MAY 27, 2005

EUROPEAN GP - FRIDAY - PRACTICE SESSION 2 REPORT

Wurz leads the way

Alexander Wurz, European GP 2005 

 © The Cahier Archive

Alexander Wurz swept to the fastest time of the day in practice for the European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring, lapping the track at 1m30.623s. The lap times are still a way from the best lap of last year, which put Michael Schumacher on pole with a 1m28.351s, but the times are due to improve tomorrow when the track improves and the teams get down to the serious business of qualifying. In the dying seconds of the session Ricardo Zonta put his Toyota second fastest with a lap which was onlu 0.007secs slower than Wurz.

There was then a gap of more than a second back to the other runners, headed by BMW Williams driver Nick Heidfeld. although he was only just quicker than Juan Pablo Montoya and Kimi Raikkonen in the other McLarens. Mark Webber was sixth fastest in his Williams but missed much of the session after spinning into a sandtrap after just seven laps. The top 10 was completed by Rubens Barrichello's Ferrari, Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella in their Renaults and Ralf Schumacher's Toyota. Jarno Trulli was next in his Toyota, ahead of Christian Klien's Red Bull and Michael Schumacher's Ferrari.

The BAR-Hondas were back in action but did not go for fast times with Takuma Sato and Jenson Button finishing the day 15th and 16th.