Mark Webber's Red Bull.
Force India took 'best of the rest' honours in front of its effective home crowd thanks to Adrian Sutil's seventh place, two positions ahead of team-mate Paul di Resta, as they sandwiched Vitaly Petrov's Renault. Sebastien Buemi completed the top 10 for Toro Rosso.
The Mercedes were further back than usual in 19th (Nico Rosberg) and 21st (Michael Schumacher) - the seven-time champion having missed some of the session while an issue was resolved on his car.
There were plenty of small incidents as the drivers explored the track's limits, particularly at Turn 6, and one red flag after Jerome D'Ambrosio went off at Turn 11 and ended up backed his Virgin into the barriers, causing significant damage. He was unhurt and the session quickly resumed.
Petrov also had a spin in his Renault, while Pastor Maldonado dumped his Williams in the Turn 9 gravel early on but was retrieved in time to rejoin the session and complete 24 laps.
Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m25.706s 33
2. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m25.794s + 0.088 34
3. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m25.930s + 0.224 34
4. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m26.454s + 0.748 26
5. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m26.500s + 0.794 30
6. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m26.714s + 1.008 28
7. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m27.316s + 1.610 34
8. Bruno Senna Renault 1m27.498s + 1.792 36
9. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m27.853s + 2.147 35
10. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m27.868s + 2.162 35
11. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m27.890s + 2.184 37
12. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m28.050s + 2.344 34
13. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m28.289s + 2.583 36
14. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m28.552s + 2.846 31
15. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m28.691s + 2.985 29
16. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 1m28.708s + 3.002 24
17. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault 1m29.332s + 3.626 39
18. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 1m30.241s + 4.535 41
19. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m31.098s + 5.392 38
20. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m31.469s + 5.763 32
21. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m31.804s + 6.098 28
22. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1m32.593s + 6.887 12
23. Tonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 1m32.768s + 7.062 33
24. Daniel Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth 1m32.824s + 7.118 33
All Timing Unofficial
AutosportCategory Article f1 news, india gp 2011
