The 2011 Australian Grand Prix weekend kicked off today under cloudy sky’s and scattered showers at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne.
While the first practice session was dominated by the Red Bull Drivers with Mark Webber setting fastest lap. In the second session the McLArens of Button and Hamilton were the fastest cars on track the only cars to break the 1:26 barrier.
Australian GP Second Practice Session Times
| Position | Team | Driver | Best Lap | Time Difference | # of Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLaren | Jenson Button | 1:25.854 | - | 32 |
| 2 | McLaren | Lewis Hamilton | 1:25.986 | +0.132 | 31 |
| 3 | Ferrrai | Fernando Alonso | 1:26.001 | +0.147 | 28 |
| 4 | Red Bull Racing | Sebastian Vettel | 1:26.014 | +0..160 | 35 |
| 5 | Red Bull Racing | Mark Webber | 1:26.283 | +0.429 | 33 |
| 6 | Mercedes GP | Michael Schumacher | 1:26.590 | +0.736 | 31 |
| 7 | Ferrari | Felipe Massa | 1:26.789 | +0.935 | 34 |
| 8 | Sauber F1 | Sergio Perez Mendosa | 1:27.101 | +1.247 | 39 |
| 9 | Williams F1 | Rubens Barrichello | 1:27.280 | +1.426 | 34 |
| 10 | Mercedes GP | Nico Rosberg | 1:27.448 | +1.594 | 23 |
| 11 | Toro Rosso | Jamie Alguersuari | 1:27.525 | +1.671 | 31 |
| 12 | Lotus Renault GP | Vitaly Petrov | 1:27.528 | +1.674 | 29 |
| 13 | Lotus Renault GP | Nick Heifeld | 1:27.536 | +1.682 | 22 |
| 14 | Toro Rosso | Sebastien Buemi | 1:27.697 | +1.843 | 30 |
| 15 | Sauber F1 | Kamui Kobayashi | 1.28.095 | +2.241 | 35 |
| 16 | Force India | Paul Di Resta | 1:28.376 | +2.522 | 33 |
| 17 | Force India | Adrian Sutil | 1:28.583 | +2.729 | 31 |
| 18 | Williams F1 | Pastor Maldonado | 1:29.3869 | +3.532 | 29 |
| 19 | Team Lotus | Heikki Kovalainen | 1:30.829 | +4.975 | 22 |
| 20 | Team Lotus | Jarno Trulli | 1:30.912 | +5.058 | 23 |
| 21 | Marussia Virgin Racing | Jérôme D'Ambrosio | 1:32.106 | +6.252 | 36 |
| 22 | Marussia Virgin Racing | Timo Glock | 1:32.135 | +6.281 | 30 |
| 23 | HRT F1 Team | Vitantonio Liuzzi | - | - | 1 |
| 24 | HRT F1 Team | Narain Karthikeyan | - | - | NO LAPS |
At the other end of the field the HRT team failed to get both cars on track for the second season in a row. With only Tonio Liuzzi’s car able to completed a solitary installation lap, not a good sign for the coming season.
While the Mclarens surprised pretty much everyone during the second practice, seemingly having found additional pace since the last pre season practice session in Span it will be Qualifying tomorrow that will show the real pace of the teams.
My money is on the Red Bulls of Webber and Vettel. Don’t forget to set your DVR’s and cable boxes. Click here for the complete US 2011 Australian Gp Broadcast Schedule.
