Free Practice 2 – Spa in the rain, Alonso takes advantage!

Fernando Alonso secured first place in the second practice session of the Belgian Grand Prix, which was disrupted by rain and a red flag.

The fastest man a few hours earlier, Felipe Massa (Ferrari) must settle for second place but ahead of Heikki Kovalainen’s McLaren, Lewis Hamilton’s, and Kimi Räikkönen’s Ferrari.

Hamilton was the first to set a suitable time at 1:48.805, beating Massa by 0.033 seconds. A drizzle then began to fall, soon replaced by heavy rain. Almost the entire field then returned to the pits during the next 35 minutes.

Mark Webber, on the other hand, did not come in and went off the track before his Red Bull hit the tire barrier.

Even though the rain gradually subsided, the conditions remained treacherous when the drivers returned to the track with only 35 minutes left.

Räikkönen was the first to be caught out by losing control of his car at turn 9. His Ferrari slid backward into the barriers. The impact only knocked off the rear wing, but a large amount of water spread across the edge of the circuit, possibly with an additional fluid that could be coming from the F2008.

Giancarlo Fisichella’s Force India was the next victim of this runoff area, but the crash into the barriers was a bit more violent. A red flag was deployed following this accident.

Alonso also tasted the gravel in Stavelot, just before the session was stopped. His teammate Nelson Piquet proved that the circuit remained challenging even after the restart. The Brazilian made the same mistake as Räikkönen, and the consequences were almost identical.

The weather improved somewhat, and it was Nico Rosberg who demonstrated that the conditions were indeed getting better. He will finish in 6th place.

Kovalainen then took the lead of the session with a 0.015-second advantage over his teammate, Lewis Hamilton. But his reign was brief as Alonso set the standard with a time of 1:48.454.

Massa did not manage to overcome the Renault driver with the return of the drizzle. The Spaniard clung to that first place he had been eagerly anticipating.

Behind Alonso, the Ferraris, the McLarens, and Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel continues to shine with a seventh position for Toro Rosso. His compatriot Adrian Sutil (Force India) takes a magnificent eighth place on his last lap.

The Toyota of Jarno Trulli and the BMW-Sauber of Nick Heidfeld complete the top ten. His teammate, Robert Kubica, is only 11th.

Free Practice 2 Results – Belgian GP – September 5, 2008