OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
Hockenheim, Germany, Jul 18, 2008
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time in both Friday's Free Practice sessions for the German Grand Prix in Hockenheim. In the afternoon, Lewis completed 37 laps and posted a time of 1m15.025 which was the fastest time of the day. Heikki Kovalainen drove 37 laps and was fourth with a 1m15.990. In the morning session, Lewis was fastest with a 1m15.537 (22 laps) ahead of Heikki with a 1:15.666 (19 laps).
Comments
Lewis Hamilton
"The car felt quite different this afternoon compared to this morning's running. Maybe the wind had picked up, or changed direction, but the car didn't feel as stable. But by the end of the session, however, the car felt a lot more consistent - we found a good direction with the tyres and the set-up and so things look positive for tomorrow."
Heikki Kovalainen
"The front-end of the car felt very good, but I felt less comfortable with the rear of the car, particularly in some of the slow-speed corners. But we made a number of small changes to the set-up and, by the middle of the session, I definitely felt I could push harder and found improved handling under both braking and traction. A good start to our weekend's work."
Ron Dennis
"Both Lewis and Heikki enjoyed a trouble-free opening day of practice, and while we don’t know the respective fuel loads of our rivals, we nonetheless feel comfortable with our pace. As the second of the team’s two home races, this is an important event for everybody - particularly for our colleagues in Stuttgart, thousands of whom join us this weekend. Lewis’s lap at the end of second practice looked extremely impressive - but we’re fully aware that there’s a lot of work ahead and that this will be an exciting and closely-contested grand prix."
Norbert Haug
"Friday’s best time by Lewis was a good start to our home Grand Prix, the second one after Silverstone a fortnight ago. Before that we have been fast and consistent – now we will try to maintain this form for tomorrow and Sunday.”
The results of the day
Session 1
| Pos | Driver | Constructor | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Vodafone McLaren Mercedes | 1m15.537 | 22 |
| 2 | Heikki Kovalainen | Vodafone McLaren Mercedes | 1m15.666 | 19 |
| 3 | Felipe Massa | Scuderia Ferrari | 1m15.796 | 22 |
| 4 | Fernando Alonso | Renault | 1m16.163 | 22 |
| 5 | Kimi Raikkonen | Scuderia Ferrari | 1m16.327 | 23 |
| 6 | Nico Rosberg | Williams F1 | 1m16.606 | 27 |
| 7 | Sebastien Vettel | Toro Rosso | 1m16.618 | 25 |
| 8 | Nick Heidfeld | BMW Sauber | 1m16.719 | 20 |
| 9 | Kazuki Nakajima | Williams F1 | 1m16.821 | 26 |
| 10 | Nelson Piquet Jr | Renault | 1m17.063 | 26 |
| 11 | David Coulthard | Red Bull Racing | 1m17.108 | 18 |
| 12 | Jenson Button | Honda Racing | 1m17.131 | 28 |
| 13 | Timo Glock | Toyota | 1m17.185 | 28 |
| 14 | Mark Webber | Red Bull Racing | 1m17.268 | 11 |
| 15 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Force India | 1m17.471 | 30 |
| 16 | Rubens Barrichello | Honda Racing | 1m17.500 | 24 |
| 17 | Jarno Trulli | Toyota | 1m17.556 | 29 |
| 18 | Adrian Sutil | Force India | 1m17.784 | 29 |
| 19 | Robert Kubica | BMW Sauber | 1m18.779 | 8 |
| 20 | Sebastien Bourdais | Toro Rosso | 1m21.506 | 16 |
Session 2
| Pos | Driver | Constructor | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Vodafone McLaren Mercedes | 1m15.025 | 37 |
| 2 | Felipe Massa | Scuderia Ferrari | 1m15.722 | 31 |
| 3 | Kimi Raikkonen | Scuderia Ferrari | 1m15.760 | 34 |
| 4 | Heikki Kovalainen | Vodafone McLaren Mercedes | 1m15.990 | 37 |
| 5 | Mark Webber | Red Bull Racing | 1m16.017 | 25 |
| 6 | Fernando Alonso | Renault | 1m16.230 | 38 |
| 7 | Nico Rosberg | Williams F1 | 1m16.355 | 41 |
| 8 | Robert Kubica | BMW Sauber | 1m16.363 | 36 |
| 9 | Nick Heidfeld | BMW Sauber | 1m16.377 | 40 |
| 10 | David Coulthard | Red Bull Racing | 1m16.378 | 35 |
| 11 | Sebastien Vettel | Toro Rosso | 1m16.422 | 41 |
| 12 | Jarno Trulli | Toyota | 1m16.530 | 45 |
| 13 | Jenson Button | Honda Racing | 1m16.542 | 38 |
| 14 | Rubens Barrichello | Honda Racing | 1m16.677 | 28 |
| 15 | Nelson Piquet Jr | Renault | 1m16.734 | 42 |
| 16 | Timo Glock | Toyota | 1m16.781 | 44 |
| 17 | Kazuki Nakajima | Williams F1 | 1m16.829 | 21 |
| 18 | Sebastien Bourdais | Toro Rosso | 1m16.860 | 14 |
| 19 | Adrian Sutil | Force India | 1m17.008 | 39 |
| 20 | Giancarlo Fisichella | Force India | 1m17.047 | 37 |
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