Free Practice 2: Rosberg dominates a very close session!

The German Nico Rosberg from Williams dominated the second free practice session of the Bahrain Grand Prix, ahead of Fernando Alonso (Renault) and Jarno Trulli (Toyota). The session is proof of an immense competition declared between the ten teams of the 2009 lineup: Nick Heidfeld, in last place, is only 1.4 seconds behind the leader…

It is once again very hot, and Free Practice 2 is taking place in extreme conditions for the drivers, but also for the tires and the mechanics. The air temperature is 37°C and nearly 50°C on the track, yet no major reliability issues have been reported.

It was the British leader of the championship who was the first to set a fast lap during the 90-minute session. With a time of 1 minute 35 seconds, the Brawn GP driver was quickly outpaced by Fisichella’s Force India and the Toyotas. After 20 minutes, it was Nico Rosberg who set the best time at 1.33.339, and no one could do better; the Williams was in a qualifying simulation.

Fernando Alonso, for his part, set his best lap a few minutes before the end of the session. He was then out of the top 10, doing fuel-heavy stints. His best lap was achieved on a short 4-lap stint. Trulli is third, with a car already well-prepared, as the Japanese team had conducted part of their winter testing on this circuit.

Vettel and Webber in the Red Bull are 4th and 5th, and as a sign precede Button’s Brawn GP, just like in last week’s Chinese Grand Prix. Surprisingly, it’s Sutil, in the Force India second specification, who follows in 7th position. The German is ahead of his compatriot Timo Glock (Toyota) by just one thousandth of a second. Barrichello and Nakajima complete the very tight top 10. The gap between the first and tenth is only half a second; between the first and the last, one and a half seconds.

Lewis Hamilton is 11th, his teammate Heikki Kovalainen only 19th. The Ferraris and BMWs share the ‘worst’ times. Massa is 16th and does not have the KERS (kinetic energy recovery system), just like Heidfeld, unlike Räikkönen and Kubica.

Bourdais is 14th, more than two-tenths behind his teammate Buemi, and ahead of Nelson Piquet in the second Renault. The Brazilian hit a curb while attacking and damaged his front wing before it came loose. He had to return to the pits. Several drivers made mistakes at turn no. 10, but no incidents were reported.

Free Practice 2 Results – Sakhir – Friday, April 24, 2009: