 |
Australian Grand Prix 3rd-6th March 2005 - Free Practice 1.1 Report |
Length:
5.303 km |
| The
first Friday session of the 2005 Formula One season was nothing short
of a mockery with the top drivers completing only a handful laps. With each driver forced to use the same engine for two races, none were prepared to really push their cars early in the Australian Grand Prix weekend. Fans that had paid good money to watch the event would have been left feeling bitter with the likes of Michael Schumacher (Ferrari), Kimi Raikkonen (McLaren) and both Renault drivers electing not to record a time. But with that aside, there was also a fairytale story in the opening practice session with Red Bull's Viantonio Liuzzi recording the fastest time in the team's first outing. The young Italian recorded an impressive time of 1:25.967 to head home fellow Friday tester Pedro de la Rosa (McLaren) by over half a second. In third place was another reserve ace in Toyota's Ricardo Zonta. The Brazilian finished over a second off Liuzzi's pace with a 1:27.265. The battle proper started in fourth with McLaren's Juan Pablo Montoya the fastest of the racing men. Red Bull's David Coulthard was fifth followed by Sauber's Felipe Massa and Williams' Mark Webber. But with race-win favourites Renault without a result and the remainder of the field taking it easy, the opening practice times mean little in the context of the weekend. |
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