So far, it’s been a battle between Mercedes and BMW for the numero uno position. But there’s Audi India too which has been discreetly eyeing the top spot. 2015 seems to be the target as of now. So, how does Audi plan to reach there? After a global debut, the car maker may consider rolling out its Q3 mini-SUV in India too. Audi India has already started assembling its luxury SUV, the Q5 and is now thinking of assembling the Q3 at its Aurangabad facility in Maharashtra. If the Q3 enters India, it will be Audi’s smallest SUV in the country and will be competing with the BMW X1.

The Q3 may carry a tag of around Rs. 25-28 Lakh. Globally, the Q3 will be a lifestyle/sports car from Audi and will be positioned above the anticipated Q1. It will draw cues from the Volkswagen Group A5 (PQ35) platform of the Volkswagen Golf Mk5, the same as the Volkswagen Tiguan/SEAT Tribu small SUVs. However, Audi India says nothing about what we have just heard.

An official said, “Audihas not even launched Q3 in the overseas markets. So launching the model in the Indian market doesn’t seem to be a possibility in the next few quarters. However, over a period of time, we may consider it if there is a market potential.” Well, we would say, hurry up Audi. 2015 is not too far away if you want to be the #1 luxury car maker.

Audi Board Member for Production Frank Dreves said, “Starting in 2011, the Audi Q3 will be produced to Audi quality standards at the Martorell factory. This gives us additional flexibility regarding future decisions about products. We will begin preparing at once.”

Yes, right now, Audi is busy getting the Q3 compact SUV ready for the international market. It will be launched next year, and so will the A1 compact hatch be introduced. The German car maker finally found the Seat site in Martorell, Spain just perfect for the production of its Q3. Audi has invested around €300 million for the junior-SUV’s production and the annual production capacity has been marked down as 80,000 units.

“Following in-depth consideration of all relevant factors and an extensive international comparison of various sites, we selected Martorell,” explained Rupert Stadler, chairman of the Board of Management at Audi AG. This decision enables Audi to continue its strategy of growth and internationalization. Stadler added: “We are counting on this Spanish site’s efficiency, the excellent quality of the Production department, and its highly trained staff. We will use the Group’s synergies to sharpen our competitive edge and help protect around 1,200 jobs. The decision furthermore safeguards workplaces at other Audi locations.”

Sources claim that the Q3 will use many components from the Golf Mk5, or perhaps Golf Mk6. It is believed to be borrowing the car’s Direct-Shift Gearbox (DSG) dual clutch transmission and also a 197-bhp 2.0 FSI turbo engine of the Golf GTI. For the flagship, the Q3S, the mini SUV will probably be strapped with a 229-bhp 3.0 turbo-diesel V6 and a 282-bhp 3.6 FSI V6. Audi will almost certainly bring the car in both front-wheel drive, and Quattro on-demand four-wheel drive variants. But we believe there will be no height-adjustable suspension, lockable differentials or low-range gearing. Instead, larger wheels and a sports suspension may come along.

No, we don’t believe it either. Honda and ‘cheap’ do not go hand in hand. A car can either wear a Honda tag or a ‘cheap’ car tag, but not both at the same time. If speculations are to be given any credit, Honda is ready with a low cost hybrid solution. The new hybrid technology called Quixotic will make the upcoming Honda Fit nee Jazz cheaper than Toyota Prius, which is currently the best selling hybrid. And if, indeed, the cheaper version of Fit comes, it will start a price war between the two Japanese auto giants.

Honda had earlier brought its Insight hybrid to fight the battle with the mighty Toyota Prius but it failed miserably, while Prius topped the sales chart consistently despite struggling with recall issues. But that was sometime back.

Now the car maker has its priorities set right. Honda will be launching the 2010 Fit Hybrid in Japan later this year. And if Nikkei, the Japanese business daily, is to be believed the hybrid Fit will carry a premium of just $1,880 over the base model. The car will be launched in Japan at a price tag equivalent to $16,780. Consequently, the Fit Hybrid would be cheaper by $2,500 than Honda CR-Z sports car and $3,000 than entry level Honda Insight.

Honda officials are closely guarding any details regarding this development, but company CEO Tekeo Fukui said the company will “usher in a new era of affordability” for hybrids. It can be safely considered as a slight hint at the arrival of cheaper Hybrid Fit. Both Toyota and Honda are ready to wage a war to get a better share of the hybrid car market, and the customers will definitely get a chance to make their hybrid car dreams come true, without worrying much about their wallets.

“Lower prices are good for consumers but not for shareholders,” Yoshihiko Tabei, an analyst at Kazaka Securities, said. He said that we could see a hybrid price war between Honda and Toyota that could be disadvantageous to both companies when compared with competitors who just focus on higher margin gasoline-powered vehicles.

“Toyota has finally begun enjoying profits on the Prius and Honda is barely making profits on the Insight,” he said. “It will be tough for them to make profits on hybrids.”

Well, unbelievable as it might sound, but looks like Honda is finally ready to fight the real cost war with its competitors.

Today, let’s focus on Fiat’s petite two-cylinder marvel that comes with a lot of promises. In an India ruled by traffic and pollution, this engine can work wonders. Fiat is also known for its lowest average CO2 emissions across its range in Europe. So, time to get a few more details.

The current Fiat 500 uses the four-cylinder configuration. But its ancestors, at least the lower-end variants, used a two cylinder engine. And similar is the case with our Tata Nano which uses a 636 cc two pot. These days, we also see the hatchback makers shifting from four to three cylinders for their offerings in India. With the cylinder reduction, there seem to be more pluses and fewer minuses. So far, NVH levels seem to be the only major concern.

Fiat, however, has gone a step ahead and chopped off the third cylinder too to end up with a new mini engine. We know, you must be thinking about power and acceleration loss now. Never mind. The 900cc two-cylinder motor delivers 64, 84 and 104 bhp depending on the state of tune and that’s even better than VW’s 105-bhp 1.2 TSI and Nissan’s 97-bhp Supercharged 1.2.

Fiat’s entire small car range will possibly carry this twin air engine shortly. Up to 30 per cent less fuel consumption and 30 per cent less CO2 emissions is a promise. The tiny engine features Fiat’s famed multi air technology that uses electro-hydraulic valve actuators thereby doing away with a conventional throttle valve. So, there’s no pumping loss and efficiency is improved by another 10 per cent.

BMW cars too feature a similar technology called VANOS. Making it just perfect for the crowded Indian roads, the engine comes standard with a Start-Stop system. Lesser cylinders mean lower friction among engines. A ‘soft’ turbocharger ensures virtually no turbo lag and you get instant boost. The response is stronger and delivering 100 Nm at 1900 rpm. This engine competes with Fiat’s 1.4L petrol and produces 25 per cent more torque.

Half the number of cylinders means half the number of parts which implies that maintenance too is minimal. The Twinair’s long-life spark plugs and hydraulic tappets give it an added strip of reliability. The engine is 23 per cent shorter than a conventional 4-cylinder engine which also makes it a space saver. Fiat’s two-cylinder motor has a balancer shaft to abolish the first order vibration common in two-cylinder engines. The turbocharged Twinair is also 7 kg lighter than Fiat’s 1.2L non-turbo FIRE (Fully Integrated Robotised Engine) and 13 kg lighter than the 1.4 FIRE. The 1.2 and 1.4 are the same engines found in the Grande Punto.

Autocar says, the road test proved that the engine is relaxed and offers similar performance to the 1.4-litre 84-bhp version of Fiat 500. It can hit a maximum speed of 174 km/h and can accelerate to 100 kmph in just 11 seconds. The engine is believed to deliver 25 kmpl. In due course, Fiat will be making 400,000 of these engines a year at their Polish manufacturing plant.

For a country obsessed with mileage and cost, here’s the price! The Fiat 500 with Twin air currently costs £1400 (Rs 1,00,000) more than the 1.4L four-cylinder version. Pretty expensive, ah? However, two cylinders mean two lesser spark plugs, there’s lesser friction, lower maintenance costs, reduced weight and a greener environment. Fiat, however, will have to sufficiently localise and prove this engine in India to establish their superiority. We hope to see the Twinair in Fiat’s Rs. 2.5 Lakh car that will debut in 2012.

Gone are the days when an automatic transmission was the monopoly of premium luxury sedans. And why only auto transmission, most of the modern technologies and features that were earlier the trademark of high-end sedans have now found their way into the hatchback cars. Premium compact cars are now proud beings as they are enjoying their long stay on the top selling list.

And now premium compact cars including Maruti Suzuki A-Star, Volkswagen Polo, Nissan Micra and Honda Jazz, are all set to be launched in automatic transmission variants. Hyundai launched its i10 in automatic transmission about a year ago and the company has received an amazing response from the crowd. Maruti Suzuki does not want to be left behind and will launch an automatic transmission variant of its hatchback A-Star in the next few weeks.

“A-Star is a trendy car for the young and the automatic transmission would help to capture the top-end of small car market,” a senior executive at Maruti Suzuki said while he requested to remain anonymous.

Automatic transmission (AT) cars do not have the clutch pedal, as there is no need to change gears manually. The AT offers a smooth and effortless driving experience, but consumes more fuel the manual geared cars.

Volkswagen Polo, Nissan Micra and Honda Jazz are speculated to be launched in AT variants, company officials have said. The four-speed automatic gear A-Star would come at a premium over the current top-end version that has a price tag of Rs.3,52,380 (Ex-Showroom Price New Delhi ). Hyundai has priced its i10 automatic in the range of Rs 4.5-5.3 lakh for different variants, which is around 15% more than its manual variant.

Auto analysts believe that these cars will find a good fan following despite their premium price tag. “In the next few years, India should be in the league of developed markets where automatic transmissions have double-digit market share of the car market,” said Abdul Majeed, auto practice leader at Price Waterhouse Coopers.

Automatic transmission across all segments constitutes a meager 2%, or around 30,000-35,000 units in the 1.5-million strong passenger car market in India. The statistic is quite staggering when it comes to the developed markets. Almost a third of all cars sold in the US have an automatic transmission. The success of premium hatchbacks such as Hyundai i20 and Maruti Swift, which come with all the frills such as anti-lock braking system (ABS), airbags and alloy wheels, that has prompted car makers to add automatic transmission to their small cars.

So far, the automatic transmission technology had been mostly limited to premium sedans as it is expensive. The Indian car market has been doing phenomenal with a majority of customers for Honda Civic, Toyota Camry, Skoda Laura and Skoda Superb choosing the automatic variants over the manual ones.

The other day, we had a post on how money matters seemed to endanger K. Chandhok’s F1 career. Now, things seem to be getting better for the racer. Jaypee Sports International (JPSI) has now officially announced that it has agreed to a partnership with Hispania Racing’s, HRT F1 Team´s driver Karun Chandhok starting with British Formula 1 Grand Prix. This will be a win-win situation for both. The team’s race car will carry the Jaypee Group logo.

Karun finally has a smile on his face. In all excitement the racer spoke thus, “It’s a great privilege for us to have the Jaypee Group as a partner. They have taken the bold step to bring the Formula 1 World Championship to India next year and it’s something I am very excited about. To be the Indian driver on the grid for the first Indian Grand Prix next year will be very special for me and I look forward to working with the Gaur family and their team at Jaypee to make sure the Indian Grand Prix is a huge success for all of us.”

We fully understand what the racer must be feeling and can also feel the enthusiasm in his words. As of now, JPSI is busy constructing on the 5.14 km long stretch. It is constructing the first world-class motor racing circuit near Greater Noida, at a distance of about 40 km from New Delhi. This circuit will probably be the host to the F1 race inaugural in India in October/November next year.

Meanwhile, Hispania Racing’s Karun Chandhok will be the groups brand ambassador. He is now bound to endorse the Jaypee Group, its brands and its products. Jaypee Group, on the other hand, will have exclusive rights to sell Hispania Racing and Karun Chandhok merchandise in Uttar Pradesh and the National Capital Region (NCR).

Karun Chandhok, who hails from our country currently races for the Spanish Hispania Racing, HRT F1 Team. Today, he is the only Indian driver on the F1 grid. Karun had won the Formula Asia Championship way back in 2001. He was also the recipient of the Formula Asia V6 Renault Championship in 2006. Prior to entering F1, Karun drove in the GP2 Series for three years, winning two races.

Jose Ramon Carabante, Hispania Racing, HRT F1 Team owner was delighted to hear about Jaypee’s sponsorship and said, “We are very pleased to have a new company sponsoring us and supporting Formula 1. And the fact that next year India is expected to host a Formula 1 race also makes us happy. We want to welcome Jaypee Sports International to our team and hope we work positively together”.

Hope Karun lives up to Jaypee’s and the whole of India’s expectations. This is what Sameer Gaur, managing director, JPSI had to say, “We are very happy to be sponsoring Karun Chandhok in Formula 1. He is a talented racing driver and deserves all the support that we can provide. Apart from establishing our commitment towards F1, we also hope this move will provide a flip to the popularity of F1 racing in India and build excitement for the first F1 race that we hope to host in the country towards the end of next year.”

The entire Jaypee seems to be very excited. Mr Mark Hughes, Vice-President (Operations), JPSI said, “With JPSI sponsoring Karun Chandhok for the remainder of the 2010 F1 Season, we hope to significantly boost the level of interest in this sport in India. For businesses, top-flight motorsport coming to the country in 2011 will open up a whole new range of opportunities for brand-building, high-end corporate entertainment, sponsorship deals and, ultimately, revenue generation. We’re glad to be playing a major role in getting this started.”

Team favouritism played a dirty trick on Mark Webber, but he still managed to dominate the Silverstone GP from the very start. Red Bull made its intentions quite clear when it decided to take a new front wing off Webber’s car and give to team-mate Sebastian Vettel. But he made an excellent start and raced ahead of team mate Sebastian Vettel, who started at the pole. Webber won the British Grand Prix by 1.3 seconds from Lewis Hamilton and very aptly described his victory as “an appointment with karma”.

Hamilton started in the fourth place but quickly moved up to second on the first lap. Hamilton put up a good fight with Webber on the first lap, but could not outdo the Australian driver. However, he managed his world championship lead with a second finish in the race.

Robert Kubica was well ahead of Nico Rosberg and Fernando Alonso before he suffered a rare retirement. Rosberg, from the Mercedes team, took advantage of the situation and moved ahead to finish the race at the third position. Defending world champion Jenson Button (McLaren) started from the 14th position on the grid, and finished fourth.

Rubens Barrichello (Williams) added to the team’s points with his impressive fifth place win at the British Grand Prix. The sixth position was grabbed by Kamui Kobayashi (BMW Sauber) who has been showing good performances in past two consecutive races.

Vettel (the preferred one) started on pole for the fifth time this season but a not-so-impressive start. A rear puncture added to his woes and he was left scrambling around to get some points for the Red Bull team. Force India driver, Adrian Sutil hit the back of Pedro de la Rosa’s BMW Sauber on the pit straight. And that left quite some debris to be cleared from the track. This proved to be quite advantageous to Vettel and he slowly worked his way ahead of Sutil and Michael Schumacher. While Vettel finished seventh, Sutil managed to wrap up the eighth position for the Force India team.

Schumacher was leading ahead of Sutil and Vettel, but went off the track after pit stop. After that he had to spend much of the race behind traffic and (God’s grace) managed to finish the race at the ninth position. The tenth position at the British Grand Prix was rounded off by Nico Hülkenberg from the Williams team.

Not a very eventful day for Ferrari. For the first time in the season the team failed to score any points as team drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa finished 14th and 15th respectively. Alonso started from the third position on the grid but he and Massa collided on the first lap and both had punctures during the 52 laps. Alonso also suffered a drive-through penalty for cutting a corner to overtake Renault’s Kubica. The only thing that the team could celebrate was Alonso setting the fastest lap right at the finish.

Hispania Racing Team (HRT) rejoiced its fourth double finish of the season. While Karun Chandhok finished at 19ht, Sakon Yamamoto, who replaced Brazilian Bruno Senna for the race, finished at the 20th.

Race Standings: Mark Webber (Red Bull)- 1:24:38.200, Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) +1.3 secs, Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) +21.3 secs, Jenson Button (McLaren) +21.9 secs, Rubens Barrichello (Williams) +31.4 secs, Kamui Kobayashi (BMW Sauber) +32.1 secs, Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)+36.7 secs, Adrian Sutil (Force India) +40.9 secs, Michael Schumacher(Mercedes) +41.5 secs, Nico Hulkenberg (Williams) +42.0 secs

Driver Standings: Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)- 145, Jenson Button(McLaren)-133, Mark Webber (Red Bull)-128 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)-121, Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)-98, Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)-90, Robert Kubica (Renault)-83, Felipe Massa (Ferrari)-67, Michael Schumacher (Mercedes)-36, Adrian Sutil (Force India)- 35

Just the other day we had the new Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport entering the Guinness Book of Records with an average top speed of 431 km/h. Unfortunately, this car may not get a chance to stay there for long. A new supercar, the 2000-bhp TranStar Racing Dagger GT is gearing up to become the world’s fastest supercar.

Sales will begin during the first half of 2011 and 10 units will be delivered in 2012. Each car is priced at a minimum of US$450,000. Only five will be manufactured next year and only two are yet to be sold out. Each of these will be custom-made from 100 per cent proven racing components and hand-built by some of the most proficient craftsmen. This gorgeous, sensitive and truly unique supercar, based on Ivan Luccion’s Corvette Cheetah concept, comes with a promise of breaking every major record, from being the fastest on a straight line to being the quickest around the Nurburgring. The sculptors of this supercar bolster its confidence.

Phil Frank, the designer of the Saleen S7-R which just won at the 24 Hours of LeMans in the GT-1 class is the Consulting Director of Design of the Dagger GT. The Saleen, which has won many other races, is however, nothing compared to the Dagger GT’s horsepower, acceleration and max speed. TansStar Racing selected Tom Nelson’s multi-fuel (petrol/methanol/hydrogen/ethanol), aluminium 572 Twin Turbo which spews out 2000 bhp to power its Racing Dagger GT. Tom Nelson, from Nelson Racing Engines is the top “big horsepower” engine builder in the U.S.

The Dagger GT can accelerate from a standstill to 100 kmph in merely 1.5 seconds and it can demonstrate a max speed of over 483 km/h. Carbon fibre exteriors and a high-strength 4130 Chromoly Steel chassis on the inside form the supercar’s brilliant structure.

To satisfy the needs of the racing fanatic, the Dagger GT will come in three Race models: the road-racing Dagger GT-R, the land-speed model Dagger GT-LS and the drag racing Dagger GT-D. The Dagger GT-R with a dynamic, computer-managed split rear wing will be set up to challenge and establish new lap records at Virginia International Raceway and at Nurburgring, Germany.

The Dagger GT-LS carrying 805 kmph-rated M/T land-speed tires, front-end ballast, full belly-pan with twin venturi tunnels, Bonneville wheel covers, drag chute, aero intake plugs, optional land-speed windscreen, Bonneville roll-cage and a range of other options will help potential buyers set new land-speed records of over 300 kmph.

The last race model, the Dagger GT-D comes with Goodyear Pro Stock Slicks, hydraulic-launch JEGS double drag chutes, NHRA roll-cage and a modified/changeable rear suspension provoking 321 kmph in less than 6.7 seconds for those who love to drag race. Getting to 100 kmph is child’s play for this variant. It can reach that speed in just 1.5 seconds.

As per the owner’s commands, all race models will be convertible to street-legal. Sport and Luxury street-legal models from TranStar however continue to exist. Custom interiors and paint will be provided by award-winning After FX Customs. The Dagger GT-S will be the “Sport” model, a street-legal version of the GT-R model. It comes with options of race, street and luxury-ride suspension and interiors. With interiors, exteriors and ride-quality as per the owner’s request, the Dagger GT-X will be TranStar’s “Luxury” model. It will carry all the luxuries that a driver can ever imagine.

Audi India certainly seems to be in top gear. The assembly of the Audi Q5 medium-sized SUV has already kicked off at its Aurangabad plant, and the company is rearing to go for more. With dreams that are set high, the company has taken another major step to that end. Audi India now wants to increase its penetration in the eastern cities of the country. Audi has opened its first dealership in the city of joy – Kolkata. This showroom boasts of being the largest of its kind in the entire city and is located at a hotspot near the AJC Bose Road.

The showroom is based on the Terminal concept that is so unique and typical of Audi, black curve inside and the honeycomb aluminium facade on the exterior. The showroom is spread across an area of 6,500 sq. ft and can accommodate eight Audi cars at a time. The entire model range of Audi available in the country will find a home in the Kolkata showroom.

Additionally, the showroom will also have Audi Shop and the Audi Exclusive Elements, where the customers can order customised Audi products and purchase a number of other Audi stuffs. The service centre, which is located near the Science City, is spread across an area of 13000 sq ft. The centre features a state-of-the-art body shop, and an aggregate of bays for service and body shop work.

“I am delighted to announce the opening of our first ever dealership in Kolkata. A city with a luxurious heritage, Kolkata is an important centre for Audi India. The new showroom based on the Terminal architecture concept unique to Audi, truly reflects our key brand values of sportiness and progressiveness, and is in line with our focus on expanding our national footprint to 18 locations by the end of 2011. Our philosophy of “Vorsprung durch Technik” is not just about advanced technology and innovative products, but also about exceptional service. Audi Kolkata mirrors this ideology and will ensure that our customers in the region experience unmatched levels of luxury,” said Michael Perschke, Head – Audi India.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Sandip Bajaj, Managing Director – Audi Kolkata said, “It’s a matter of great pride for us to be appointed as an Audi dealer and we hope the opening of this dealership marks the beginning of a longstanding association with Audi. At Audi Kolkata, we will ensure that our customers are provided with the true Audi experience with world-class products and premium services.”

Audi’s archrivals BMW and Mercedes have already set up their dealership in the Kolkata region. While Mercedes was the first one to deliver luxury to Kolkata, BMW arrived a year late in 2008. Well finally, people who were craving for something from Audi would get a chance to own one.

Let’s not beat around the bush this time. Getting directly to the point, it brings us extreme delight to announce the launch of the limited edition Maruti Suzuki SX4. We do not know when exactly it’s gonna make an entry, but yes, it is believed to be surprising everyone by the end of this month. Excited? Read on!

The Maruti Suzuki SX4, crafted exclusively for the finicky Indian, was the ideal mid-sized sedan till lately. The car was launched in 2007 as a replacement for the Baleno. With the launch of the SX4, Maruti Suzuki dreamt of its market share increasing rapidly, and yes, it did! The car had the perfect combination of style, luxury and performance.

However, things started changing after Honda introduced its brand new third-generation City and Ford face lifted its Fiesta sedan. Maruti Suzuki hasn’t given up though. In retaliation, it launched a BS IV SX4 variant with Variable Valve Timing and the option of a four-speed automatic transmission. So, the tough competition continues!

The SX4 comes strapped with a 5-speed manual and 4-speed automatic transmission. Nothing in the segment can match the SX4’s upholstery, rear seat centre armrest and adjustable headrests. Then, there are also advanced features like tilt-adjustable power steering, central door locking, electric windows, electronically adjustable rear-view mirrors and air-conditioner with heater that come as standard in this car.

The SX4 is available in VXi and ZXi variants and now, the limited edition will soon come in. If the SX4 has been doing well, just imagine how well the enhanced limited edition version will sell! The new limited edition would be launched with some facelifted features and specifications and it will hopefully take sales of the mid-range sedan sky high.

However, the cosmetic changes will surely make the car dearer by at least Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 40,000. As of now, like the exact date, the exact details of the facelift too haven’t been revealed. But, it has hit our ear that there would be an addition of a few important features. Important features? What could they be?

Speculation says that the new car will flaunt new chrome decals, parking sensors, boot-lid spoilers and OVRM. A few changes are expected in the interiors too. The inside is believed to be made cushier and handier with new leather covers and a reading light for passengers.

Now, will there be any competition for the new limited version? Oh yes of course! The new model has been pitted against the likes of the Honda City, Ford Fiesta, Chevrolet Aveo, and the Hyundai Verna. The expectations of the company are crystal clear even now. Maruti Suzuki is already a leader, but it wants to grab a bigger share of the Indian sedan market and is also looking at alluring new customers.

Didn’t we say yesterday that it will be close call between the Red Bulls and the McLarens? Well, at least this has been the case during the practice sessions in British GP of 2010 Formula One Championship. Friday morning practice at the Silverstone circuit pushed Sebastian Vettel, from the Red Bull team, to the fore. Vettel lapped his RB6 in 1m 32.280seconds, outpacing Lewis Hamilton by 0.334 seconds, who took his revised McLaren round in 1m 32.614 seconds.

Robert Kubica looked perky too, as he completed third fastest time of 1m 32.725 seconds for Renault. Trailing close was none other but Mark Webber in the other Red Bull who clocked the lap in 1m 32.747 seconds. Adrian Sutil, from the Force India team, with 1m 32.968 seconds, was the final ace.

Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher kept the spirits high in the Mercedescamp. While the former had a satisfactory run on 1m 33.318 seconds, Schumacher, at on 1m 35.955 seconds had to console himself behind Nico Hulkenberg on 1m 33.377 seconds in the updated Williams and Jenson Button in the second McLaren on 1m 33.519 seconds.

Rubens Barrichello was ahead in the next group at the 10th place after recording 1m 34.016 seconds for Williams. Sebastien Buemi on 1m 34.132 seconds for Toro Rosso and Vitaly Petrov in the second Renault on 1m 34.365 seconds followed close behind. Ferraristarted off bad with Fernando Alonso in 13th place with 1m 34.490 seconds and Felipe Massa 17th on 1m 35.037 seconds.

Paul di Resta came in the other Force India on 1m 34.580 seconds, and Kamui Kobayashi and Pedro de la Rosa in the BMW Saubers, on 1m 34.710 seconds and 1m 34.901 seconds respectively. Jaime Alguersuari lapped his Toro Rosso in 1m 35.318 seconds.

The new teams were led by Heikki Kovalainen’s Lotus on 1m 36.747s. Glock, with his upgraded Virgin, completed the round in 1m 37.330 seconds for 20th. Karun Chandhok, driving for the HRT team, came on 1m 38.735 seconds.

The second practice session was dominated by Red Bull again. Although, this time it was Mark Webber who took the lead. Ferrari was rather overjoyed with second and fourth places to Red Bull’s first and third. Mercedes drivers came fifth and sixth. Hail the Mclarens who came eighth and 13th, the gap being covered by Force India, Williams and Renault.