Temperature Rising – European Grand Prix, Free Practice 3


A strong showing from Lotus F1 Team in Free Practice 3 this morning saw both E20’s place inside the top three positions around the Valencia Street Circuit as the countdown to qualifying begins…

Kimi Räikkönen, E20-05
  • Position: P3
  • Best Time: 1:38.759
  • Laps Completed: 18
Romain Grosjean, E20-04
  • Position: P2
  • Best Time: 1:38.655
  • Laps Completed: 18
For a full run-down of the session’s final standings.

Key Moments:

  • 1min: Both E20s head out for install laps on white marked medium compound Pirelli tyres
  • 11mins: Romain starts his first run on fresh medium tyres
  • 12mins: Kimi shadows his team-mate out onto the circuit with the same rubber
  • 29mins: The Finn departs the garage for his second stint on scrubbed mediums
  • 31mins: His French counterpart follows suit sporting the yellow marked soft compound tyres
  • 46mins: Final run for the 2007 World Champion; his first of the day on soft tyres
  • 52mins: The reigning GP2 Series Champion emerges for his last stint on used softs
  • 56mins: 23 cars out on track; a last minute dash for quick times
  • 60mins: Chequered flag; P3 for Kimi, P2 for Romain

Summary:

Clear blue skies and glorious sunshine greeted the teams in Valencia this morning as the final practice session of the weekend got underway. After a productive day of long run simulations on Friday, the focus for Lotus F1 Team was now on squeezing every last drop of pace from the E20 in preparation for qualifying later today.

Kimi and Romain departed the garage moments after the green flags were waved to complete their install laps on the white marked medium compound Pirelli tyres; data collection, system checks and oil dips forming the standard pre-run procedure.

With eleven minutes elapsed, the Frenchman pulled up at the end of the pit lane for a practice start before taking to the track for his first run; setting the first time of the day in the process with the track to himself.
His Finnish counterpart followed almost immediately afterwards, setting a time just fractions slower with his first attempt – both drivers sporting fresh sets of medium tyres.


At the end of their first stints, Kimi found himself in P2 with Romain in P4 after short runs for the pair; a strong early showing from the E20 around the Valencia Street Circuit.
Second stints followed shortly afterwards; the 2007 World Champion sporting scrubbed medium tyres while his team-mate became the first driver to use the yellow marked soft compound Pirelli tyres, setting the fastest time of the session despite a mistake on his opening lap.

With just over ten minutes remaining Kimi took to the track for his final run – his first of the day on the soft tyres – setting a time just one tenth shy of Romain’s best effort from earlier in the session.
Not to be outdone, the Frenchman emerged for his last stint of the morning on a set of scrubbed soft tyres. Just minutes later, the entire field (less Mark Webber) were out on the circuit as each team aimed for one last flying effort before qualifying this afternoon.

Once the scramble had calmed and the dust settled, Kimi ended the morning in P3 with a fastest time of 1:38.759 from 18 laps, while Romain’s best effort of 1:38.655 from 18 laps was good enough for P2. A quick pit-stop practice followed for the pair to end the session, as all eyes now turn to qualifying…

Kimi Brasil 2015. Tecnologia do Blogger.