Mark Webber put Red Bull to the top of the timesheets after the second practice session in Suzuka on Friday afternoon, lapping his RB8 in 1m 32.493s to head McLarens Lewis Hamilton by 0.214s after the 2008 champion recorded 1m 32.707s. Red Bulls Sebastian Vettel and Force Indias Nico Hulkenberg were right with them, on 1m 32.836s and 1m 32.987s respectively.
An action-packed session was halted for six minutes early on when Paul di Resta lost his Force India on the entry to the Spoon Curve after getting the right-rear wheel in the dirt, and later Michael Schumacher had exactly the same accident there in his Mercedes. Neither driver was hurt.
There were also incidents for Caterhams Heikki Kovalainen, Sauber team mates Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez, Marussias Timo Glock, Williams Pastor Maldonado, HRTs Narain Karthikeyan, Ferraris Felipe Massa and Lotuss Kimi Raikkonen, while Vitaly Petrov spun in the first corner in the closing minutes after his Caterham shed its rear wing.
Behind the leading quartet, Fernando Alonso took fifth for Ferrari with 1m 33.093s from Lotuss Romain Grosjean on 1m 33.107s, McLarens Jenson Button on 1m 33.349s, Williams Bruno Senna on 12m 33.499s, Ferraris Felipe Massa on 1m 33.614s, Schumacher on 1m 33.750s, his team mate Nico Rosberg on 1m 33.866s, Perez on 1m 33.903s and Kobayashi on 1m 33.983s.
Rosberg didnt run until the final third, following this mornings problem when his Mercedes engine shut itself down after receiving low oil pressure signals. It necessitated an engine change which kept him closeted in the garage for a spell.
Raikkonen also had problems, with a KERS fault that rendered his Lotus unsafe. He got going late in the session after the system had been changed, to take 14th place with 1m 34.291s. He was followed by Maldonado on 1m 34.300s, the Toro Rossos of Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne on 1m 34.863s and 1m 35.080s, then the Caterham of Heikki Kovalainen on 1m 35.711s and Petrovs sister car on 1m 35.870s.
Behind the green and yellow cars, Marussias threat continued with Timo Glock 20th on 1m 36.194s and Charles Pic on 1m 36.636s. Pedro de la Rosa was 22nd on 1m 37.342s from HRT team mate Karthikeyan, who managed 1m 37.701s. Di Resta did not record a time. (Formula1.com)
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