2007 EUROPEAN GRAND PRIX
NÜRBURGRING - FREE PRACTICE
Free practice for this weekend's European Grand Prix got
underway at the Nürburgring today where Jenson Button
and Rubens Barrichello ended the day in eighth and 14th positions
respectively.
The weather conditions varied from session to session. It
remained dry and warm for this morning's running but the dark
clouds which had gathered by mid-day gave rise to a brief
downpour ahead of the afternoon session. This washed away
the rubber laid down this morning and a freshly 'green' track
made the task of finding a good balance rather more of a challenge.
Jenson and Rubens ended the opening session in eighth and
10th places respectively, having completed a total of 53 laps.
In session two they closed the gap to the top of the time
sheets and added another 62 laps to the total for the day.
JENSON BUTTON
"Today's running was always going to be difficult because
of the weather. The rain after the first session left the
track slightly damp for the start of the second. With the
programme that we had, the work we did was positive and our
long-run pace was reasonable. There is still a lot of work
to do on our long-runs but the car worked well on both tyres
and then on new tyres at the end. To get a good lap round
here you need a very good set-up and today is not a bad start.
We're moving in the right direction."
RUBENS BARRICHELLO
"We made some big changes for the afternoon session and
I was not very happy with the car as a result. They didn't
translate in the way that we hoped. The track was very different
as well this afternoon after the rain and it was quite windy
out there. We have learned some important things for the rest
of the weekend though."
JACKY EECKELAERT
Engineering Director
"The rain between the two sessions reduced somewhat the
time available on a dry track in the second session. Jenson
was able to find a good balance on both medium and soft tyres
whereas Rubens is still not happy with the car balance, so
we have some work to do in order to give him the car he needs
for tomorrow."
FREE PRACTICE STATS
Drivers Car No. Chassis No. FP 1 FP 2
Jenson Button 7 RA107-04 28 laps 01:33.936 P8 36 laps 01:33.880
P8
Rubens Barrichello 8 RA107-05 25 laps 01:34.142 P10 26 laps
01:34.411 P14
Weather FP1 - Dry and warm FP2 - Damp and cool
Temperatures Air: 20-23°C Track: 23-32°C
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