Jenson Button goes fastest in FP2 as Red Bull hints at ominous long-run pace
Jenson Button once again set the pace in the second free practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka on Friday.
<font color='Navy'>[U]<font face='Courier New'><font size='2'>Japanese GP Practice Session 2</font></font>[/U]</font>
<font color='Black'><font color='DarkOrchid'>Pos Driver Team Time Laps</font>
1. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m31.901s 32
2. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m32.075s + 0.174 33
3. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m32.095s + 0.194 35
4. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m32.147s + 0.246 28
5. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m32.448s + 0.547 34
6. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m32.710s + 0.809 26
7. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m32.982s + 1.081 27
8. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m33.245s + 1.344 26
9. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m33.446s + 1.545 36
10. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m33.681s + 1.780 33
11. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m33.705s + 1.804 25
12. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m33.790s + 1.889 36
13. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m34.393s + 2.492 35
14. Bruno Senna Renault 1m34.557s + 2.656 27
15. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m34.601s + 2.700 33
16. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m36.038s + 4.137 33
17. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 1m36.225s + 4.324 35
18. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m37.123s + 5.222 14
19. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m37.440s + 5.539 30
20. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1m38.093s + 6.192 30
21. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 1m38.387s + 6.486 16
22. Daniel Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth 1m38.763s + 6.862 36
23. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault 1m39.800s + 7.899 24
24. Tonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 1m42.480s + 10.579 4</font>
Rosberg's future plans remain unchanged as he focusses on improving Mercedes
Nico Rosberg says his future plans have not been changed despite him emerging as a major player in the driver market thanks to Jenson Button committing himself to McLaren.
Pirelli to make soft tyres the prime option for the Indian Grand Prix
Drivers will have access to six sets of soft tyres during the inaugural Indian Grand Prix after Pirelli announced that it is taking the unusual step of making the yellow-labelled compound the prime selection for the event.
Lotus and Renault's hopes of changing their team names rest with the F1 Commission
Team Lotus and Renault are set to be forced to wait for a Formula 1 Commission meeting to find out if their plans to change their names for 2012 will be approved, AUTOSPORT has learned, after Ferrari, Sauber and HRT requested the matter be debated formally.
Vettel says Suzuka practice crash a reminder he must stay focused
Sebastian Vettel says his crash in this morning's opening practice session at Suzuka was a reminder that he must not lose his focus despite being on the verge of celebrating his second title.
Mercedes encouraged by Suzuka practice progress after 'tricky' start
Mercedes said it made up ground during Japanese Grand Prix practice at Suzuka today after a challenging start, although Michael Schumacher feels the circuit may show up some of the car's weaknesses.
Massa suggests Red Bull Racing may be out of reach at Suzuka
Felipe Massa has suggested Red Bull Racing may be out of reach this weekend given the team's practice pace on Friday at Suzuka.
Liuzzi says lack of running will hurt him at the Japanese Grand Prix
Tonio Liuzzi is predicting a very tough weekend for him after failing to complete any significant running in Friday practice.
Toro Rosso buoyed by strong Friday practice form at Suzuka
Toro Rosso ended Friday at Suzuka very upbeat after its cars showed top-10 pace in Japanese Grand Prix practice.
Sauber pleased with early signs from its major Suzuka upgrade package
Sauber technical director James Key is pleased with the way that his team's major upgrade package performed during Friday practice at Suzuka.
Williams duo lament lack of running in practice for the Japanese Grand Prix
Williams drivers Pastor Maldonado and Rubens Barrichello were left lamenting their lack of running in practice for the Japanese Grand Prix.
Trulli says revised old-spec power steering is an improvement
Jarno Trulli believes that the tweaks to the old specification power steering system that he has had to switch to for the Japanese Grand Prix weekend mean that it is an improvement on the last time he used it.
Mallya denies plans to sell Force India F1 team
Vijay Mallya has denied he plans to sell his Force India Formula 1 team, on the back of his decision to shut down the low-cost arm of his airline.
Alonso expects podium finish at best for Ferrari in Japanese Grand Prix
Fernando Alonso still believes the podium is the best Ferrari can hope for in the Japanese Grand Prix as he expects Red Bull will run away with the race.
Senna hopes Renault can keep updates during Japanese Grand Prix weekend
Bruno Senna is hopeful that Renault will be able to stick with the car updates it has introduced at the Japanese Grand Prix after an encouraging opening day of practice in Suzuka.
Button concedes McLaren has to improve to challenge Red Bull at Suzuka
Jenson Button believes McLaren needs to improve a lot in order to feel confident of challenging Red Bull this weekend in the Japanese Grand Prix.
Schumacher fined for pitlane incident, other drivers escape punishment
Michael Schumacher has been fined 5,000 Euros for making a late entry into the pits during second practice for the Japanese Grand Prix.
'DRS might catch a few people out' - Webber
Mark Webber thinks use of the Drag Reduction System (DRS) in qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix could "catch a few people out" as they try to attack some of Suzuka's fast corners with their rear wing open.
Hamilton thinks Red Bull runs light
Lewis Hamilton says that he thinks Red Bull's long run pace during Friday practice is due to it running less fuel than McLaren.
