2002 Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix
Second Friday Practice Session Report

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Second Friday Practice Session Report - Results

If Ferrari looked strong this morning it is nothing compared to this afternoon's free practice. Michael Schumacher's fastest lap (1.27.276) of the afternoon was almost a second faster than the lap record he set last year (1.28.214). Barrichello was just over one half of a second behind him (1.27.799) but still well inside last year's lap record.

The Ferraris were the only two cars that were faster than last year's lap record. Ralf Schumacher who was third fasted could only manage 1.28.821 which is more than 1/2 second slower than last year and more than a second slower than Barrichello.

Heidfeld was fast in the Sauber but over two seconds slower than Michael Schumacher in the Ferrari. Seeing that Sauber are theoretically using the same engine as Ferrari this is a huge gap.

Salo was also surprisingly fast in the Toyota. To be this competitive this early is a huge achievement.

Again McLaren were disappointing. Raikkonen was more than 2 1/2 seconds and Coulthard more than three seconds slower than Michael Schumacher. They have a long way to go if they want to be competitive on Sunday. 

Some of Ferrari's speed could be due to tyres. Last year Bridgestone was superior in colder races. We have not had a chance to compare this year's tyres, but it will not be surprising if it is still the case. It does not explain why McLaren is slow compared to Williams as both teams are on Michelin tyres.

Arrows also seem slow compared to Jaguar. Both teams are using the same Cosworth engine. Of the Honda powered cars Jordan looks fastest but there is not much in it.

At this stage it still looks as if the battle will be between Ferrari and Williams. Tomorrow's practice and qualifying will be a good indicator of how fast they are but it is only the race on Sunday that will tell us how reliable the cars are. Ferrari was very reliable last year in the same car, so they are probably feeling very optimistic right now.

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