China 2011 - Free Practice 3 - Vettel leads both sessions and hopes for a third this morning
Published by Christine
Sebastian Vettel topped both free practice sessions yesterday, battling his way through the smog to lead the rest of the field. McLaren appeared to be the closest competition still, whilst Mercedes were much improved.
Williams continue to struggle, or so it seems, as did Force India. And of course, Nick Heidfeld found himself in the barriers a couple of times, forcing the Renault mechanics to work extra hard in both sessions.
Now we have just 60 minutes of practice left, just time to prepare for qualifying. FP3 will begin at 4am GMT+1, which is 11am local time.
Statistics
Shanghai International Circuit, Saturday
16℃
- Low 8℃
- Humidity 42%
White cloud
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | M Webber | Red Bull | 1:35.323 | 16 |
| 2 | L Hamilton | McLaren | 1:35.564 | 12 |
| 3 | S Vettel | Red Bull | 1:35.691 | 14 |
| 4 | J Button | McLaren | 1:35.747 | 14 |
| 5 | F Alonso | Ferrari | 1:35.857 | 13 |
One to Watch
It can only be Nick Heidfeld, can't it? Will he be able to make it three front wing changes in as many sessions? He has, at least, admitted to driver error, and made a good show of retrieving his car from the clutch of the tyre barriers in the second practice session. He's having a rollercoaster season so far, from the lows of being beaten by Petrov, to the highs of a podium place. Where will China see him?
