PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT.

The Silverstone weekend is well and truly under way! FP1 and FP2 took place today, obviously, but both sessions were affected by rain meaning we can't really learn too much from the final standings at the end of the sessions. Then again, it looks like Qualifying and the race will be rain-hit as well so maybe there was something to gain from the sessions.

Fernando Alonso would probably disagree. He only went out towards the end of FP1 and if you were watching the session on TV you would have seen him sitting very comfortably in his chair; and not the one in his Ferrari! As a result his time wasn't that fast in FP1 or 2. Like I said previously, I don't think we can learn a lot from these times. Alonso is fast and his Ferrari is capable of performing in the rain. The last race that was really affected by rain was in Malaysia; which, as you know, Fernando went on to win. I'm sure some teams were using the sessions to gain a better understanding of what their car can do in the rain at this circuit. Massa fared slightly better than Alonso in FP1 but did a lot more running; he ultimately finished in fifth. FP2 results for Alonso and Massa were 10th and 15th respectively. Ferrari and Alonso know what is at stake this weekend. Their decision to go for limited running does therefore seem slightly strange. We will find out the exact reasons, I'm sure, sooner or later and we will discover Ferrari's true form tomorrow in Qualifying.

Lewis Hamilton was the man topping the timesheets at the end of FP2 and a strong display in FP1 when he finished 3rd indicates that he may have a strong weekend at his home Grand Prix; which he is making everyone aware of with his helmet choice! Many have already started to talk of another win in the wet for Hamilton in Britain; his first was in his championship winning year 2008. These predictions may be a little premature as this weekend still has a long way to go. Setting the fastest time in FP2 does not mean you will have a strong Qualifying; think Vettel in Barcelona, and with ever-changing conditions, fuel loads and set-ups for cars nothing is set in stone. Nevertheless, this is a positive start to the weekend for the Brit and it certainly gave fans something to cheer about.

There was little to no running for almost an hour which, as Sebastian Vettel pointed out, was a real shame for the thousands of fans who endured hours of traffic and the pouring rain to watch some Formula 1 action. The rain was really heavy, something I hope does not continue for the weekend! I would hate to see Qualifying or the race disrupted by the rain; for fans at home, in the grandstands or those crazy, unfortunate few who are camping.

Speaking of Vettel, he also said that he thinks Red Bull have managed to save tyres by not running; tyre consumption is turning into a bit of a worry this weekend with only a limited set of intermediate tyres available. He admitted that he and team did not manage to learn a lot and with some new upgrades for the RB8 this may be a concern for Red Bull. Mark Webber did not even set a timed lap in FP2 and Vettel finished in 11th so they will be eager and hopeful of getting some running before Qualifying tomorrow. I also wanted tell you about the ESPYS, just quickly. The ESPYS are sports awards, run by ESPN, and include categories on all sorts of sports. 'Best Driver' is one category and Sebastian Vettel is nominated. He is the only F1 driver nominated. If you want to show some support and vote for him, click here. You can vote in the other categories as well, if you want to!

Sauber looked strong in both practice sessions today with both drivers finishing in the top 10 for both sessions. Malaysia saw Perez take his first ever F1 podium. Sauber clearly like the rain... This season they have been known for great tyre management and things are looking up for them this weekend. If they can manage the tyres better than those they qualify near they have a strong chance of yet another podium. With Kobayashi looking strong this weekend as well, they can pick up a nice batch of points for the Constructors' championship. I expect them to be qualifying near Force India and Jenson Button so we'll see how my prediction turns out.

I've already told you that we cannot gain a lot from these practice sessions. Even if the race is full of rain and the conditions are similar to today teams didn't get to run a lot or as much as they would have liked. This means they themselves don't really know what will happen, let alone us bystanders! One thing we do know is that we are in for a cracking weekend. Qualifying will be intense, as it has always been this season, but the weather makes it so much more unpredictable. In normal conditions I would have picked Vettel but I have no idea who will be on the front row tomorrow. It may not even matter that much with heavy rain often meaning safety cars and possibly even a red flag.

Kimi Raikkonen, as ever, summed up what we learnt from these sessions perfectly; "It was wet."


Aqsa, @aqsasformula