German GP: Red Bull Friday report

Come rain, hail, sleet or snow, they're out there on the edge of the action, clicking away and making everything look exciting and impossibly glamorous... and boy do they moan about it. So what would it be like... IF F1 WAS RULED BY...

Come rain, hail, sleet or snow, they're out there on the edge of the action, clicking away and making everything look exciting and impossibly glamorous... and boy do they moan about it. So what would it be like...

IF F1 WAS RULED BY... PHOTOGRAPHERS

1. There'd be one corner at every circuit designed to encourage overtaking, but it would be just a little bit too narrow on the exit, leading to guaranteed accidents. No more schlepping from corner to corner in the hope of seeing something exciting.
2. When you ask a team for some time to take a driver's portrait, the words 'yes, you have 45 seconds, starting... NOW!!" will not be heard.
3. What? What's wrong with sticking the camera lens into the foot well of the car to see exactly what that new-fangled fiddle brake pedal does? Yes, that's what I thought: nothing.
4. F1 would return to having proper corners where the photography point wasn't on the other side of a gravel trap the size of Belgium and you didn't need a three zillion millimeter lens to get a grainy picture of a car going slightly sideways.
5. Internet access would be free -- everywhere. And they wouldn't be your useless, fragile two Meg lines either. Have you tried sending 300 photographs over a wi-fi connection that drops out more regularly than an art college student?
6. There would be an automatic safety car period after the first lap of each race in order to give some of the older photographers plenty of time to get to the next position without running the risk of a coronary.
7. Lunch would be served at least two hours before each session to give photographers time to get to and from motorhomes to track positions, especially when weighed down with foie gras and a cheeky little Beaujolais or three.
8. If a photographer begins to moan about something (future races/current races/old races), the whole paddock will be obliged to listen, even if that rant has been heard any number of times previously. They do love a little moan now and then.

Car 5 SEBASTIAN VETTEL
1st Practice P11, 2nd Practice P2

"The conditions were not easy today, they were quite changeable, which made judging lap times difficult, but we got some dry running in the afternoon which was important. I think it's looking quite good and the car feels good, especially in the last section. Ferrari looked extremely competitive; McLaren had a difficult day with only one car for the majority of running, but they will come back and be up there. I did a bit of rallying in P2 when I lost the rear going into the Stadium section and had to find my way through the gravel, but fortunately I could save the car and there was no problem."

Car 6 MARK WEBBER
1st Practice P14, 2nd Practice P4

"It wasn't the easiest day for everyone - the track conditions were pretty tricky, so selecting the right tyres at the right time wasn't straightforward, but we got some good information out of P2 when the track was pretty dry. We were also able to learn how both types of wet tyre worked here, so we evaluated the car in almost all conditions today. The car felt good, but we've got some work to do tonight. Ferrari look strong and I'm looking forward to the race."