F1: Melbourne GP - First practice throws up range of issues
It was all calm in pit lane yesterday as teams prepared their cars for their first Friday morning outing. But the first free practice session is more like the first day back at school as teams find out the true state of development of their cars in a test in a hostile environment.
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An embarrassed Virgin team have had to ask the FIA for permission to make a major modification to their car. Unless they fit a larger fuel tank, they say, the can't make it to a full race distance. It's a fundamental mistake - one made worse by the fact that Virgin are running the same Cosworth engine as everyone else and so have the same fuel data as other teams. The FIA says they can do it without penalty.
Kobayashi's flamboyant style got him into trouble twice - both times causing a red flag and shortening the session.
Down at Lotus, a hydraulic fluid leak on Trulli's car surprised the team: they've not had any similar problems previously; and at the end of the session, the team decided to change his differential. Whether that solves the rear-end grip problem he complained of won't be known until this afternoon.
Renault's Kubica was fastest in the first session.
All out speed was not Mercedes' concern this morning and their drivers finished 12 and 18.
Again, the race will start in the late afternoon and run into the evening. Some drivers, including Massa, have expressed concern that both twilight and low sunset will, as last year, make visibility an issue.
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