from autosport.com
Alex Wurz topped the times on a dull and dreary start to the Chinese Grand Prix on Friday morning.
Grey skies and a sparse crowd greeted the drivers who took part in Friday morning's opening practice session for Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit.
The dreary weather, humid and warm as well as overcast, seemed to hang heavily over the teams and there was no sign of any urgency to signal that this weekend's contest could prove decisive in the scrap for the world championship.
Both championship challengers, Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher took no part in the session until the final minutues.
They both looked set to do preparation laps, leaving the battle for the top of the time sheet to Anthony Davidson in a Honda and Alex Wurz in a Williams, with the Austrian ending on top.
There were a few off-track excursions, contributed by Franck Montagny in his Super Aguri Honda, Wurz, Neel Jani in a Toro Rosso Cosworth, and Michael Ammermuller in his Red Bull Ferrari, but all regained the ashphalt.
Only in the closing minutes did the big names rise towards the top when Jenson Button clocked the third best time for Honda, ahead of Schumacher's Ferrari.
As if to brighten up the proceedings, Ferrari-bound Finn Kimi Raikkonen went out and spun his McLaren Mercedes at Turn 7, with only two minutes remaining, but he managed to regain control and complete his lap.
At the end, Wurz topped the times ahead of Davidson, Button and Schumacher, but there was nothing to be learned from the session that gave any clues to the outcome of the weekend or the championship.
Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Wurz Williams-Cosworth (B) 1:35.574 21
2. Davidson Honda (M) 1:35.591 + 0.017 26
3. Button Honda (M) 1:37.291 + 1.717 4
4. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1:37.712 + 2.138 4
5. Jani Toro Rosso-Cosworth (M) 1:37.734 + 2.160 21
6. Premat Spyker MF1-Toyota (B) 1:37.787 + 2.213 24
7. Vettel BMW-Sauber (M) 1:37.913 + 2.339 24
8. Kubica BMW-Sauber (M) 1:38.062 + 2.488 6
9. Ammermuller Red Bull-Ferrari (M) 1:38.460 + 2.886 18
10. Montagny Super Aguri-Honda (B) 1:38.464 + 2.890 19
11. Liuzzi Toro Rosso-Cosworth (M) 1:39.000 + 3.426 6
12. Barrichello Honda (M) 1:39.217 + 3.643 4
13. Speed Toro Rosso-Cosworth (M) 1:39.428 + 3.854 7
14. Albers Spyker MF1-Toyota (B) 1:39.494 + 3.920 6
15. Sato Super Aguri-Honda (B) 1:39.887 + 4.313 8
16. Monteiro Spyker MF1-Toyota (B) 1:39.947 + 4.373 7
17. Yamamoto Super Aguri-Honda (B) 1:41.415 + 5.841 10
18. Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:45.890 + 10.316 4
19. Heidfeld BMW-Sauber (M) No time 1
20. Trulli Toyota (B) No time 2
21. R.Schumacher Toyota (B) No time 2
22. Coulthard Red Bull-Ferrari (M) No time 1
23. Doornbos Red Bull-Ferrari (M) No time 2
24. Alonso Renault (M) No time
25. Fisichella Renault (M) No time
26. de la Rosa McLaren-Mercedes (M) No time
27. Massa Ferrari (B) No time
28. Webber Williams-Cosworth (B) No time
29. Rosberg Williams-Cosworth (B) No time
Alex Wurz topped the times again for Williams in Friday's second free practice session for Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix, following up his morning showing with another fast effort in the afternoon.
Wurz clocked a best time of 1:35.539 to outpace nearest rival, German teenager Sebastian Vettel in a BMW Sauber by just 0.040 seconds.
As these two battled it out at the top of the timesheets, the two drivers' championship rivals, defending champion Fernando Alonso and seven-time champion Michael Schumacher, were content to clock the sixth and fifth best times respectively.
Briton Anthony Davidson in a Honda was third fastest and Brazilian Felipe Massa in the leading Ferrari was fourth ahead of the two title rivals, Schumacher in his Ferrari narrowly outpacing Alonso's Renault.
On an overcast, dull and dreary afternoon, in front of only a few fans scattered around the vast grandstands at the enormous Shanghai International Circuit, the two Ferraris were quickly to the fore.
The air temperature was 25 degrees and the track temperature was 27 degrees Celsius, when the action began and Massa swiftly established himself at the top of the times with a lap in 1:36.599 seconds.
Michael Schumacher soon joined him with the second best time of the session after only 12 minutes and thereafter it was a matter of seeing who was going to better these early times.
Alonso went close soon after with a lap that was within one tenth and by the time the field had settled down halfway through the session that was the unchanged order.
Alonso's Renault teammate Giancarlo Fisichella was fourth with a lap that was 1.1 seconds off the pace ahead of Australian Mark Webber in his Williams. Wurz, in his Williams, soon overhauled Webber.
Rain then began to fall and with 20 minutes remaining, the track was declared wet. This inevitably reduced the laptimes briefly in the closing minutes as a film of misty drizzle descended.
Tiago Monteiro in his Spyker MF1 Toyota went off and recovered at turn 16 before, with nine minutes to go, Vettel, 19, took over on top with a lap in 1:35.947.
This suggested that the track remained dry enough for continued use of normal 'dry' tyres and this impression was confirmed when Wurz went top, was overhauled again by Vettel and then recovered top spot.
The Austrian's best lap in 1:35.539 turned out to be the best of the session and brought Vettel's run of two successive Friday best times to an end.
Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Wurz Williams-Cosworth (B) 1:35.539 26
2. Vettel BMW-Sauber (M) 1:35.579 + 0.040 23
3. Davidson Honda (M) 1:35.714 + 0.175 30
4. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:36.599 + 1.060 8
5. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1:36.641 + 1.102 12
6. Alonso Renault (M) 1:36.739 + 1.200 10
7. Montagny Super Aguri-Honda (B) 1:37.278 + 1.739 26
8. Ammermuller Red Bull-Ferrari (M) 1:37.678 + 2.139 26
9. Monteiro Spyker MF1-Toyota (B) 1:37.698 + 2.159 13
10. Fisichella Renault (M) 1:37.718 + 2.179 12
11. Button Honda (M) 1:37.861 + 2.322 10
12. de la Rosa McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:38.022 + 2.483 9
13. Webber Williams-Cosworth (B) 1:38.045 + 2.506 6
14. Heidfeld BMW-Sauber (M) 1:38.062 + 2.523 11
15. Premat Spyker MF1-Toyota (B) 1:38.098 + 2.559 26
16. Barrichello Honda (M) 1:38.276 + 2.737 16
17. R.Schumacher Toyota (B) 1:38.888 + 3.349 14
18. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:38.959 + 3.420 11
19. Speed Toro Rosso-Cosworth (M) 1:39.080 + 3.541 18
20. Jani Toro Rosso-Cosworth (M) 1:39.118 + 3.579 28
21. Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:39.179 + 3.640 4
22. Kubica BMW-Sauber (M) 1:39.217 + 3.678 5
23. Rosberg Williams-Cosworth (B) 1:39.522 + 3.983 15
24. Liuzzi Toro Rosso-Cosworth (M) 1:39.570 + 4.031 20
25. Yamamoto Super Aguri-Honda (B) 1:39.636 + 4.097 22
26. Coulthard Red Bull-Ferrari (M) 1:40.155 + 4.616 15
27. Doornbos Red Bull-Ferrari (M) 1:40.214 + 4.675 15
28. Albers Spyker MF1-Toyota (B) 1:40.319 + 4.780 14
29. Sato Super Aguri-Honda (B) 1:41.315 + 5.776 9
No live Qualifying tommorow
On after 3 in the afternoon instead
Well at least I will get some sleep for once