Time lost at wet Silverstone

IT WAS a sodden and frustrating day at Silverstone yesterday for the 75,000 spectators as well as the drivers. The majority of the two 90-minute practice sessions proved to be a washout, in particular the second in which 50 minutes were lost.

Come the conclusion, Red Bull's Mark Webber posted the fastest time overall, which came in the morning run when conditions were marginally at their best. Even then, Webber's time of one minute 46.603secs was 17 seconds slower than the pole lap of team-mate Sebastian Vettel 12 months ago.

"We thought we'd get some good running under our belts, but the rain meant that didn't happen," said McLaren's Jenson Button.