The British Grand Prix - Practice 2 Formula 1

Hello and welcome to Silverstone, the sun is starting to break through

and the fans are out in force ready for practice two. This morning it

was Nico Rosberg who was fasters but the focus was on Williams. Susie

Wolff was the first woman in 22 years to drive a Formula One car,

but there was a problem after four laps. Disappointing for her. Felipe

Massa was half on turf and the kerb and his car hit the kerb hard. A lot

of damage. He wasn't sure if the car would be out in time for practice

two. Tom, you are down at Williams, what's the latest? Bad news, the

mechanics are still working to get the car ready. He damaged all four

corners. When they got the car back to the pit garage they discovered it

needed a new power unit, as well. They've been flat out. Better news

on Valteri, he is ready to go. The first bit of data the team has

managed to get all day. The other cars, the Caterham of Ericsson,

didn't manage to get too many laps in, he had a bit of a spin. He is

ready to go. And Maldonado, the unlucky 13 driver has already had

four race retirements so far this season and couldn't get more than

two laps this morning. Hoping to get more information this afternoon.

Certainly. It's been disappointing for Williams after that fantastic

qualifying last time out and Bottas getting a podium.

It's Mercedes all the way. This afternoon will be about trig to

get as much data for Williams. For all the team trying to work out long

run pace it's going to be a busy afternoon. James and Alan are in the

commentary box. A a British Grand Prix, sun shining, crowds are there.

It's a fantastic atmosphere. A lot of inspection, as well. Lewis

Hamilton comes in to this particular race with a lot to pre-to get back

in the championship. He has a confidence about him. Wasn't

quickest this morning but was held up on both laps he was going for,

behind Nico Rosberg. The British crowd who are definitely packing the

grandstands have a good expectation of a potential British victory.

Certainly is. Looking back at what happened this morning. Nico Rosberg

seven 10ths of a second faster than his team-mate. Jenson Button has

that special pink crash helmet he is wearing this weekend, remembering

his father. Jenson Button is still grieving very much. This weekend, as

in Melbourne, a big focus on his father. Obviously, he is struggling

to move on really from that. We will see how the weekend pans out. A lot

of support, I think, for him over the course of the weekend, as there

will be for Max Chiltern. Here is Max's radio. About the same as where

it was in the morning. It is clear. The temp will probably come up

during the session. Wind is still gusting, a head wind on 14-15 but

it's guing and moving around. -- gusting and moving around. That's

Max Chiltern there. The team being told the wind is quite strong. It's

9. 7 metres per second. It's a tail wind as they go past us under our

window. We are above the pit strait. We are looking down to the Caterham

timing stand on the pit wall. You can see the flags celebrating,

Brazilian flags and Scottish flags, they're blowing strongly in the

breeze. It's gusty. This used to be a World War II airfield and they

don't build airfield places where there isn't any wind. It's

unstabilising, destabilising for a car. It certainly is. There is a lot

of buildings now and in and around the area and with it pushing you

down the start of the finish strait, when you turn in to turn one you

have a change of balance in the middle of the corner where the wind

is blocked by the new pit building. On the other side into Copse, which

is extremely fast right-hander you suddenly get the wind hitting the

front of the car as you come through the apex of the corner which sends

the front into a push, an understeer and the rear can become destabilised

afterwards. But that's one of the standard features of Silverstone,

the drivers have to get used to it and look around, look for the flags,

see which way the wind is blowing. Is it a car characteristic or the

wind? Just get on with it. The pit lane is open for the 90 minutes of

practice. Sun is shining, the track temperature is 38C. The tyres will

be close to the ideal operating window. Down in the Red Bull garage

is Tom Clarkson. Yeah, not good news for Sebastian

Vettel. The mechanics were preparing his car and they've had a brake

bleed problem. They're working away. Sebastian Vettel came in a moment

ago, he talked to the mink. Christian said -- with the

mechanics. Times like this, as down at the

Williams garage at the moment working very hard to repair that car

of Felipe Massa after that big accident he suffered. Yeah, the

mechanics are artists in their own way. As a driver you feel the

smallest details and differences between the car. We heard this

morning with one or two drivers complaining about the steering, and

tiny millimetre details. It all has to be perfect. When it's perfect you

get a situation like Nico Rosberg and Mercedes. We saw Lewis Hamilton

there in the background with the Mercedes, streamliner car as it was

known because the wheels were covered up. Even back in the 1950s,

that was a 1954 car, they were across the idea of aerodynamics even

though down force hadn't been considered at that point. That car,

I understand, is the car which exactly 40 years ago to the day won

the French Grand Prix. So a real piece of history. Talking - 60

years, I beg my pardon. I was saying you don't want to drop

a spanner on that. It's a working environment in that garage. That car

conservatively worth 20 million, maybe more. It's a bit of history.

We are here at the present and the latest, greatest of the technologies

as we see Bottas, now getting first laps on circuit. He gave his car to

Susie Wolff this morning and obviously quite anxious when he saw

it stopping at the side of the road. Now he is out on track getting a

first feel for Silverstone and these conditions. Williams have had a good

run of form recently with Felipe Massa being on pole in the last

Grand Prix in Austria. Bottas with a podium finish. They're on good form.

That's what makes Susie's run equally unusual, not just the first

time a woman has driven a frm la one car in an official session for 22

years -- Formula One car. To be given a chance to go out in a

front-running car is unusual, it's a shame for Susie she managed to do

four laps before there was an oil pressure problem. This is that same

car. Now Bottas is driving for the Williams team. He was happy to give

his car up this morning, relatively speak, I guess, but she will have

another chance at the next Grand Prix in Germany in two weeks' time.

First real experience of this Silverstone track this year for

Bottas. The wind has dropped down a little bit. But still gusty by

Formula One standards. That's a strong breeze. We don't normally go

many places where the wind is stronger than that. It's the gusts

that affect the car balance more than anything else. It's

inconsistent, one lap it can be worse than the next and you are

trying to predict it all the time. We are on board there with Bottas.

He will build up to speed. Lap two and three will be the ones where he

will start to feel it. A lot of work to do for the Williams team, they

managed 11 laps in total of which meaningful laps were short. A lot of

work to do if you compare it with Rosberg and Hamilton.

Hot air comes through from the engine that comes to the cockpit and

heats up the driver's side. If one of the seals is not exactly perfect

then it can let that hot air bleed into the driver. Rosberg and

Hamilton did combine 47 laps this morning. That's what you call

gathering homework. Williams have a lot of catching up to do. Jenson

Button in the McLaren crosses the line to go fastest for the moment

with an hour and 23 minutes of this session remaining. It's Button.

Fastest time this morning Rosberg. Hamilton didn't really get a clear

run at it, so he was seven 10ths of a second behind.

The problems don't seem to be going away for the Sauber team. It's not a

vintage season for them. I spoke to Adrian this morning and standard

practice, they're scrabbling for grip. The car's understeering, the

front doesn't work and the rear on the throttle snaps. That corner

where we saw, it's a standard situation around there where you are

always fighting both ends of the car. The understeer in the middle

and the rear end coming out. It just looks difficult and inconsistent and

that's been from the first time we saw it in Australia to now. It's

interesting, there in the -- they're in the same position after eight

races that Williams were in last year, they got no points on the

board. Then if you look at the turnaround this year for Williams,

the Mercedes power unit is clearly a big part of the story, but Force

India and McLaren have the same engine and McLaren are well behind

Williams in the standings. Williams have 85 points. Compared to zero

last year. It shows it can be done. If you look at just how motor racing

is, two weeks ago Williams had their best weekend for a long time ap then

suddenly we are looking at the end of practice and one car was in the

wall and the other in the pits. When you think you are up, suddenly you

get a wakening and you are back down again.

So just up to speed on other talking points from the morning session,

Maldonado didn't do very much mileage, no laps at all. He has work

to do. Technical problems once again for the Venezuelan driver. We heard

earlier that Vettel has a problem with the brake bleeds. He is having

some work done on his car. His team-mate Ricciardo was fourth

fastest this morning in the Red Bull but he had his run cut short by a

gear box niggle. Red Bull obviously not having the clearest of runs

reliability-wise. Vettel was unable to finish the last Grand Prix in

Austria after a problem with the electronic control unit that

required him to park the car by the side of the race track for 60

seconds to reset. It's the only way that he could get the thing reset

and eventually he was forced to retire the car anyway. Jenson Button

is struggling a little bit for he accelerates down the hangar

straight. It is just a wind affected situation. He got into the apex and

suddenly front of the car washed out. Jenson Button getting up to

speed with the car. It is quite warm today. The track temperature is 38

degrees and that will help their car, they tend to struggle to get

the front tyres up to temperature. It is looking as if it is working

right now. It is two seconds away from Nico Rosberg.

RADIO: We have too much traffic. We have an option to let all of these

guys through. Sergio Perez of Force India, he is in a gaggle of cars

with Maldonado, Chilton and Bianchi circulating together. They are

asking them to let them through or find some clear space. We have quite

a few cars on track at the moment, it is 16 of the total 22. Vettel and

Ricciardo are in the pits. Rosberg and Hamilton have gone on track for

the first time. Felipe Massa is having his car rebid. I am loving

looking out of the commentary box window and I can see four

grandstands from left to right. This is like race day at a lot of other

venues and it is Friday for practice.

RADIO: I think the wind is affecting a lot. If you have an understeering

balance, the wind will push it in that direction. If it is an over

steer, it makes it more so. Force India are a team that doesn't

necessarily have a heck of a lot of downforce. They are bit on the edge

down here in the high downforce setup. It makes it incredibly

tricky. One team we have seen going better is Ferrari. This circuit will

suit them. They should be quite strong around here. I would expect

them and Red Bull to be not necessarily fighting for the

ultimate victory, but to be somewhere near there. Valtteri

Bottas goes quickest at this moment. Williams may be not able to repeat

the performance they had in Austria. Everyone running the harder Pirelli

compound, it is medium and hard, the hardest of the range that