2007 BRITISH GRAND PRIX
SILVERSTONE - FREE PRACTICE
The Honda Racing F1 Team fielded all three of its drivers
in today's two free practice sessions at Silverstone. This
morning Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button ended the session
in 10th and 15th places, although Jenson returned to the garage
early after experiencing slight muscular pain in his back.
This appears to be consistent with the pain he suffered after
he was caught up in a first-corner shunt at the United States
Grand Prix last month.
This afternoon, the decision was taken that Jenson should
sit out the second practice session to avoid aggravating the
injury. Reserve and Test Driver Christian Klien took over
in Jenson's car to complete the balance of the day's programme
in preparation for Sunday's British Grand Prix. Rubens continued
with his set-up and Bridgestone tyre comparison work and he
set a best time of 1:22.511s, placing him 17th fastest. Christian
was immediately up to speed in the other car and ended the
day 18th on the timesheets.
RUBENS BARRICHELLO
"It was a fairly standard Friday today, although the
weather conditions were quite windy around the circuit. We
worked through the usual set-up and tyre comparisons as well
as trying a different brake material during the afternoon
session. Overall the car balance felt better by the end of
the day, especially on the long runs. We do still have to
find some more time on the short runs however."
JENSON BUTTON
"This morning the conditions were very gusty, particularly
through Becketts, and we were struggling to find a good balance.
Although I had to sit out the afternoon session it looks like
we have made some good progress with our planned programme
and I will be looking at the data this evening with the engineers
in preparation for tomorrow."
CHRISTIAN KLIEN
"I am pleased to have had the opportunity to drive the
car this afternoon and to help the team complete our planned
programme for today. Silverstone is a circuit that I know
very well so I was able to feel comfortable in the car straightaway.
We had a lot to achieve in the session with the tyres, especially
looking at the long run pace for the race on Sunday, so it
was good to be able to complete 45 laps."
JACKY EECKELAERT
Engineering Director
"In the first free practice this morning Rubens found
a reasonable balance for his car, despite the very windy conditions
which made set-up quite a challenge. Unfortunately Jenson
had to stop before the end of the session because of his back
pain. To allow Jenson to rest we put Christian in the car
this afternoon and he did a good job with the long run tyre
comparisons. Rubens also worked on long run pace to help us
prepare for the race on Sunday."
FREE PRACTICE STATS
Drivers Car No. Chassis No. Free Practice 1 Free Practice
2
Jenson Button 7 RA107-05 17 laps 01:23.517 P15 Did not participate
Rubens Barrichello 8 RA107-04 27 laps 01:22.956 P10 39 laps
01:22.511 P17
Christian Klien 34 RA107-04 Did not participate 45 laps 01:22.833
P18
Weather Overcast
Temperatures Air: 16-18°C Track: 19-27°C
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