Schumacher sets early pace
Michael Schumacher splashed his way to the fastest lap in today’s first practice session for the Australian Grand Prix as Minardi made their first appearance of the weekend at Albert Park.
Schumacher’s lap of one minute 40.540 seconds was 1.393secs faster than his Ferrari team-mate Rubens Barrichello while McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen was third quickest after a session which saw just 12 drivers set times.
But the fight at the front of the grid was overshadowed by the belated appearance of Minardi on the Albert Park track.
The session started on a sodden track after heavy morning rain and Minardi’s debutant Patrick Freisacher was the first man out after his team’s legal row was finally settled.
Minardi boss Paul Stoddart had gone to Victoria’s Supreme Court in a bid to allow his team to compete with 2004-specification cars following a stewards’ decision against him.
Having received an injunction, Stoddart today withdrew his legal action and sent Freisacher and team-mate Christijan Albers out on track in hastily-modified cars which now meet 2005 rules.
Neither Minardi driver was allowed to complete a lap yesterday so both used today’s first practice to familiarise themselves with Albert Park.
Williams’ Mark Webber was the first top driver to venture out but he retreated to the garage soon after running on to the wet grass at turn 13.
He was not the only one to find the wet track difficult as both Minardi drivers endured torrid times with their new cars.
Freisacher needed excellent reactions on a number of occasions after his Minardi snapped away dangerously while team-mate Albers slid across the grass backwards at speed following a loss of control.
Jordan’s Narain Karthikeyan battled gamely against the wet track but brought out the yellow flags halfway through the session when his second mistake of the day saw him spinning to a halt.
Webber suffered his second off of the day when he pirouetted across the grass before resuming without damage.
The treacherous conditions meant few top drivers left the pits but with time running out Raikkonen put his McLaren at the top of the standings before Barrichello went over a second quicker.
Schumacher lowered that mark by over a second again to end the session on top while Karthikeyan was an encouraging fourth, albeit five seconds off the pace.
Jenson Button set just one lap in his BAR and ended up 10th while David Coulthard fared slightly better in registering the seventh fastest time.
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