Free 2: Kovalainen shows up

The drivers, during this second free practice session, were able to confront the visibility conditions they will have during Sunday's race. It was therefore at the end of the day, with the sun setting, that the drivers set off at the start of the session. And, unlike the first session, there are many single-seaters from the first minutes.

Thus, Nico Rosberg (Williams) is the first driver to stand out, setting a time on his installation lap (1:47:576). Jenson Button (Brawn GP) claiming the best time (1:47??116) before Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso) does not show up at the forefront. The Swiss continues the fast laps, aligns the best laps, in order to bring the mark, after less than twenty minutes of session, in 1:42??143.

And, like earlier in the day, Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) is competitive as soon as he enters the track. The 2008 world champion drops the time below 1:42??, in 1:41??843, before improving his performance to 1:41??564. The Briton's time remains the target of other drivers for a long time but the session is above all an opportunity for many teams to find the right settings on the single-seaters.

Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) is very close to taking the best time but fails less than three hundredths behind the McLaren driver (1:41??591). Stung, Lewis Hamilton improves his time and demonstrates his fine abilities at the end of the season.

But the British driver is not the only one improving, with many drivers looking to show off during this last competition weekend of the year. This is the case of Heikki Kovalainen, whose place within the Woking team is threatened. The Finn snatched the best time of the session at the wire (1:41:307) and showed that he can be as fast as his world champion teammate.

Next meeting for the drivers on the Abu Dhabi circuit, Saturday at 11 a.m., for the third free practice session.