Formula 1
Italian GP: Bridgestone Friday practice report
Kimi Raikkonen (Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro) set the marker on the opening day of running for the Italian Grand Prix by using Bridgestone's medium compound Potenza tyre to set Friday's fastest lap time at the 5.79km Monza race track for the fourteenth ...
Edited: Sep 12, 2008, 11:45 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Kimi Raikkonen (Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro) set the marker on the opening day of running for the Italian Grand Prix by using Bridgestone's medium compound Potenza tyre to set Friday's fastest lap time at the 5.79km Monza race track for the fourteenth round of the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship.
Raikkonen set his time - a 1min 23.861secs - in the afternoon 90 minute practice session. He was less than a tenth faster than the next driver, Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber F1 Team). Kubica's team- mate, Nick Heidfeld, went third fastest in this session. In a contrast to the morning, the afternoon was dry, although the circuit was damp from the earlier rainfall.
In the morning the circuit started damp and it rained with increasing ferocity during the session. Force India driver Adrian Sutil went fastest with a time of 1min 32.842secs, set using the medium compound dry tyre. He was almost six tenths faster than Honda F1 Racing Team driver Rubens Barrichello. Sutil's team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella went third fastest.
Whilst the medium compound Bridgestone Potenza F1 tyre was used in Monza last season, it's the first time the hard compound has been used here at a race weekend as the tyre allocation is a step harder with the hard and medium here this season, compared with the medium and soft last year. Teams have data from the recent test in Monza to help them with their strategy choices, whilst the wet morning session enabled competitors to evaluate the wet and extreme wet tyres. Today's fastest lap time was almost a second and a half slower than the best Friday time set last year, a 1min 22.386secs, set by Fernando Alonso (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes).
Hirohide Hamashima - Director of Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development, said:
"Today was definitely a game of two halves. In the morning, conditions were wet and we saw a limited amount of running. Adrian Sutil did very well to go fastest using the medium compound tyre before the circuit became too wet. Drivers who ran in the morning session were able to get useful data from the wet and extreme wet tyres and this could help them if we see a wet race. In the afternoon conditions were far better, although we were some way off a fully dry circuit. This weekend the weather will be key and teams will spend a lot of time looking at the sky before deciding their tyre strategies."
Stats of the Day
Total amount of laps completed by all drivers: 752 laps
Average number of laps per driver: 38 laps
Most laps by a driver: 59 - Bourdais
Fastest lap: 1min 23.861secs - (FP2)
Compounds used: Hard / Medium / Wet / Extreme Wet
Qualifying in 2007
Fernando Alonso (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes) set the fastest lap time in qualifying last season, setting a 1min 21.997secs using the soft compound. His team-mate Lewis Hamilton qualified second and Felipe Massa (Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro) third.
-credit: bridgestone
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Italian GP: Honda Friday practice report
Next article Vettel splashes to his first F1 pole in Italy
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Felipe Massa
On this day: Michael Schumacher wins… and stuns tifosi with F1 retirement
Formula 1
Formula 1
Italian GP
On this day: Michael Schumacher wins… and stuns tifosi with F1 retirement
Defendant ordered to pay £250,000 legal fees in Felipe Massa F1 title case
Formula 1
Formula 1
Defendant ordered to pay £250,000 legal fees in Felipe Massa F1 title case
Felipe Massa’s F1 2008 lawsuit will proceed to trial
Formula 1
Formula 1
Las Vegas GP
Felipe Massa’s F1 2008 lawsuit will proceed to trial
More from
Ferrari
The mistakes that cost Lewis Hamilton a podium at F1’s US GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
The mistakes that cost Lewis Hamilton a podium at F1’s US GP
Fred Vasseur reveals two costly moments that denied Ferrari US GP double podium
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
Fred Vasseur reveals two costly moments that denied Ferrari US GP double podium
Latest news
IndyCar veteran Sting Ray Robb secures United Autosports Asian Le Mans seat
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 1 h
IndyCar veteran Sting Ray Robb secures United Autosports Asian Le Mans seat
Five things to look out for at the F1 Mexico GP
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Mexican GP
4 h
Five things to look out for at the F1 Mexico GP
Every time NASCAR took a win away due yellow line violations
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
4 h
Every time NASCAR took a win away due yellow line violations
Max Verstappen sits out for Red Bull in Mexico GP FP1
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
4 h
Max Verstappen sits out for Red Bull in Mexico GP FP1
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe