Free Practice 2: Button and Rosberg at the forefront

Already almost like a habit, it’s a Brawn GP, that of Jenson Button, who finished on top in the second practice session in China, in preparation for the third Grand Prix of the season in Shanghai. On the imposing circuit, the Briton is ahead of Nico Rosberg in the Williams and his teammate at Brawn GP, Rubens Barrichello. Renault and BMW are at the back…

For this second practice session in China, the teams often focused on the tires; concerns regarding the soft tires, specifically the Super-Softs here, which may not perform well for more than 6 laps on track. Glock was the first to use his tires, 20 minutes into the start of the tests. His lap times were not bad, but the overall assessment of his tires remains mixed. They are likely to be the key during the GP on Sunday.

The other attraction of the session concerned the KERS; who was using it, who didn’t want it… In the end, only the Renaults, the McLarens, and Kubica’s BMW had it this afternoon. The Pole should keep it tomorrow, with BMW once again not putting all its eggs in one basket…

Regarding the diffusers, it seems that McLaren is already using a new ‘Double Diffuser,’ hence the good times in the morning, while the Renault R29 is expected to have it by tomorrow. Piquet is likely to test it only in the morning to optimize chances during the qualifications. Ferrari and BMW will probably wait for the next Grand Prix.

In the end, lap times are on average two seconds faster than in the morning, with many more laps on the counter under cool but favorable weather conditions for the moment. The tires are slightly suffering from graining, a phenomenon that should diminish as the weekend progresses, and in these conditions, it’s the Brawn GP that come out on top. Rosberg manages to insert himself into the duo.

As if to remind everyone of the hierarchy established since the first two Grand Prix races, the Red Bulls are also well positioned. Vettel and Webber, in fact, dominated the first half-hour of tests before Button emerged from the pits. Clearly, at this stage of the competition, Brawn GP seems to be ahead of Williams, Red Bull, and Toyota. These four teams are monopolizing the top 8 positions.

Inevitably, the former leading teams are relegated to the last positions. Only Kovalainen manages to enter the top 10, ahead of Bourdais. Otherwise, Hamilton is only 13th, and is outpaced by Massa in currently underperforming Ferraris. Räikkönen is 14th while the Renaults and BMWs share the times from the 16th to the 19th position.

Note the strong performance of Force India and Sutil with the 11th fastest time. Fisichella brings up the rear.

Join us tomorrow morning for a slightly clearer idea of the qualifying standings.

Free Practice 2 Results – Shanghai – Friday, April 17, 2009: