Sepang, Malaysia, Friday 6th April 2007
Fernando Alonso MP4-22 0 1
Lewis Hamilton MP4-22 0 5
T-car (Fernando) MP4-22 0 3
2007 MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX FREE PRACTICE
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes drivers Fernando Alonso and Lewis
Hamilton finished today’s first practice session in
second and third respectively with times of 1:35.220 and 1:35.712
completing 24 and 22 laps. In the second practice Lewis was
ninth with 1:36.797 and Fernando was 12th with 1:37.041 with
30 and 26 laps respectively.
Practice Session One:
Fernando: Lewis:
10.01: out / in 10.02: out / in
10.19: 4 laps, best 1:36.675 10.18: 6 laps, best
1:36.548
10.34: 7 laps, best 1:35.767 10.42: 5 laps, best
1:36.581
10.57: 7 laps, best 1:37.086 11.01: 5 laps, best
1:37.429
11.23: 5 laps, best 1:35.220 (2nd) 11.22: 5 laps, best
1:35.712 (3rd)
Practice Session Two:
Fernando: Lewis:
14.04: 4 laps, best 1:37.053 14.04: 5 laps, best
1:37.323
14.25: 5 laps, best 1:37.133 14.22: 6 laps, best
1:38.330
14.51: 10 laps, best 1:37.242 14.47: 5 laps, best
1:36.797 (9th)
15.22: 6 laps, best 1:29.505 14.59: 5 laps, best
1:37.988
15.16: Red Flag 15.12: Red Flag
15.22: 6 laps, best 1:37.041 (12th) 15.22: 6 laps, best
1:38.743
FAST FACTS
What was the focus of today's programme?
The team undertook a normal Friday programme focusing on tyre
evaluation and general set-up work. This morning’s practice
saw Fernando and Lewis doing short runs with longer runs planned
for the second session. However the red flag stoppage affected
the planned programme. How did last week’s testing at
Sepang help with today’s programme? The team began today’s
practice with a good basic knowledge of the track and the
set-up of the car. At the test last week the team spent time
optimising cooling systems and are comfortable with the progress
made. As a result the practice today could focus on the performance
aspect. What special training did the drivers do to prepare
for this race? Malaysia is a very tough race on a physical
level, with the drivers facing incredible heat and humidity
that can cause them to lose up to 3.5-4.0 litres of fluid.
To hydrate a fluid rich in electrolytes is used, replacing
any minerals and salts lost through the effort of performing
in the intense heat. On arrival in Malaysia, in addition to
indoor cardiovascular exercise and light stretching, Fernando
spent time playing tennis outside in the heat. Following the
Australian Grand Prix, Lewis travelled to Thailand where conditions
are similar to Kuala Lumpur and began training in the heat,
involving running and exercises outside.
FERNANDO ALONSO
"The team tested here last week when most of the set-up
was done so we had a good basis for today’s practice.
There is now some more data added to the file which we will
look at overnight, but everything went as expected. I spent
some time just getting used to Sepang again as I wasn’t
testing last week, but there were no surprises, and I really
enjoy this track.” LEWIS HAMILTON "This is my first
Malaysian Grand Prix, but I got to know the circuit well during
last week’s test. The heat and humidity are as I expected
and have trained for. The practice today was pretty straight
forward, and we made further steps. The circuit conditions
are constantly changing which makes it challenging to find
the right balance. I’m looking forward to qualifying
tomorrow.” RON DENNIS "A solid start to our Malaysian
Grand Prix where we continued the work from last week’s
Sepang test. Today the main focus was on tyre evaluation on
a circuit where traditionally tyres have very high levels
of degradation. This impacted significantly on our lap times.
We look forward to qualifying tomorrow.” NORBERT HAUG
"This circuit with high temperatures inside and outside
of the cars is really very challenging and especially so for
the tyres. We did a lot of laps and learned for tomorrow when
we aim to get an order like in practice one rather than in
practice two.”
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