The Chinese Grand Prix - Practice 3 Formula 1

Good morning, welcome to Shanghai. This is the final free practice

session we are bringing you to live. David Coulthard is joining me to

talk about what we have seen this morning. Glorious day. Interesting

weekend, what are your thought? is warmer than through the free

practice yesterday. No big surprise with the actual overall performance

on the short and long runs yesterday. The only thing we have

to take with a pinch of salt is what is the ultimate fuel level the

cars are running. The qualifying I wouldn't be surprised if we see Red

Bull and Ferrari and Lotus showing their hands. It is hard to know

from the runs yet, Raikkonen looked like the stronger. What did you

feel about the option tyre? There is a gap between the performance of

the two tyres, it is difficult in the race because it look like they

have Togo for the other tyre and not the option tyre, more so for

Mercedes than Red Bull. The track is evolving, it is very dusty here,

it will be something that evolves constantly over the next day and a

bit, the only thing that matters what happens when the checkered

flag comes ow. Tom and enginey in the pit -- out. Tom and Jenny in

the pitlane. Here in the pitlane we are very

warm, basking in 30 degrees, the track level is the same as yet. A

lot of work to do. The next hour will be frenetic. Ross Brawn saying

tyres would require some attention, that is an underestimate. The soft

tyre is dropping after one good lap. Goodness knows how they will cope

with that today. From a team's point of view, what is their

optimum, what will they try to get out of the session? They will do

some set-up work, no question. But towards the end of the session they

will want to give the drivers a sight or feel for how the car will

respond on lower fuel level. If you have real confidence in your

underlying pace you wouldn't run anything less that 20 kilos of fuel,

there will be mixed programmes out there. The headline times in

themselves we shouldn't look too lease closely at. It will give us

flavour of who is looking comfortable.

Gary, some complicated mathematics? Always. But I have Gary next to me

Always. But I have Gary next to me so it isn't a problem. We should

get a bit of an idea by the end of this. We will, it is always

difficult to know what fuel people are carrying, most teams will be

running with a high fuel to begin with on a harder tyre, then the

softer tyre. That could be 20 kilo, 30 kilos, that is the problem, we

never really know. Helicopter buzzing overhead, it is all

starting to happen here. 90 minutes of the free practice session for

you coming up. Here is Ben and Gary. Drivers are just being prepared in

car at the moment. We just saw Lotito, getting the Kimi Raikkonen

car together -- Lotus, getting the Raikkonen car together. A couple of

problems with the battery pack and they have had to take the floor off

at the begin of the session. It looked like that is what they were

doing, putting the floor back on and getting the body work ready. It

isn't the end of the world. This is the vast paddock area behind the

pit and behind that the little tree, the team offices surrounding a lake.

That is fun. But the paddock area some what bleak. Pastor Maldonado

hoping for great things, but they feel it will be Barcelona with

serious updates before making progress with that car. First out

on there is Jules Bianchi in the Mall. Adrian Sutil one of the

earlies on to the track. It is only one hour, this 60-minute session

always seems to fly by. It is very quick, the temperatures is 25

degrees, 32 degrees track now. Once you get above 30 degrees the tyres

work sensibly. You don't want to waste time, just get out there and

on with it. The forecast is good for the rest of the weekend, nice

and warm today and tomorrow. Looking at the information,

everybody seems to be going out on the medium compound, the harder of

the two tyres. We will expect to see a simulated run from most of

the teams, that will come towards the end of the 60 minutes. If I was

running it now I would go out on the medium tyre, 150 kilograms is

the fuel they will start with. You will have 120 kilograms of fuel in

the car. Doing long stints on the tyres to get durability. With about

25 minutes to go in the session you lower the fuel, put on the softer

tyre, the qualifying lap, then the high fuel, the 150 kilograms and

see how the tyres last. You have to try to do a lot of stuff in the

one-hour session. Looking at Caterham. You have some news from

Lotus? I'm standing in their pit, Kimi Raikkonen is in the car, the

reason they are delayed into the session is a suspension change a

suspension set-up change on his car. They were here very late last night

going through the data and they have decided to make a last-minute

change there. A quick update on Romain Grosjean. He had had a

torrid day yesterday. He was using the new exhaust, the new rearend on

his car yesterday morning. They reverted back to the old set-up in

the afternoon. He wasn't happy with it. Actually the team has said this

morning that he was just 0.1 of a second slower in terms of set-up

yesterday morning. He shouldn't have been as unhappy as he was

making out. Kimi is off the jacks and they are about to put the tyres

on. Frenando Alonso also in the pit garage at the moment, we have quite

a lot of cars out or are out on circuit currently getting their

initial installation lap under way. And building up to qualifying. Just

to remind us, Gary, once they get into qualifying there is nothing

they can change on the car. This period and that short period

between theen of the session and beginning of qualifying, that is

when all the last-minute changes have to be made? It is pretty

frantic, for the engineers as well, they have to come up with the

decisions in time for the mechanics to carry it out. Its a frantic time.

The start of qualifying, once the car drives out of the pitlane that

is it you are in the park rules. The only thing to change is front

wing angle, a few electronic set- ups and brake balances. But you

have what you have once the green light is on for the pitlane to open.

For the engineers the pressure is on. They have done the work

overnight, and done the data crunching in the factories and a

set up to put on the cars which is on there now. If there are any

issues it is really all hands to the pumps to change the cars in

time for qualifying. Overnight people will have been working in

the factories, running a simulation, a seven-poster rig that you can try

different mechanical set-up on it. It is the aerodynamic circuit that

is difficult to simulate in the factory, on the track that is it

really. They will change anti-roll bars, setting, getting the tyres to

work a bit better and longer, and try to be more compliant toward the

tyre. This is the Marussia, this is Jules Bianchi waiting to go on to

the circuit. He has been out once already, he has done his

installation lap, a quick checkover to make sure everything is running

as it should be. The young Frenchman will be sent on his way.

The two rookie drivers doing a great job so far in Marussia. There

is Jules Bianchi, they have gone back to the same exhaust set up

that Kimi Raikkonen is running on had his car. We will see how he

gets on. Just a reminder of the times. In the morning we saw Nico

Rosberg set the tyre on the medium tyre for -- he set the time on the

medium tyre. Mercedes were one and two. In the afternoon it was

Ferrari's Felipe Massa fastest using the soft tyre, he did a very

rapid lap of 1.35.3. He spoke yesterday to Jenny.

It feels good, I wasn't happy at the beginning with the medium tyres.

They were not so quick compared to other cars. But looking at how much

we improved with the soft tyre, the thing that was really amazing, I

didn't expect to improve so much on that. Also when I did the race

simulation the pace was very good and competitive. That is really the

direction. For sure the biggest prize is alwaysle qualifying. I

think I did a good lap on the soft, that is positive. And the

degradation of the tyres for the race, I think in the long run it

wasn't bad. I'm confident for the weekend, I hope we can do

everything we did today tomorrow and Sunday. Were you surprised with

the difference in the tyres, a big difference in the two compounds?

Yeah, when I drove the medium and the soft, two different cars and

two different grips. The soft has a big degradation for the race. It

would be a big tactic kal race for everybody as well. Interesting

Massa? Interesting two different cars, what happens when you put a

softer tire toor on the car, it gives you more rear -- tyre on the

car, it gives you more grip and traction. If you have a car that is

on the harder tire and struggling for rearend grip, put on the soft

tyres you have a faster car, if you have a car on the white wall tyres

with more under steer. A car with good balance will go quicker.

Sometimes you get a different benefit depending on the car.

have worked with Rob many times, this is an amazing relationship?

an engineer and driver that is what you want. When I worked with

Barricello it was sem later, you were friends as well as engineer.

You work with that situation, it is a better situation. Having that

relationship can't be something you switch off when the driver goes off

the track, you have to have the relationship where you go and have

a bite and a beer. You discuss things away from the circuit. I

always think if you sit down for a meeting for God ideas it never

works but you can have good ideas in 24-hours in a day. That is the

relationship they have, and some things come out of those

conversation. Nico Rosberg sees in very good form. He has given a

great interview to Tom Clarkeson which you will hear on the

Qualifying Show on BBC One. It starts at 6.00am, I hope you can

join us for the full qualifying show on BBC 1. David Coulthard will

be joining us in the commentary box for that one. In the Ferrari pits

waiting to see track action. The only lap time set so far is by the

two Caterham, Giedo van der Garde and Charles Pic in the 1.41. Just

the early level in the session. We are about to see more action.

Sebatian Vettel making his way out on to the circuit. We didn't see

the soft tyre pace from The Red Houses yesterday. They tend to run

the cars heavy on Friday. Maybe they are not showing us everything.

Remember Sebastian is looking for three pole positions in a row to

start the season. That would be a remarkable beginning to the year?

It is not impossible. Sebastian yesterday did look like he was

having a little bit of a thrash. He wasn't quite content. I think Mark

Webber of much more in control of the situation. His long run on the

prime tyre was very, very impressive. As you say, they always

do their homework right, they always run the car a little heavier

and feel they never show their hand until the last minute. I would

expect them to be up there. There is a whole bunch that can be

challenging for pole. It won't be a given for Sebatian Vettel today.

One of the big question marks is over the McLaren team, and whether

they are making programme, after what was no doubt a disappointing

start in Melbourne. They have brought some new parts to the car

this weekend, Perez had some troubles yesterday, an exciting

time for McLaren? Certainly a busy time for McLaren. Jenson was a

little downbeat I thought yesterday afternoon when I spoke to him. They

have made a difference, they have improved the car a little bit. But

not as much as the team of hoping. Sergio Perez has certainly got a

big day ahead of him. After a good weekend in Malaysia when Martin

Whitmarsh said he didn't put a foot wrong. He put a not wrong yesterday,

first of all ending up in the pitlane gravel track, where Lewis

Hamilton was in 2007. He went off in FP2. He says he's starting from

zero from a set-up point of view. Gary I have a question for you,

when a driver is clearly Lachlaing a little bit of confidence in the

car, as is the case with Sergio this weekend. What can a team say

to him overnight it calm his nerves and get him in the right frame of

mind for qualifying? You know it is one of those things, the confidence

is everything in a racing car. Normally what happens is when you

lose your confidence is because you are not sure what the car will do,

whether it will jump into an understeer mid-corner or the rear

will snap out at you. That saps your kf tense much the car bit him

a cop of times yesterday and went off. You need it make the car do

more than one thing. There is lots of understeer let the driver know

what's happening and he can apply his talents to the car, lots of

understeer. You come back to that slowly. His confidence will build

because he knows what the car will do, and engineers can tune the car

a bit to get rid of the understeer. You have to make the car go lower

before it can go quicker. Looking into Red Bull pit, Mark Webbering

nice and relaxed at the moment. He has never won the race in China,

but he was second in 2009, that was the first Red Bull victory and a 1-

2 finish on that occasion. We now know that the rivalry that simplers

away there came out into the surface in Malaysia. They are get

on. Let's see what Esteban Gutierrez has been up to. That is

out of turn ten and well out wide on to the artificial grass, but

kept it in a straight line, kicked up the dust and back on the track.

A new rear wing which has improved things from what the drivers are

saying. Still maybe a bit of work to be done to get them back on to

the kind of pace we saw last year, when they qualified in the second

row. If you look at Sauber they have always been fast in the

straight, which dictates that you have very little drag. If you have

very little drag sometimes you don't have enough downforce. You

have to get the right compromise. I don't think they have found it yet

with this year's car. New rear wing on it, every team has different

combinations of wing because of different levels of downforce. Up

to now because in qualifying you could use the DRS all the way round

the lap, you wanted a wing where the DRS was efficient as far as

work is concerned. Sometimes it means you have a wing that is less

efficient when it is closed at producing downforce. That has

changed now, with the DRS only used in two positions on the track in

qualifying and potentially the race. The wing philosophy and concept

will change slightly to suit the new regulations, it takes them a

while to catch up with it. Maybe that is what Sauber have done with

the new design of rear wing. We saw the ambulance down the pitlane do

you know what it is about? I will give you an upset. In the Marussia

garage, one of the mechanics got clipped, has his shoe off in the

back of the stretcher just to check out precautionary measures really.

He had a smile on his face, so he will be fine. Nothing too much to

worry about. Jules Bianchi just firing up his car mind me, you can

-- behind me, having a practice start. Max Chilton not with the

best of days yesterday. He lost a lot of time in the second session

because of the problem with an oil leak so the car stopped twice on

track. They have a lot of time to make up down here for Max. A

circuit that he doesn't know. I feel sorry for him today going out

there wild. It won't be easy for him that's for sure, he was very

happy with the way his initial lap went yesterday before they had the

problem. He was, as you say, some what frustrate. Other cars are

looking slow, the track isn't there yet. You may not be able to get the

first lap. There is an interesting comment, Gary. Just explain, why

does the track vary so much. The conditions are good today. We have

decent track temperature, 33 degrees, the air temporary 35. It

would appear the track is not as quick as it was when they left it

yesterday? It is getting the rubber on track. Overnight dust will have

blown across, a lot of building sites nearby. It is just getting

rid of that. It is like driving on sand, the car just slides that bit

more. It is the same for everybody, obviously we have five minutes into

the session, a lot of people are still sitting in the garage. Normal

low the faster teams or the friendent teams don't want to run

and use their tyres before the track ready. They wait five or ten

mens. There will be a point where they get on with it. Several of the

front runners aren't in their cars, Mark Webber and Felipe Massa are

wandering around outside their cars in the pit garages waiting for the

track to clean up. I would imagine it will get very busy later on.

Sergio Perez brings it down to the hairpin. This track, it is mainly

medium and slow speed corner, it has this massively long straight to

cope with. It is all about the compromise between straight line

speed or downforce through those medium speed and slow speed corner,

Perez fasters on 1.38.7. We are some way off the lap times we saw

yesterday, that is confirmation of that. Top speeds just around the00

mile an hour mark. Pic fastest at 214kms an hour. Not quite the full

mark. Some teams go for the straight line speed, Sauber were

top of that yesterday and Mercedes. Red Bull quite a long way down,

they have gone for the downforce option? You look at Sauber, 13th

and 17th yesterday. Obviously their car, by no means has as much grip

as The Red House. But it is very easy to get the compromise the

wrong way. The one thing I will say, it is very easy to use the straight

line speed of a car, even if the tyres are going away on you. You

definitely want to be in a position where you are efficient on the

straight. Ready for traction. Understood, the track is still

quite so, it may improve over the next couple of laps. As I said,

like the soft tyre when the track is dirty it is always the traction

that stands out as a problem. When the traction is better it gives

more grip and the rear tyres more grip, the engineer is right saying

give it a couple of lap. They seem to be biased towards the straight

line speed, the driver will use the speed on the straight, it is one of

the things you can use without problems for tyres. Red Bull has

always carried this thing where it has really taken corner and lap

time from the corner, it has paid dividends. Sometimes you know if

you don't qualify in the front row, if you don't qualify in pole

position with a Red Bull, you can fight a big battle getting past

people. It is not always the right compromise. Because of the DRS

rules it is different. Need to make sure you can overtake some people?

Very important, as we have seen, particularly during a multistop

race, you will always come out in traffic. A couple of tweets coming

in. Grosjean just going fasters there in the Lotus, 1.38.7, we ride

with his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen. "why do some drivers stop at the

end of the pitlane and others straight out, it look dangerous".

The reason you told you yesterday is the practice start area is at

the end of the pitlane. There is an area where you can stop and wait

and mainly for the drivers to get through the button sequence and

they are up to speed with how everything works, the grip

conditions at the end of the pitlane is always very, very

different from on the track. It is never exactly a perfect start. It

just makes sure all the systems are working correctly. It is as

important as a driver doing practice pitstops or the driver

going out there and practice the warm-up lap. You have to do all

these things to make sure when you have to do it in the race or in

qalfoiing that it is not a new eqens to you, it is imprinted on

your brain. It is like sitting on the coach at home and working the

remote control. I would push on the first. Low tyre pressure leading to

the car bottoming. Plank of the car. He's worried about that, but's told

to push any way, not to protect the tyres on the opening lap. They are

all still using the white wall tyre? The tyres, they use electric

blankets to warm them up. The normal temperatures is 80 degrees

to set them up. When they go on the car they are up to 80 degrees and

the pressure is right. Once you leave the pitlane they drop down a

bit. If you warm them up more than 80 degrees you cook the tyres, you

actually harden the tyre and lose a bit of grip. You have to get the

compromise right. Sometimes you just want to get it so it comes up

to the right pressure and temperature, just as you are

starting on your timed lap. That is the best way for the tyre to work

best and give you maximum grip. Nico Rosberg has gone fastest.

Mercedes still seem to be in reasonably good shape, but are

they? We are talking to Mercedes boss Toto Wolff? Nico has gone

fastest, this track works well this year and now this year. Is that how

you see it? It is different this year, it is much warmer the car and

tyres are different. We have to work hard and understand what's

going on. In free practice three. And see what happens tomorrow.

seem to find less with the soft tyre yesterday afternoon than

everybody else, why was that? think what you could see is with

the soft tyre the field was much closer together. So it is about

optimising and working for the race as well. And the race going to be

mainly against the hard compound, it is just part of the programme.

You weren't playing games and running high fuel? Always!And

finally, is Lewis OK today after his eye problems? Yeah he's much

better, that is good news. Good luck. Thank you.

Thank you very much Tom. A couple more tweets. Alex says, do we think

practice three gives us more of an indication for qualifying or are we

left wondering even more after FP1 and 2, normally we get clues on

qualifying in this session? gives you a bit better clue.

Everybody will have worked their car over and got a little different

set-up on the car and understand the tyres a bit better,

understanding what Rosberg was saying about the tyre temperature

and pressures not being right. I believe by the ep of the session

you have a fair clue into what's going on. They love sending you

difficult questions, Gary, this one has come in, what is faster an LMP1

car with hybrid technology, or a Formula One car with KERS

technology, him and his mate are having a debate? The LMP car has

mud guards it covers the wheels. The wheels in a Formula One car

create 40% of the drag, on a LMP car it is 10%. Faster in terms of

speed an LMP car with the same engine power, forget hybrid or KERS,

an LMP1 car will be quicker on the straight but not a faster lap time.

Lewis Hamilton has just gone fast, faster than anyone else, faster

than his team-mate. The track is cleaning up. Everyone still on the

medium harder compound tyre, Sebatian Vettel on a lap now, this

will give an interesting indication. Because out at the same time that

Hamilton has done his lap, 1.37, he does a 1.37.5, half a second slower

on that lap. Mercedes looking strong again. Vettel has split the

two Mercedes, faster than Rosberg but slower than Hamilton. Button on

a lap. He comes to the hairpin, tries to be neat towards the last

left-hander. It can be tricky. We saw one or two people very wide

yesterday, we have seen that in qualifying. The flap opens as he

comes across the line. 1.38.7. That is a long way off what the front

runners are doing. It puts him seventh. But 1.7 seconds away from

Lewis Hamilton. You can't read everything into that. McLaren have

work to do. A team you know well, in the old days it was known as

Jordan, and you were the technical boss there, Force India had a solid

day? Yeah, had he had a solid start to the season. A drop off in

Malaysia because of a pitstop problem with a wheel nut problem.

Those things happen. Andrew Green is technical director there, and he

workeded with me on the 191 Jordan at the beginning. Mark Smith is a

technical director at Caterham, the three of us built the 191 Jordan.

They are close to I moo heart and they came through The Andrew Marr

Show Andrews school of motoring. It is nice to see them in the pit line

and Force India seeing the success I they could have. Susie you are in

the pit? Charles Pic's car had a trouble, they lost one of the

planned runs in the afternoon. A hydraulics problem they had. That

set them back a little bit. And Giedo van der Garde has just come

in and speak to his engineering saying he's a bit happier with the

balance today. He wants them to have another fiddle to improve it.

He wants more bite in the tyres. Right, OK, well we have Hamilton

fastest. The two Mercedes up there. Rosberg has gone back ahead of

another tweet asks will Caterham or Marussia ever catch up with the

rest of the field? It is always tough to make up for the years that

have gone past. We need to get a regulation change to give a new

start line, when you take the rest of the field. Let's say Red Bull

.00 people, or 650 people, or �250 million budget. Marussia have00 a

problem �60 million, that is the difference. You have to set your

sights where you can get to. For Caterham and Marussia, those sights

might be the guys just in front that are part of the establishment,

part of the established teams. Marussia are doing a very good job

this year. Caterham are putting efforts into next year's package

because of the regulation change. I would have to like to have seen

them better this year. Amazing amounts of money, even the lowly

teams are spending more than a million a week on Formula One?

is enormous. In China they have 55, 56 people. It doesn't all happen

for nothing. There is 20 tonnes of freight. There is two cars. It is

mad, but it is what it is. If you join the club well unfortunately

you have to pay for your entry. We you have to pay for your entry. We

are riding on board bots. A little slide through the final turn there

-- Valtteri Bottas, a little slide -- Valtteri Bottas, a little slide

to the final turn there. A similar lap to Perez a while ago.

He has backed it all off. Bottas, although the Williams car isn't

where the team would expect, or were hoping it to be. There is

Claire Williams, now confirmed as deputy team principal, keeping a

close eye on things. Bottas is doing the joble well. He's not

making mistake,s he is a rookie driver, not many errors, we weren't

expecting to see many, he put in impressive practice runs last year.

He has got his head down. I meal with Maldonado, he's trying to

drive a car he had last year. You can see the frustration in him. He

hasn't got the car he had last year, and yet he's still trying to drag

those lap times out of it. Bottas seems to be thinking this is what I

have got and I have to do the best with what I got? Last year the one

in Barcelona, had he a really good race there and showed real maturity

as far as winning and beating Frenando Alonso. At the end of the

day Maldonado he's able to do the job, he's frustrated they have gone

backwards. He has come into it saying he would be in a good car

and show his talent, suddenly it is not like that. He has to accept it

and that is one thing he has done. Stand back, accept it and know he

might get a better career out of being able to take a bad car

forward than just jumping in a God car and being quick. Hamilton is

fastest. Ahead of Rosberg, still very much Mercedes 1-2. We have

been talking about Williams. Generaly is with their third driver,

Susie Wolff. Great to be here in China and as

part of the team this year? Yeah, nice to be here. Obviously it was a

pretty hard day for us yesterday. It looks slightly better this

morning. I was looking at the comments that both the drivers made,

Pastor Maldonado neither were happy at the end of the session? The car

was hard to drive. We have made a bit of a step forward this morning.

It seems to be better for Valtteri, we are waiting for Pastor to go out.

Ultimately it will all come down to qualifying, the temperature of the

track and whether we can get the tires toirs working properly.

Explain to everybody at home the role you have as development driver

on a race weekend, what do you have to do? Not that much. I'm not doing

driving. The main point to be here was listening to the driver

comments. I was working on Wednesday and Thursday before we

flew out. It is interesting to hear their comments compared to what I'm

doing in the simulator. Most of my work is done back at the factory.

lot has been made about the fact that you are the first female

development driver we have had for a long time. How does that work for

you. Do you feel a responsibility? I don't feel responsibility about

it, I'm here as racing driver, it is about performance in Formula One,

it is about doing a good job and being fast enough. The whole gender

issue, of course it is always going to be there, ultimately in Formula

One you have just got to be basing everything on performance. I will

let you go back into the garage, it is getting noisy again. You can

hear more of Susie's comment with a special programme going out on BBC

Radio Five Live 9. 30 on Monday night, all about women drivers.

Hamilton still fastest in this free practice session. The practice

three, we are under half an hour to go now. Hamilton from Rosberg, then

Vettel and Raikkonen. We are watching Webber at the moment. All

of them still using the medium harder tyre of the pair that they

have to use this weekend. Webber just putting in his first flying

lap. This will be effective low. He hasn't done a flying lap as yet. It

won't be the fastest, but it will put him up there somewhere in the

top ten. We will keep an eye on it. The final turn now. Great view over

the magnificent Shanghai facility. Across the line goes into fourth

place. Just under a second away from the lap time that Lewis

Hamilton has always achieved. Hamilton has always achieved.

Taking a little look at the replay here.

You can see the vibration and wobble in the front wing. These

front wings much stiffer than in the past. New rules meaning they

can't use any special materials to allow a bit of flex on the

straights as they have in the past? Usually you try to get the flex to

back the wing off, with front downforce at the high-speeds so you

can run more front wing angle for the low-speed corners when the car

is understeering. If you take the front wings and take six grown

adult, not me, I'm overgrown, six normal adults and stand them on the

front wing, that is the load it is getting on the straight. It needs

to be stiff any way. It get a lot of load, and the vibration going

through it with the car going over the bumps, we can see there the car

bouncing a bit. It gets a lot of abuse. It is fascinating to know it

is that much load on the front wing. Just watching the Ferrari come

through now. Felipe Massa has just crossed the line, we are just

seeing what both of them can do. Alonso about to complete a lap.

Let's just see what he does. He goes fifth-fastest. Very comparable

that time to what Mark Webber has done a moment ago. He seems to take

it fairly steady. When Lewis is out on track they are always telling

him just how he's doing compared to team-mate Nico Rosberg. There is

certainly some fairly fierce rivalry going on at Mercedes. Of

course Rosberg has been fastest in Q2 in both of the events we have

had. But both qualifying sessions so far this year have been affected

by rain. Big slide from Massa. That lap time not so quit. That put him

sixth. Just behind Alonso, it does looks a though we are going to get

a proper dry qualifying all the way through this time. That will be

another indicator on car performances but also on the

interteam rifeties like that one between Hamilton and Rosberg?

does, you Hamilton seems to need the encouragement and confidence of

that voice in his ear. He's not alone. It means you are not in your

lonely little seat in the car. Talking about the old teams in the

cars, the top six at the moment they are both Mercedes at the and

then both Red Bull and both Ferrari. It is a still Noah's Ark, no rain

yet but it is two-by-two. We often see that, you get that here in

Shanghai, it is a car-specific track. There is not a lot the

driver can do to make changes. Talking of changes, talk me through

some pictures we have got. They have been adding a gurner flap to

Force India, what is that and what is it doing? The regulations give

you a certain elements that the front wing can be, a certain

distance and height. The regulations are maximum might,

length and depth on the wing. The flap they are putting on gives more

downforce on it. It works a little bit better at wing angle because it

works better at low speed. The low speed corners you will have more

front grip, at high-speeds it disappears into the undergrowth. It

doesn't work as hard at high-speed. It is a tuning device for more

downforce but especially at low speed. Force India still making

changes and experimenting. A bit of work on the front of the McLaren.

They have gone for this new front suspension, you were telling us

watching them in Australia when they make changes to the pull rod

front suspension it is more complicated with the push rod

suspension? Everything is so compact. At the moment just

watching them they are changing the height. That is the pull rod where

that guy's hand on the near board end near the chassis. There is two

bolts tolding it together, you can undo those and change it, and it

changes the length of the pull rod, same for a push rod, but it is more

fiddley to get to it. It is more compact. Vettel just going out.

Hamilton still fastest. Sergio Perez is out there and thankfully

hasn't visited a gravel track just yet. He had a tough time yesterday.

The first visit to the gravel track was coming into the pits. And the

same gravel trap that famously Lewis Hamilton went off into in

2007 when he was trying to win this race. He went off on a separate

gravel trap did Perez, no damage done. And they have obviously been

working hard overnight it make the car better. Currently Perez is

eighth quickest, Jenson Button further down in 14th position. The

Mercedes at the top, Red Bulls and Ferrari very much in the mix. The

Lotus of Raikkonen. Williams are encouraged, Bottas and Maldonado

are showing a better turn of speed. says he's suffering with traction,

particularly out of turn three, that is this corner. Otherwise

Chilton doing a God job of staying in touch with his team-mate,

despite missing out on so much track action. Both Marussia are

faster than both Caterham. A note on the Toro Rosso, they struggled

in the earlier races, overheating the body work, the, shaus did that.

That caused a failure to finish in Australia, he was classified but

way down the back in Malaysia. It looks like there are moderations to

improve that now? 400-500 degrees in the primaries, they glow red hot

without the body work. The thing with it, you have to manage the air

flow going through there. That is coming from the radiator, it takes

some of the heat away. The problem in Australia was a broken exhaust

pipe that burned the body work, but it has been burning up already. It

is easy to make everything too compact. These cars are clingfilm

wrapped, there is certain areas and the exhaust pipe is one of them,

you have to leave a bit of space to get the air flow through. This is

moment. That last sector was a little bit quicker. So a fraction

better. Adrian Newey masterminding things from the pit wall. We saw

the expressions with the battle between the two team-mates in

Malaysia. Bob from First Choice force India, having put behind him

-- from force India, having put behind their problem. We saw Adrian

Sutil leading in Melbourne that is the performance they want again

here. Even on a different strategy they proved themselves well capable

of top five or six finshes with the Force India. Vettel just making it

down to the end of the straight here. The track isn't too bumpy in

China, over years it has had to be resurfaced, it is built on

marshland. There is concrete piles that support the foundation of the

track, and a layer of polystyrene, amazingly, underneath that, upon

which the track is built. Distributing the load as evenly as

possible. Allowing the track to form some sort of under duelation

as opposed to a recess and bump. Undulation, as oped to a recess or

bump. Australia has the bumpiest track so far. Tom, I think you are

at Ferrari? I am. Just watching a very calm garage in front of me

here. Because Alonso was quite late out into this session. It was well

after 25 minutes in that he finally got out. Sorry it is very noisy.

But Alonso is now coming back in. But the team were fiddling around

with the exhaust at the back end. They have new exhausted here which

they are being a little bit non- specific about the performance.

They have the new exhausts, it will be interesting to see when Alonso

put on the soft tire during the session. Will he want more

qualifying practice ahead of this afternoon so he can finally beat

his team-mate this year? Yes, it is interesting because Felipe Massa

talkeded about it being a different car one tyre to the other yesterday

also as you say, there is the opportunity for Massa to make a new

record and outqualify Frenando Alonso as a team-mate five

consecutive times, if you include the Grand Prixs at the end of the

year. I'm sure Massa will want to achieve that. He was making jokes

about it, and saying he has been losing hair and sleep about it.

Because of course everyone gets so keyed up about it. Alonso doesn't

care. As long as he has a competitive car he knows he can

racele well. He's not worried if Massa can outqualify him or not. He

was having a joke with the Spanish journalists. It will be great if he

does it. Massa had bad start to the season but he ended strong. We know

that Massa when fighting with Schumacher, on his day he could do

a pretty God job. Don't discount Massa by any means. Needs to cope

an eye on the lap times. The good news that you say, that is the

point that Massa is in good form, it has to help the team ultimately

if he's going well. He's like a different driver to what he was at

the start of last year. The car was very difficult at the start of last

year. But he seems to be in a much better space now? I think if you

sum Felipe Massa up, he's a guy who overdrives the car most of the time

of when you have a car that is not very good if you overdrive it you

make mistic at thats, the penalty is bigger. When he has a car that

accepts and spopbtdz to his driving style you can get away with it.

He's pretty quick. The soft tyres are appearing. How they bring the

tyres in is important, you can just watch to see if they are gunning

out of the last couple corner or staying steady. They are taking it

steady. Nico Rosberg out of the final turn, calmly. He will now

really go for it, unfortunately there is a car just coming out of

the pits, hopefully that won't hurt him down through turns one, two and

three. He's going to get traffic somewhere. The team will be tell

him, the team should be telling the Toro Rosso driver, I can't see who

it is to make sure he lets Rosberg through because he's on a quick lap.

It will be down to management from the pit wall as opposed to driver

management here. Has he backed off? He has. Daniel Ricciardo was the

car ahead. And the presumably that's why. He's only taken a

little bit out of the tyres, that long, long turn one and two

actually takes out quite a lot. He has backed it off as you can see on

board. He may as felt it wasn't there with the grip in the first

corner. A combination. Something is broken in the springs or something.

Lots of bouncing about. Have a look what it is? That is really

interesting, something broken with the springs, something going wrong

with the suspension, bottoming and bouncing. We know the Mercedes runs

some hydraulic interconnected system front to rear. There has to

be some sort of spwriinging medium somewhere along the line. Whatever

-- springing medium, whatever it is he may have a suspension problem?

It may be the tyre pressure is a little low. It was the start of a

fresh lap on a soft set of tires toors. We have to see if they find

a problem. That is a good point, perhaps it is the tyres up to

temperature. One Sauber going wide of the others. Let as look at the

again, comes flying into turn one Hulkenberg goes around the outside

on the dirty stuff and can't make it round there. He clipped the apex

and happened to be another car his team-mate. Not team orders again is

it. They are not talking to each other very well. Lewis Hamilton

then, he's now on a lap, has done his outlap he's backed it off as

well. That is interesting, he has backed it right off. Although he as

you just set the fastest first sector of anything. What are they

playing with? We will have to wait and see what he reports in. They

have what is called a frick. It might be a trick suspension system,

it may have tricked itself and gone wrong. We will wait and see what he

reports. FFRICK stance for front interagented rear. It is about

keeping the aerodynamic of the car connected. Keeping it as constant

as possible under severe breaking particularly? It is because of

suspension control a ride. It is for aerodynamics. A way of getting

it through the regulations is not to do anything whatsoever to

aerodynamics but keeping the platform of the car more stable.

The big flat floor of the car is sensitive to pitch. Although it is

when the car is changing brake front to rear. It is one of those

things. The more you keep it stable the more consistent the downforce

is. That was purple Lewis. He's the only guy in a soft tyre who has

gone for it in a first sector. If it wasn't purple, which fastest

time, it would be a problem. Rosberg is out of his car. There is

spesifically a problem on Rosberg's car. They haven't just --

specifically a problem on Rosberg's car. This is Hamilton, a downchange

car, that has to be a disappointing way to see what is going on. I hope

he might get a chance to go back out. Whether they can find the

problem. Hamilton continues on his lap. He's up by half a second on

what anyone else has done. He has done the fastest middle section.

the lap he lost two tenths on the first section because the tyres

were used a bit. This won't be the ultimate pace but it is pretty

quick. It will hurt him doing the first sector fast and then backing

off. I don't have the rear grip in turn six at all. Sorry turn seven.

Turn seven the fast corner he's talking about Lachlaing rear grip.

That have the corner we were watching him through -- talking

about Lachlaing rear grip. Lacking rear grip. That is not as

quick as yesterday. You have to take this lap with a pinch of salt.

He started that first part of the lap. The long corner hurts the

tyres, even though you are going slow you are abusing the tyres.

There is probably a 35 something in there. He probably won't be happy

with that. There is the replay of the car at speed. Seeing if we can

see anything at all that stands out. No, I think it is just aise action

shot. Just seeing Kimi Raikkonen has gone out on the soft tyres. We

will have a look at that. Tom you are at Mercedes? Ben, no-one is

telling me what the problem is. Nico got into the garage and

straight out. It is all hands on deck now. The floor is coming off

the guys definitely seem to be taking more attention to the back

of the car. It would appear to be a rearend problem as opposed to a

frontend problem. If I find out what it is before the end of the

session I will report straight back. It is not what they want at this

stage. As we have said the schedule is very compress. They are getting

the camera out of the way? Never a good lead to the qualifying session

just when you are ready to get the true car's potential and with Lewis

his team-mate having to to that second part of the lap. You never

quite know where you are. Both Ferraris have gone out on the soft

tyres. It will be interesting to see how much they gain. Kimi

Raikkonen is on his out lap coming out to the hairpin. He has the

final turn and taking it steady. Taking nothing out of the tyres

before pushing. Massive support for Kimi, the Finnish flags there. They

are getting racaus in their support for him, every time he came back in

the pits yesterday. On to the lap for Kimi Raikkonen, into the

neverending turn of one and two, the car sparking on the bump in the

corner. Trying to keep it as neat and tidy as possible through the

last part. Two and three. The car is tracking nicely. With the extra

grip from the soft tyre showing the car not sliding around. He's up now.

The interesting thing for me was how late the DRS wing closed there.

The DRS wing closes when you release the button. He was willing

to take the car into turn one with the DRS still open. He's pretty

brave and confident with what he has got. Normally you want the rear

of the car to be stable. He's confident with what he has got.

towards the second nail corner, this is the reverse one going in

tight, and then it opens up long, long looping right hander which

takes him out on to the straight. Jenny, a quick update on Nico

Rosberg, while watching Raikkonen. Daniel Ricciardo has gone out on

the soft tyres. They had problems with the exhaust, Daniel Ricciardo

still to finish a race. They are hoping to have fixed the problems

with that. They were suffering burning around the rearend, never

pleasant! Not at all. 'S still off Kimi Raikkonen? That

is the car handling area, a lot of it is off the straight line stuff.

Half a second slower than Hamilton. That is where they are losing the

time, the handling part of the circuit, the middle section, not as

fast as the Mercedes. Very good in the first section, that is a

surprise, maybe too much out of the tire toir. They are saying the

tyres don't last two laps, maybe they don't last one lap. He won't

be pleaseded with that at all. in mind that Hamilton had already

used one sector on his tyres, and so he potentially could go faster

as well. There we are now with Adrian Sutil

in the Force India, he's pushing pretty hard as well. Let's see what

kind of lap time he's doing. He's on the soft tyre and lighting up

the screens with personal bests, but not challenging the outright

pace. Not bad, he's not far off the pace Raikkonen was doing. He should

be similar. He gets it tidy through the hairpin. Now runs past these

big grandstands down there. Great viewing area on the section of the

track, as of course is the main grandstand. Virtually the whole

track here in China. Goes second. He's fasters than Kimi Raikkonen.

That's an impressive run from Adrian Sutil? He will be pretty

pleaseded with that. Yesterday he did a 35.5 on the soft tyre, today

he did that, you could say no progress, everybody else is slower,

he that is progress he has done the same lap tyre. Let's see Felipe

Massa. How quick is he into turn turn. A bit wider perhaps than he

They are out at the same time of the session, so this is a really

representive lap time as to the battle between Frenando Alonso and

Felipe Massa. The likelihood is they are on the same amount of fuel.

Quickest of anyone in the second sector. The mid-section through

what you are calling the handling section is looking good. It is, and

Ricciardo and the Toro Rosso has popped up fourth of the 37. Lewis

we would like to push these tires toirs for each lap. There is no

point -- tyres for each lap, no point in trying to save them, we

want to see prosession. They want to see how they -- Progression.

They want to see how they will degrade over the lap, that is

interesting, with the first stint of the race tomorrow in mind. Let's

look at Massa, a quick second sector A long sector here, across

the line he goes fastest by just a little bit..05 of a second. Alonso

might be quicker, although not as quick in the middle sector. Does it

by a big jump, six tenths of a second faster than Massa in that

lap, Di Resta goes eighth. The Ferrari on the soft tyre, as we saw

on Friday afternoon, Ferrari, soft tyre equals very fast lap time.

do see one car gets a good lap time out of it, one doesn't. Its because

of the understeer or oversteer of the tyre. These tyres go on the

understeer. Massa did quickly yesterday, but Massa was seven

tenths slower. Button, 1.3 second off. That is still a big chunk.

Sixth-quickest at the moment. But 1.3 seconds. We know they were a

long way off in Australia. They are even more off in relative terms to

the front of the grid there. But we still have to see the likes of Red

Bull put anything a pace. This will be interesting. Still on his outlap,

Mark Webber comes out and on to a lap being is chaed by one of the

Marussia -- is being chased by one of the Marussia there. Rear flap

open. Can't see if he was still open as he turned in. He keeps it

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 50 seconds

the section that double left-hander, he missed the apex a bit. Maybe

there is more in the tank there. Let's see what the last sector is.

We know their straight line speed is not as high. Alonso has done

317kms an hour, down at the speed trap. The Ferrari has a pretty God

compromise of straight line speed, and, it would appear, good

downforce through the middle sek. Ferrari is looking pretty good.

Let's see the lap time for Mark Webber, out of the final turn he

comes. Just two minutes to go in the session. Webber crosses the

line fourth. And it is a second off. When you put that into perspective.

What Button did, not that far off The Red House, but a long way off

the Ferrari. ---- The Ferrari. But a long way off the Ferrari. Seven

tenths ahead of the nearest competition is a pretty good place

to be. Interesting to see what Vettel can do now, on a lap, having

to deal with a little bit of traffic as well. Not a particularly

quick first sector for Sebatian Vettel. Whether the second sector

he will be able to make up that kind of ground. Whether they are

playing a little bit still here or are they really going to be

struggling up against the Ferrari on the soft tyre. Ferrari seem to

have found something with the soft tire toir really working well of

the -- tyre really working well. The Ferrari every time I have seen

it on the track it is the rear end if anything that gives up. They

will get a big benefit for sure. For Vettel he won't be very happy.

He has lost a couple of tenths in the first and second section much

he has always been good at deep keeping the -- keeping the tyres

alive for the whole track. That last section is not so difficult.

Let's see what it be. He will cross the line but not challenging the

Ferrari. No, he's nearly nine tenths of a second slower than

Frenando Alonso. Frenando Alonso a big chunk ahead of everybody,

including his team-mates. A really rapid lap from Frenando Alonso,

1.35.3. Six tenths ahead of Felipe Massa, it gives you the idea with

what Massa did on Friday afternoon with the soft tyre it is really

working well with the Ferrari car. Hamilton up there. Vettel, Webber,

we haven't been able to see what Rosberg can do. That car is still

being worked on. Looking at Grosjean, a lock-up into the final

turn t ran him wide into the artificial grass on the outside and

across the line and not really preppentive lap from Romain

Grosjean. He's only 18th. I don't know what is going on. A bit of a

surprise for Romain Grosjean, whether he didn't get that lap in

fully, I'm not sure. A bit of graining on that front tyre. He

seems to be struggling a bit. Unlike his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen,

who seems to be happier. Valtteri Bottas is on a run on the softer

tyre. Watching those tyres a little bit. It looks as though some cars

are working that softer tyre particularly hard. If you have that

understeer then the rear just pushes the front and makes the

graining that much worse. Sow it is very, very difficult. Long corners

are always tricky. It is best the long corner on to the back straight

as well. You need the frontend there to get it around the corner

and keep the throttle in. It is very difficult if you have the

graining on the tires. This isn't his best lap by any means. He is

currently down in 15th place. He has already done his fast lap on

these tyres, that was only a 1.37.4, which means he's down there with Di

Resta. I don't know if Di Resta has had a little bit of an issue as

well. He doesn't seem to have done a particularly representative time

on his soft tyres, looking into the Ferrari pit. The fastest man of the

session, the checkered flag out on the session. Frenando Alonso has

certainly stormed to the top of the time sheets here, with a 1.35.391.

The Ferrari team will be very pleased about that I'm sure. There

has only ever been a one Ferrari pole position in the past. Alonso

has had a couple of pole positions driving in the Renault days. There

were a couple of one-twos on the grits between Loskov and Fisicella.

He has had experience in the past, and one-time winner in the Renault

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 50 seconds

days. In his Ferrari days he hasn't Really looks as though Ferrari

might be on for a pole position. It has been a long time since we have

had a dry weather pole position. It would be their first since Germany

when it was a bit damp last year for Frenando Alonso. An exciting

practice session leading into qualifying later.

Well it certainly was, yes. As the cars come into the pitlane here

that is the end of all the practice sessions, interesting low yesterday