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Schumacher sets fastest time at Chinese GP
April 13, 2012, Friday
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MICHAEL Schumacher may be closing in on his first pole position in six years after setting the fastest practice time at the Chinese Grand Prix today.
The Mercedes driver's time was a tenth of a second faster than McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, who took back-to-back poles to start the season at the Australian GP and Malaysian GP.
Red Bull teammates Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber had the third- and fourth-fastest times.
They were followed by Mercedes' Nico Rosberg, McLaren's Jenson Button, Sauber's Kamui Kobayasi, Force India's Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg, and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso rounding out the top 10.
Schumacher, a seven-time world champion, has yet to finish on the podium since coming out of retirement in 2010, but this year seems to have a car fast enough to challenge the top drivers.
He was third fastest in qualifying at the Malaysian Grand Prix last month - his best qualifying performance since the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix.
"The car handled definitely much better than what we experienced the last three years here," he said after Friday's practice. "We're not yet there where we want to be, but we had a good race."
Mercedes' new rear wing design has been a source of contention among rival teams this season. Lotus filed a protest yesterday that the design broke the rules, but it was rejected by race stewards.
Red Bull has also questioned the wing design, despite it being deemed legal by Formula One officials.
The Mercedes design feeds off the Drag Reduction System - an initiative introduced to Formula One in 2011, which allows drivers to open the rear wing to reduce drag and increase straight-line speed. When the Mercedes' rear wing is opened, it exposes a duct which directs airflow back under the car to increase downforce.
At the heart of the argument is whether the system breaches rules which prevent ducts being operated by the driver.
Schumacher said after the practice session he believes the controversy has been overblown.
"It is a good innovation and I think it should be honored by everybody," he said. "Although it gets overestimated the worth of it, but it's good."
The Mercedes driver's time was a tenth of a second faster than McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, who took back-to-back poles to start the season at the Australian GP and Malaysian GP.
Red Bull teammates Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber had the third- and fourth-fastest times.
They were followed by Mercedes' Nico Rosberg, McLaren's Jenson Button, Sauber's Kamui Kobayasi, Force India's Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg, and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso rounding out the top 10.
Schumacher, a seven-time world champion, has yet to finish on the podium since coming out of retirement in 2010, but this year seems to have a car fast enough to challenge the top drivers.
He was third fastest in qualifying at the Malaysian Grand Prix last month - his best qualifying performance since the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix.
"The car handled definitely much better than what we experienced the last three years here," he said after Friday's practice. "We're not yet there where we want to be, but we had a good race."
Mercedes' new rear wing design has been a source of contention among rival teams this season. Lotus filed a protest yesterday that the design broke the rules, but it was rejected by race stewards.
Red Bull has also questioned the wing design, despite it being deemed legal by Formula One officials.
The Mercedes design feeds off the Drag Reduction System - an initiative introduced to Formula One in 2011, which allows drivers to open the rear wing to reduce drag and increase straight-line speed. When the Mercedes' rear wing is opened, it exposes a duct which directs airflow back under the car to increase downforce.
At the heart of the argument is whether the system breaches rules which prevent ducts being operated by the driver.
Schumacher said after the practice session he believes the controversy has been overblown.
"It is a good innovation and I think it should be honored by everybody," he said. "Although it gets overestimated the worth of it, but it's good."
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