Friday in Donington

29. June 2012Donington - The teams actually looked forward to a quiet Thursday and Friday in Donington, because only the administrative and technical scrutineering, the “tire lottery” as well as a meeting of all team managers were on the agenda for these days. However, no one had expected such unusual weather conditions. Especially on Thursday the weather was bad. Severe rain, thunderstorms and a hot sun that sometimes shone through the, at times, cloudless sky were the weather conditions. Setting up the tents was a real ordeal. Sometimes the water stood several centimeters high in the paddock. One time a 10 cm deep sea formed itself in a sink on the access road.
On Friday it stayed dry, but the storm had put especially the people under pressure, who were staying on west side of the paddock. Most of the teams were, therefore, busy to secure their tents. They collected everything that was heavy. The ones that had some time left took a sightseeing tour around the history-charged race track in Donington. Some even went to the quaint town of Castle Donington.
Twenty drivers will be at the starting line for the free practice at 9:05 in the morning. Five minutes after nine might, at first glance, sound confusing, but according to the regulations of the race track it is not allowed to have engines running in the paddock between 19:55 (PM) and 9:00 (AM). Some might not understand this rule, because of the airplanes that depart and arrive, sometimes in the middle of the night, at the airport, which is located right next to the race track.

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