Shortly before the initial Friday practice session in warm and humid Abu Dhabi, it rained quite heavily.

To the surprise of many in the paddock, within sight of the huge and sandy Abu Dhabi desert, spray was streaming from the rear of the cars during the Porsche support race at Yas Marina.

“Is it my sleepy eyes or is it raining?” quipped Karun Chandhok on Twitter.

The shower, which began with light rain, eventually passed but the track is likely to still be damp for the beginning of the 90-minute practice session at 1pm local.

Local reports say more scattered showers are possible over the next 48 hours, and the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology confirmed the cloudy forecast for Saturday and Sunday.

After the very eventful start training on Friday at the Hockenheim Ring, meteorologists expect that will come on Saturday at the front lines a little more rest – at least when it comes to the German weather computer.

The temperatures at the beginning of the third Free practice at 13 degrees. It is cloudy and the risk of rain is 20 percent. The American computer expects the other hand, light rain with a probability of 60 percent.

At the start of qualifying, it is 14 degrees with only slightly “hotter”. The risk of rainfall is also at 20 percent. The wind is weak from a northwesterly direction. The American model is calculated with a chance of light rain 40 percent.

A warm weekend of weather might be expected at Silverstone for the forthcoming British grand prix.

The weather has been nice in England so far this week, with the mid-twenties temperatures forecast to persist through to the formula one event on July 9-11.

But there has also been some cloud in the skies, and more possibilities of light rain are predicted for next weekend and an event that is so often blighted by bad weather.

“I’m sure when we go racing the clouds will come in like every year, and it will start to rain,” laughed German driver Adrian Sutil, who drives for the locally-based Force India.

Briton Lewis Hamilton won his home race in 2008 but last year, like the rest of the field, was annihilated by the dominant Red Bulls.

And despite leading the world championship, the 25-year-old is expecting Red Bull to again lead from the front.

Hamilton, whose British countryman Jenson Button also drives for the British team McLaren, said: “It’s going to be tough.  We can’t go into it thinking we’re the favourites because the Red Bull, as it stands, is definitely the fastest car.”

Valencia’s earlier date for its grand prix this weekend has resulted in higher ticket sales.

Last year, high ambient temperatures and clashing Spanish holidays meant spectator numbers were low for the European grand prix in late August.

Valencia’s street race was moved to late June for this season, amid suggestions the real problem is that the layout does not produce good racing.

“The city is making an enormous effort but I assume there’s a long way to go,” F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone said in an interview with Spain’s El Mundo newspaper.

“The change of date is helping the ticket sales, as well as the signing of Fernando Alonso with Ferrari,” he added.

In AS newspaper, race promoter Valmor’s boss Jorge Martinez Aspar confirmed that ticket sales for this weekend’s event have gone “well beyond the sales of last year”.

“There will not be as many people as in the first year (2008), but it is much better than last year,” Aspar added.

A warm and sunny weekend of weather is expected in the port city this weekend, with the only possibility of light rain forecast for Friday.
(GMM)

Adrian Sutil had a big crash at the end of Friday’s opening practice session in Turkey.

The German driver went off the track at high speed on the exit of the Istanbul Park layout’s famous four-apex Turn 8 corner, incurring heavy damage to the Force India car.

“He said he had understeer and went off into the marbles, which then put him into the barriers,” the team said on its Twitter page once Sutil had returned to the garage.

It was otherwise a fairly quiet session under warm and blue skies and near-empty grandstands, amid rumours there is a chance of light rain for Sunday.

Bruno Senna had to sit out the initial 90 minutes of practice in deference to Friday test driver Sakon Yamamoto, who ended the session slowest of all.

Also making its 2010 debut was Red Bull’s first F-duct solution, fitted only to Sebastian Vettel’s car in order to provide a back-to-back comparison with Mark Webber’s RB6.

Vettel ended the session fifth, two tenths faster than Barcelona/Monaco winner Webber.

Lewis Hamilton topped the times in his McLaren, but he might now be reprimanded by the stewards for wearing newly-pierced earrings under his helmet.

The wearing of jewellery is prohibited according to article 2.2.1 appendix L of the sporting regulations.

Practice 1.1 -  Istanbul Park

.1º  	2  	 	Lewis Hamilton  	McLaren  	00:01'28''653
.2º 	1 		Jenson Button 		McLaren 	00:01'29''615 	00:00'00''962
.3º 	3 		Michael Schumacher 	MercedesGP 	00:01'29''750 	00:00'01''097
.4º 	4 		Nico Rosberg 		MercedesGP 	00:01'29''855 	00:00'01''202
.5º 	5 		Sebastian Vettel 	Red Bull 	00:01'29''867 	00:00'01''214
.6º 	11 		Robert Kubica 		Renault 	00:01'30''061 	00:00'01''408
.7º 	12 		Vitaly Petrov 		Renault 	00:01'30''065 	00:00'01''412
.8º 	6 		Mark Webber 		Red Bull 	00:01'30''097 	00:00'01''444
.9º 	8 		Fernando Alonso 	Ferrari 	00:01'30''294 	00:00'01''641
.10º 	14 		Adrian Sutil 		Force India 	00:01'30''501 	00:00'01''848
.11º 	23 		Kamui Kobayashi 	Sauber 	        00:01'30''615 	00:00'01''962
.12º 	15 		Vitantonio Liuzzi 	Force India 	00:01'30''853 	00:00'02''200
.13º 	7 		Felipe Massa 		Ferrari 	00:01'30''867 	00:00'02''214
.14º 	16 		Sebastian Buemi 	Toro Rosso 	00:01'31''011 	00:00'02''358
.15º 	22 		Pedro de la Rosa 	Sauber 	        00:01'31''238 	00:00'02''585
.16º 	10 		Nico Hulkenberg 	Williams 	00:01'31''355 	00:00'02''702
.17º 	9 		Rubens Barrichello 	Williams 	00:01'31''464 	00:00'02''811
.18º 	17 		Jaime Alguersuari 	Toro Rosso 	00:01'31''735 	00:00'03''082
.19º 	19 		Heikki Kovalainen 	Lotus Racing 	00:01'32''161 	00:00'03''508
.20º 	18 		Jarno Trulli 		Lotus Racing 	00:01'32''990 	00:00'04''337
.21º 	20 		Karun Chandhok 		HRT 	        00:01'34''876 	00:00'06''223
.22º 	25 		Lucas di Grassi 	Virgin Racing 	00:01'35''137 	00:00'06''484
.23º 	24 		Timo Glock 		Virgin Racing 	00:01'35''583 	00:00'06''930
.24º 	21 		Sakon Yamamoto 		HRT 	        00:01'36''137

(GMM)

May 6 (GMM)  The Spaniard won the dry opening race of the 2010 season, and despite also qualifying in the top three in Australia and China finished just fourth at the end of those chaotic rain-affected events.

In Malaysia, meanwhile, the Ferrari driver was caught out by the worsening weather in qualifying and started from a lowly 19th.

Forecasts have flagged the possibility of rain in the vicinity of the Circuit de Catalunya this week, even though the latest reports predict light rain on Saturday before a sunnier race-day.

“I hope it is dry,” Spaniard Alonso said on Wednesday, “because the rain has really affected things in the last three grands prix.

“There has only been one normal weekend (in Bahrain) and we won,” added the 28-year-old.

“Of course, winning again is the goal and the dream (this weekend) but a podium would satisfy me.

“After Bahrain we had a couple of fourths and a retirement, so three or four podiums in a row now could put us in a pretty good situation for the world championship,” he is quoted as saying at a sponsor event in Madrid.

May 4 (GMM)  After the processional season opener in Bahrain, assessments about the success or failure of F1′s new format have taken a back seat to the weather.

Rain either shook up the grid order or spiced up the grands prix in Australia, Malaysia and China, meaning that the question of whether the rules should be adjusted has been muted by arguably artificially-exiting races.

And the wait for clarity about the success of the 2010 formula, including the new ban on in-race refuelling, could now be extended into yet another race.

It is currently cold and wet in Barcelona, where about a half-hour north in the suburb of Montmelo round five of the world championship will be staged at the Circuit de Catalunya later this week.

The weather forecast for the city is for intermittently light and heavy rain showers throughout the week, with regular precipitation likely to remain a possibility until at least late on Sunday night when the skies could clear.

Presently, the forecast for Saturday – the day of qualifying – is for a cloudy day with a small chance of rain, while light rain in the morning is expected on race-day Sunday.