F1: Button fastest in final practice before European GP

Jenson Button put his Friday woes behind him to lap fastest for McLaren in final practice for the European Grand Prix on Saturday with the two Lotus drivers following in quick succession. Button’s best lap of one minute 38.562 seconds came as a morale-booster for the 2009 world champion, who has struggled since winning the season opener in Australia in March and had complained on Friday about the car’s balance. [caption id=“attachment_355084” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Button’s best lap of one minute 38.562 seconds came as a morale-booster for the 2009 world champion. AP”] [/caption] Under clear blue skies at the Valencia street circuit, Frenchman Romain Grosjean was second fastest just ahead of Lotus team mate Kimi Raikkonen. Force India’s Nico Hulkenburg, the German who was second quickest on Friday, and British team mate Paul Di Resta were fourth and fifth. Championship leader Lewis Hamilton was eighth fastest in his McLaren and Ferrari’s local favourite Fernando Alonso 12th, while two-times world champion Sebastian Vettel, fastest on Friday, was 13th. The German, winner at Valencia for the last two years, overran a corner on the tight and winding circuit near the end of the session and had to abort what could have been the quickest lap of all. There was hope for those betting on Formula One coming up with an eighth different winner in eight races, with six of the top seven in the final practice session yet to win this season. Reuters