Final practice - BMW Sauber from Red Bull and Renault
BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld set the fastest time in Saturday morning’s final practice for the Spanish Grand Prix, which yet again threw up some unusual and mostly unrepresentative times as different teams ran different fuel loads.
The German lapped his F1.08 in 1m 21.269s to head David Coulthard’s Red Bull by 0.196s, as the Scot posted 1m 21.465s. Fernando Alonso was third for Renault on 1m 21.599s, ahead of Robert Kubica (1m 21.717s), Jarno Trulli for Toyota (1m 21.771s), Sebastien Bourdais for Toro Rosso (1m 21.942s) and Nelson Piquet (1m 21.992s).
Jenson Button was eighth with 1m 22.060s for Honda, pipping Ferrari’s Felipe Massa (1m 22.075s), Toyota’s Timo Glock (1m 22.081s) and McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton (1m 22.094s). The closeness of the times continued with Nico Rosberg 12th on 1m 22.174s for Williams ahead of Kimi Raikkonen (1m 22.176s) in the second F2008, Williams’ Kazuki Nakajima (1m 22.189s), McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen (1m 22.220s), Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel (1m 22.292s), Honda’s Rubens Barrichello (1m 22.350s) and the Force Indias of Giancarlo Fisichella (1m 22.466s) and Adrian Sutil (1m 22.689s).
Takuma Sato went a lot faster than on Friday for Super Aguri, with 1m 23.726s, with team mate Anthony Davidson right behind on 1m 23.921s. Mark Webber went untimed in his Red Bull, due to mechanical problems.
The only dramas occurred when Alonso spun in Turn 11, Sutil, Coulthard and Barrichello in Turn 10, and Piquet in Turn 2.
These times notwithstanding, expect the battle for pole to be between Ferrari, McLaren and BMW Sauber this afternoon, with Renault, Red Bull and Toyota vying for the remaining top-10 slots.
