Practice One: Nico quickest, Champ in the walls at Canadian GP 2011

Nico Rosberg put his Merc GP's straight-line speed to good use, taking the P1 slot in Practice One while Seb Vettel put his RB7 into the Wall of Champs

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso set the early pace in Montreal on Friday morning, mixing it up with Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton.

Felipe Massa also joined the tussle, while late-starter Vettel only ventured out after half the session was already over.

And, unfortunately for the Red Bull driver, what time he had left was cut short when he locked up into the final corner and slammed his RB7 into the Wall of Champions.

With the session back underway after six minutes, it was Alonso and the two McLaren drivers fighting for the P1 slot before Merc GP's Rosberg put in a late charge to beat them all.

Rosberg finished up with a 1:15.591, 0.548s up on Alonso while Schumacher was third fastest.

Report: Blue skies and sunshine greeted the drivers at the start of Friday morning's practice for the Canadian GP with the track temperature already up to 27'C as Heikki Kovalainen led out the drivers for their installation laps. Problems for Jarno Trulli with as the Team Lotus driver hit a bird on his installation lap. Not a pretty sight on his front wing.

Toro Rosso tester Daniel Ricciardo got proceedings underway with a 1:26.560. His reign was short-lived as Fernando Alonso took the P1 slot with a 1:19.981 and Michael Schumacher slotted into second place. Schumacher went on to overhaul Alonso with a 1:18.821 while Lewis Hamilton claimed third place.

The McLaren driver continued lapping, taking first place by almost half a second ahead of Schumacher. Jaime Alguersuari put his Toro Rosso into third place with Nico Hulkenberg taking fourth ahead of Mark Webber and Nico Rosberg.

Alonso returned to the front with a 1:18.326 before being dropped by Rosberg and also by Webber, who was 0.029s off the P1 time. Hamilton improved to fourth. It was all-change, though, as Felipe Massa hit the front, the first driver into the 1:17s.

Sebastian Vettel finally hit the track for his first timed lap, taking 17th place. The reigning Champ continued lapping, improving to 10th place. Alguersuari was the latest to be caught out at Turn 8, however, it was Vettel who was well and truly caught out.

Out on the soft tyres, the reigning World Champ locked up his right front under braking for the chicane and hit, yip, the Wall of Champions! Vettel escaped unhurt from the accident but the same cannot be said of his car. His RB7 suffered serious damage to the front right.

The session was red flagged for six minutes with the drivers quickly out on track. Massa almost followed Vettel into a wall, although a different wall, the one just after the Turn 3/4 chicane. Paul di Resta almost binned it as well, forcing Trulli to take evasive action. Nick Heidfeld spun his Renault, although that's better than his team-mate Vitaly Petrov who had not even set a time with 20 minutes remaining.

Alonso took over at the front with two purple sector times. Hamilton ran off the track and Button climbed to third place behind the two Ferraris. Rosberg overhauled the Ferraris, a 1:16.002 for the Merc GP driver. Schumacher took third place, 0.983s behind his team-mate. Rosberg, meanwhile, reported to his team that he could feel something burning in the cockpit. That's never good.

Practice One ended with Rosberg in the P1 slot with a 1:15.591. Alonso and Schumacher were second and third ahead of Massa and the two McLarens.

Times
01. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m15.591s 32 laps
02. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m16.139s + 0.548 27 laps
03. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m16.549s + 0.958 30 laps
04. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m16.658s + 1.067 26 laps
05. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m16.676s + 1.085 20 laps
06. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m16.842s + 1.251 19 laps
07. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m16.990s + 1.399 28 laps
08. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m17.294s + 1.703 26 laps
09. Nick Heidfeld Renault 1m17.445s + 1.854 28 laps
10. Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1m17.549s + 1.958 20 laps
11. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m17.662s + 2.071 27 laps
12. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m17.820s + 2.229 30 laps
13. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m18.458s + 2.867 31 laps
14. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m18.506s + 2.915 15 laps
15. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m18.648s + 3.057 35 laps
16. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m18.852s + 3.261 8 laps
17. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 1m18.932s + 3.341 20 laps
18. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault 1m19.274s + 3.683 29 laps
19. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 1m19.422s + 3.831 30 laps
20. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m19.577s + 3.986 26 laps
21. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1m19.838s + 4.247 31 laps
22. Tonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 1m19.960s + 4.369 23 laps
23. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m20.520s + 4.929 21 laps
24. Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 1m20.839s + 5.248 27 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Practice One: First blood to Vettel

Sebastian Vettel threw down the gauntlet in Friday's opening practice for the title showdown in Abu Dhabi, setting the fastest time ahead of his title rivals

All eyes were on the leading four in the Drivers' standings as proceedings got underway at the Yas Marina circuit.

However, a wet track kept everyone, not just the four, in their garages for more than half the session as they waited for the asphalt to dry out.

As to be expected, once underway the Red Bulls came to the fore with Vettel topping Practice One with a 1:42.760.

And although it initially appeared as if it would be a Red Bull 1-2, a late charge from McLaren put Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button up into second and third places. Hamilton, though, was 0.609s slower than Vettel.

Webber finished fourth quickest, ahead of Robert Kubica and Championship leader Fernando Alonso.

Report: Due to showers earlier in the morning, Practice One got underway on a damp Yas Marina track. However, with the temperature sitting at 28'C it won't be long before it dries out completely. Christian Klien was the first out of the pits, following by the pack with some having a moment or two on the damper parts of the track.

The first half of the session was spent waiting for the track to dry out with the occasional single lap run before the drivers headed back into the pits rather than risk going off on the damp patches. Nico Hulkenberg was the first of the brave souls, crossing the line with a 1:51.207 while Vitaly Petrov also made his mark on the timesheets. The duo's adventures, which saw both keep all four wheels on the circuit, prompted others to venture out.

Mark Webber was the first of the title-four to clock a time, a 1:49.320 for the Aussie, putting him sixth. Fernando Alonso was eighth on his first lap, a massive 11s off the pace. A run of purple sector times saw Petrov lower the benchmark time to a 1:46.028 with Felipe Massa, despite a "small telemetry problem" taking second before he was dropped by Alonso and Webber, who claimed second and third places.

Alonso was the next to lead the way, a 1:45.807 for the Ferrari driver. His reign was short-lived as Webber went quickest, 0.630s up. Sebastian Vettel ventured out taking fifth place while Michael Schumacher went P7. Vettel lept to the front with a 1:44.274 as Robert Kubica slotted in between the Red Bull drivers.

25 minutes remaining and there were still no sign of Lewis Hamilton. Webber went quickest, Schumacher went off, Jenson Button claimed sixth, Nick Heidfeld jumped to fourth, dropped to fifth as Adrian Sutil went fourth and then dropped even further as Button went fourth and then Schumacher went fourth. Nico Rosberg went third, Kubica went third and then Button went third.

Hamilton finally came out of the pits but could only manage a 1:50.780, almost seven seconds off the pace. However, he went second quickest two laps later, 0.022s behind Webber.

Vettel took over from his team-mate at the front with a 1:43.477. Hamilton slotted into second place, Button took third dropping Webber to fourth, Vettel extended his lead and Alonso took sixth. And that's how the session ended.

Times
01. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m42.760s 18 laps
02. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m43.369s + 0.609s 16 laps
03. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m43.785s + 1.025s 19 laps
04. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m43.840s + 1.080s 19 laps
05. Robert Kubica Renault 1m44.080s + 1.320s 19 laps
06. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m44.121s + 1.361s 17 laps
07. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m44.199s + 1.439s 19 laps
08. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m44.604s + 1.844s 18 laps
09. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m44.718s + 1.958s 19 laps
10. Nick Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari 1m44.737s + 1.977s 19 laps
11. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m45.160s + 2.400s 18 laps
12. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m45.445s + 2.685s 21 laps
13. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m45.474s + 2.714s 15 laps
14. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m45.552s + 2.792s 20 laps
15. Tonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1m45.585s + 2.825s 14 laps
16. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m46.003s + 3.243s 20 laps
17. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1m46.644s + 3.884s 19 laps
18. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m47.105s + 4.345s 22 laps
19. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m48.450s + 5.690s 19 laps
20. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1m48.472s + 5.712s 17 laps
21. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1m49.375s + 6.615s 13 laps
22. Bruno Senna Hispania-Cosworth 1m49.590s + 6.830s 18 laps
23. Christian Klien Hispania-Cosworth 1m50.274s + 7.514s 17 laps
24. Fairuz Fauzy Lotus-Cosworth 1m51.705s + 8.945s 18 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Practice One: Four on top, one on the side

Four of the 2010 title rivals took the top four positions in Practice One in Brazil while one, Fernando Alonso, didn't see the chequered flag

With just two races remaining this season, the battle for the World title has reached crunch time with five drivers still in the hunt.

Sebastian Vettel set the pace, clocking a 1:12.328 to easily finish ahead of his Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber. The two McLarens of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button were next in line, both within a second of Vettel's P1 time.

However, the fifth driver in the title race, Fernando Alonso, could only manage the 13th best time, 1.918s down on Vettel. Pace, though, wasn't his only problem as the Ferrari driver also finished the session sitting on the sidlines after an apparent technical failure.

Report: Blue skies greeted the drivers at the start of Friday's first practice session at Interlagos, although a gathering bank of dark clouds could soon move towards the track. Sebastien Buemi got proceedings underway, leading out the pack for their installation laps. The Toro Rosso driver opted to stay out, setting a 1:27.979 as the early benchmark time. And although drivers continued to venture out, it was for short run of two laps, which meant no times were set for more than half an hour. And when that lap time finally came it was once again Buemi, now with a 1:21.025.

Vitaly Petrov joined the action, setting a new benchmark time of a 1:17.098. The Renault rookie continued lapping, dropping to a 1:14.659 with Jaime Alguersuari and Christian Klien slotting in behind him. Rubens Barrichello was the next to lead the way with a 1:14.152 while Michael Schumacher took third place behind Petrov. Schumacher improved to second place with Mark Webber taking third place as the big guns finally ventured out.

Robert Kubica briefly took control of the session before losing out to Webber, who went top with a 1:13.168 as he put in a long distance run in his RB6. Lewis Hamilton slotted into second place and Sebastian Vettel, third. As for Fernando Alonso, he was P10 while Jenson Button had yet to set a time.

Hamilton overhauled Webber at the front, 0.030s up on the Aussie. However, he then lost out to Vettel, who went a further 0.494s quicker. Button, finally setting lap times, quickly climbed to fourth place. Finally, some action as Alguersuari ran off the track, spinning on the grass before getting back into the running. Webber moved up to second place behind his German team-mate, 0.482s slower.

Timo Glock, the only driver yet to set a lap time, hit the track with just 20 minutes remaining. The Virgin Racing driver clocked a 1:17.810, slowest of the pack.

Petrov became the first retirement of the session when the Renault driver lost the back end of his car, forcing him off the track and into the barriers. Game over for the Russian, who thankfully was not hurt in the shunt.

With the yellow flags lifted, the drivers put in their final runs, however, that proved to be very final for Alonso as he came to a stop on the side of the track. Seconds later Kamui Kobayashi suffered yet another accident after making contact with Glock, which punctured his tyre, and sent him hurtling into the barriers.

The session ended with Vettel fastest, followed by Webber, Hamilton, Button, Kubica and Nico Rosberg.

Times
01. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:12.328 23 laps
02. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:12.810 + 0.482 27 laps
03. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:12.845 + 0.517 24 laps
04. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:13.267 + 0.939 23 laps
05. Kubica Renault 1:13.370 + 1.042 23 laps
06. Rosberg Mercedes 1:13.516 + 1.188 25 laps
07. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:13.546 + 1.218 25 laps
08. Schumacher Mercedes 1:13.643 + 1.315 24 laps
09. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:13.918 + 1.590 25 laps
10. Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari 1:14.000 + 1.672 22 laps
11. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:14.004 + 1.676 23 laps
12. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:14.155 + 1.827 28 laps
13. Alonso Ferrari 1:14.246 + 1.918 20 laps
14. Massa Ferrari 1:14.267 + 1.939 25 laps
15. Petrov Renault 1:14.370 + 2.042 23 laps
16. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:14.487 + 2.159 25 laps
17. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:14.618 + 2.290 29 laps
18. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:14.734 + 2.406 28 laps
19. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:15.603 + 3.275 24 laps
20. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:15.860 + 3.532 20 laps
21. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:16.057 + 3.729 25 laps
22. d'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1:16.707 + 4.379 27 laps
23. Klien HRT-Cosworth 1:16.839 + 4.511 18 laps
24. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:17.360 + 5.032 29 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Practice One: Lewis quickest in Korean dust

Lewis Hamilton fought back from his early woes to take the P1 slot in the very first session ever at the new Korean track

As expected Practice One got off to a very dusty and dirty start as the new Yeongam circuit, which only received its FIA safety license 10 days ago. But it didn't take long before the top surface of dust was removed as the drivers put in the laps, familiarising themselves with the new layout.

One driver, though, who didn't get much track-time was Hamilton, as his team spent the bulk of the session working on the rear of his car, changing the wings. He finally ventured out for his first complete lap with ten minutes left in the session, although that didn't stop him from setting the pace.

Hamilton crossed the line with a 1:40.887 to take the P1 slot ahead of Robert Kubica and Nico Rosberg.

Sebastian Vettel was fourth quickest ahead of Jenson Button, Michael Schumacher and Mark Webbber. As for Fernando Alonso, he finished down in 15th place, 3.041s off the pace.

Times
01. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m40.887s 15 laps
02. Robert Kubica Renault 1m40.968s + 0.081s 18 laps
03. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m41.152s + 0.265s 21 laps
04. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m41.371s + 0.484s 18 laps
05. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m41.940s + 1.053s 16 laps
06. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m42.022s + 1.135s 25 laps
07. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m42.202s + 1.315s 23 laps
08. Nick Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari 1m42.293s + 1.406s 18 laps
09. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1m42.678s + 1.791s 21 laps
10. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m42.883s + 1.996s 23 laps
11. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m42.896s + 2.009s 22 laps
12. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m43.054s + 2.167s 25 laps
13. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m43.309s + 2.422s 20 laps
14. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m43.602s + 2.715s 18 laps
15. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m43.928s + 3.041s 21 laps
16. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m43.940s + 3.053s 23 laps
17. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1m44.887s + 4.000s 21 laps
18. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m45.141s + 4.254s 26 laps
19. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m45.588s + 4.701s 20 laps
20. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1m46.613s + 5.726s 17 laps
21. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1m47.115s + 6.228s 22 laps
22. Sakon Yamamoto Hispania-Cosworth 1m50.347s + 9.460s 29 laps
23. Bruno Senna Hispania-Cosworth 1m50.821s + 9.934s 15 laps
24. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1m51.701s + 10.814s 11 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Practice One: Damp track but damper on action

A damp track at the start of Singapore's practice resulted in a rather boring session with the title contenders leaving it extremely late to make their mark

Although heavy showers were forecast for Friday, they had already run their course by the time Practice One got underway, leaving behind a damp Marina Bay Circuit.

As a result only 15 drivers set lap times in the first 70 minutes; when the track was at its worst they were cautious resulting in not a single accident or even a mistake worth noting; and the first of the Championship contenders, Jenson Button, waited until 14 minutes were left in the session before even setting time.

However, the final few minutes made up for the lack of excitement as the contenders hit the track, sparking a furious battle for supremacy.

It was eventually won by Mark Webber with a 1:54.589 while Michael Schumacher lost out on a P1 finish by 0.119s. Adrian Sutil was third quickest ahead of Sebastian Vettel, Jaime Alguersuari and Jenson Button.

As for the other two title contenders, Fernando Alonso was P11 and Lewis Hamilton P18.

Report: Despite thunderstorms earlier in the day, Practice One got underway with no signs of rain, although there were still quite a few puddles remaining on the street circuit. Heikki Kovalainen, Kamui Kobayashi, Tonio Liuzzi, Jaime Alguersuari and Christian Klien, who is filling in for Sakon Yamamoto this weekend, were the first out for their installation laps, quickly followed by the rest of the pack.

Klien was the first to post a lap time, crossing the line with a very tentative 2:18.621. Vitaly Petrov, who is not running Renault's f-duct this session, easily overhauled the Austrian racer. Michael Schumacher joined the action, taking the P1 slot before losing out to Timo Glock with a 2:03.286.

Felipe Massa was the first of the big-name runners to venture out, doing so half an hour into the session. However, he could only manage the fifth-best time on his first attempt while Glock lowered the benchmark. More drivers hit the track with Rubens Barrichello putting his Williams up into third place before he was dropped by his team-mate Nico Hulkenberg. Barrichello improved to second place while Alguersuari slotted in behind Hulkenberg and Nick Heidfeld, who is back in F1 with Sauber, claimed eighth place.

With the floodlights taking over and a bit of a dry line forming, Alguersuari moved to the front of the pack with a 2:00.655 while Petrov improved to second place and Kobayashi took fourth behind Glock before hitting the front with a 1:59.900. Schumacher, back on track after a period in the Merc GP garage, slotted into second place before he was dropped as Petrov claimed the P1 slot. Schumacher went on to go quickest before he was overhauled by Kobayashi with a 1:58.025.

With 30 minutes remaining, only 15 drivers had set times with both McLaren drivers, Red Bull drivers and Fernando Alonso yet to make their mark on the timesheets. Adrian Sutil moved up to third place while Massa came the closest of anyone all session to putting his car into the barriers - but he didn't. Another minor mistake from Massa but he still managed to improve to third place behind Kobayashi and Schumacher.

Alonso ventured out with 20 minutes on the clock, only to pit without setting a lap time. But with a new nosecone on his F10, he headed back out while Jenson Button joined the action, taking 14th place on his first lap. Button moved up to tenth place while Mark Webber took 11th, Lewis Hamilton P12 and Sebastian Vettel, P16. Still no times for Alonso and Robert Kubica.

The final few minutes saw Button take control with a 1:56.228 before he was overhauled by Sutil. Vettel was the next to top the charts with a 1:55.137 before he was beaten by Schumacher who in turn lost out to Webber.

Times:

01. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:54.589 10 laps
02. Schumacher Mercedes 1:54.708 + 0.119 24 laps
03. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:54.827 + 0.238 15 laps
04. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:55.137 + 0.548 12 laps
05. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:55.160 + 0.571 20 laps
06. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:55.333 + 0.744 12 laps
07. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:55.510 + 0.921 15 laps
08. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:55.523 + 0.934 15 laps
09. Kubica Renault 1:55.672 + 1.083 11 laps
10. Petrov Renault 1:55.914 + 1.325 20 laps
11. Alonso Ferrari 1:56.090 + 1.501 12 laps
12. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:56.339 + 1.750 22 laps
13. Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari 1:56.458 + 1.869 18 laps
14. Rosberg Mercedes 1:56.598 + 2.009 8 laps
15. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:56.603 + 2.014 12 laps
16. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:56.615 + 2.026 17 laps
17. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:56.840 + 2.251 14 laps
18. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:56.884 + 2.295 9 laps
19. Massa Ferrari 1:57.760 + 3.171 22 laps
20. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:59.034 + 4.445 19 laps
21. D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1:59.275 + 4.686 16 laps
22. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:59.783 + 5.194 23 laps
23. Klien HRT-Cosworth 2:03.424 + 8.835 17 laps
24. Fauzi Lotus-Cosworth 2:05.694 + 11.105 11 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Practice One: Button leads the way at Monza

Jenson Button proved that it's not just on paper that McLaren are expected to be quick at Monza, it's also on the track

McLaren arrived at Monza with many of their rivals expecting the Woking outfit to lead the charge, which is what Button did with his 1:23.693.

The reigning World Champ finished ahead of Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel, although only just as the margin between the two was 0.097s. Lewis Hamilton was third quickest, a further two-tenths off the pace.

As for Ferrari, the home team in Italy, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa were eighth and ninth quickest, the final two drivers to get within a second of Button's P1 time.

Michael Schumacher was tenth for Mercedes GP, 1.063s off the pace.

Report: Practice at Monza began with the track temperature sitting at 16'C as Sebastien Buemi got proceedings underway and was quickly followed out by the chasing pack as they completed their installation laps. Michael Schumacher set the first timed lap of the morning, a 1:31.396 for the Mercedes GP driver who almost collected Jaime Alguersuari as the Toro Rosso driver made his way out of the pits. Schumacher lowered the benchmark to a 1:28.150.

After a few minutes of silence, Schumacher ventured out again, this time clocking a 1:26.038 while Alguersuari claimed second place. However, both were dropped as Lewis Hamilton put in his first time, a 1:25.816 for the McLaren driver and his new high-downforce wing. Nico Hulkenberg put his Williams into fourth place before both himself and Alguersuari leapfrogged Schumacher up the order. Hamilton improved to a 1:24.990.

With more drivers heading out, Sebastian Vettel took second place, Nico Rosberg third, Kamui Kobayashi seventh, Mark Webber eight, Pedro de la Rosa ninth and Felipe Massa tenth. However, the timesheets were soon changing as Webber improved to third, Rosberg missed the optimum braking point for the Roggia chicane and Vettel closed the gap to Hamilton to just 0.001s. The German continued lapping, taking the P1 slot with a 1:24.450.

Rubens Barrichello became the first casualty of the session as his Williams FW32 lost drive, forcing him to stop on the side of the track at the exit of the second Lesmo.

Jenson Button joined the battle at the top of the timesheets, slotting into second place while Robert Kubica took fourth place before he was dropped one by Webber. Vettel lowered the benchmark time to a 1:23.872. Button overhauled Vettel at the top with a 1:23.756. Kubica moved up to third place ahead of Hamilton, Rosberg, Fernando Alonso, Force India tester Paul di Resta, Webber, Massa and Hulkenberg.

With thirty minutes remaining in the session, Bruno Senna had yet to set a time, spending most of the session stuck in the pits with a brake problem while neither Lotus Racing driver had completed more than an early installation lap due to hydraulic problems.

Schumacher headed out again, moving up to seventh place. However, he dropped as Hulkenberg improved to sixth and Pedro de la Rosa to seventh. Senna finally clocked a time, taking 22nd place, while Heikki Kovalainen went 23rd, leaving just Jarno Trulli without a time to his name. However, he joined the pack, taking 20th place.

Alguersuari almost became the second casuality, however, was able to get his car out of the gravel at the Parabolica. Senna, though, did become the second as he stopped out on track just after the exit of the first chicane.

Practice One ended with Button in the P1 slot with a 1:23.693. Vettel was second, 0.097s slower than Button, while Hamilton was third.

Times:
01. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:23.693 28 laps
02. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:23.790 + 0.097 27 laps
03. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:23.967 + 0.274 25 laps
04. Kubica Renault 1:24.120 + 0.427 25 laps
05. Rosberg Mercedes 1:24.129 + 0.436 30 laps
06. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:24.446 + 0.753 26 laps
07. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:24.512 + 0.819 19 laps
08. Alonso Ferrari 1:24.543 + 0.850 24 laps
09. Massa Ferrari 1:24.648 + 0.955 22 laps
10. Schumacher Mercedes 1:24.756 + 1.063 26 laps
11. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:24.841 + 1.148 28 laps
12. di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1:24.923 + 1.230 23 laps
13. Petrov Renault 1:25.292 + 1.599 25 laps
14. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:25.318 + 1.625 29 laps
15. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:25.320 + 1.627 20 laps
16. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:25.334 + 1.641 24 laps
17. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:25.897 + 2.204 19 laps
18. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:26.772 + 3.079 19 laps
19. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:26.898 + 3.205 12 laps
20. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:26.956 + 3.263 17 laps
21. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:27.374 + 3.681 14 laps
22. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:28.256 + 4.563 8 laps
23. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:28.516 + 4.823 4 laps
24. Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth 1:29.870 + 6.177 17 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Practice One: Alonso leads at a wet Spa

Fernando Alonso may have dominated the timesheets at Spa but it was actually the weather that had the final say in Friday's first practice

With heavy overnight rains, followed by continuous drizzle, Practice One for the Belgian Grand Prix began on a very wet Spa-Francorchamps circuit, resulting in a tentative start.

But with no sign that the conditions may actually improve - and more rain expected throughout the weekend - the drivers were forced to get down to work with Alonso almost immediately moving to the front when the big guns came out.

And despite a 12 minute rain break when the conditions were too treacherous for the drivers to be out on track, the rain let up a bit for the few minutes of the session, allowing Alonso to once again lower his benchmark time.

Lewis Hamilton was second quickest, 0.770s off the pace, while Robert Kubica was third for Renault.

Report: A soaking wet track awaited the drivers at the start of the first practice for the Belgian GP with more rain forecast throughout the session - and the weekend. Despite the conditions, the drivers were quickly out of the pits for their installation laps with Timo Glock posting the first timed lap of the morning, a 2:06.752.

With the rain continuing, Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher both had moments with the Red Bull racer losing traction through La Source while Schumacher went off the track at the Bus Stop chicane. Back on the track - and half an hour into the session - Adrian Sutil was leading the way with a 2:03.331 ahead of Lewis Hamilton, Nico Hulkenberg, Pedro de la Rosa, Jaime Alguersuari, Kamui Kobayashi, Sebastien Buemi and Glock.

Schumacher made his mark on the timesheets shortly after, taking seventh place, and sights of the German passing a slower car down the main straight made it clear how treacherous the conditions are with drivers almost blinded by the spray from other cars. Jenson Button claimed eighth place on his first attempt.

With the rain easing off a bit, Button improved to second place before he was dropped as Fernando Alonso went quickest with a 2:02.582. Mark Webber moved up to fourth before his team-mate Vettel dropped everyone as he took the P1 slot off Alonso with a 2:02.450. Felipe Massa slotted into seventh place on his first run. Alonso returned to the front of the pack with a 2:01.223 while Hamilton slotted into second place.

Kobayashi climbed to seventh place as the drivers reported bad light, heavy rain on the far side of the circuit, and the occasional bolt of lightning. Schumacher moved up to eighth. De la Rosa took to the escape road at Les Combes before the field headed back to the pits to escape the rain.

Schumacher and Alguersuari were the first to brave the conditions after 12 minutes of rain and silence. Heikki Kovalainen also joined the action as did Sakon Yamamoto and Vitaly Petrov. None, though, were able to improve their times as they had to contend with standing water. Massa ran wide at Pouhon and Kovalainen took to the gravel.

With just light rain falling, Kubica took fifth place while his Renault team-mate Petrov slotted into 16th place. Petrov's lap time meant only Rubens Barrichello, who is celebrating his 300th GP this weekend, had yet to set a time. But with three minutes on the clock the Williams finally did just that, taking ninth place.

Alonso headed back out, lowering his benchmark time to a 2:00.797 to put over 7/10ths between himself and second placed Hamilton. Kubica moved up to third.

Times:
1. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 2m00.797s 17 laps
2. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 2m01.567s + 0.770s 7 laps
3. Robert Kubica Renault 2m02.081s + 1.284s 14 laps
4. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 2m02.450s + 1.653s 11 laps
5. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 2m02.646s + 1.849s 14 laps
6. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 2m02.913s + 2.116s 6 laps
7. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 2m02.926s + 2.129s 11 laps
8. Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari 2m03.401s + 2.604s 17 laps
9. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 2m03.424s + 2.627s 7 laps
10. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 2m03.489s + 2.692s 9 laps
11. Felipe Massa Ferrari 2m03.601s + 2.804s 17 laps
12. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 2m03.649s + 2.852s 17 laps
13. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 2m03.654s + 2.857s 6 laps
14. Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari 2m03.851s + 3.054s 17 laps
15. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 2m04.145s + 3.348s 12 laps
16. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 2m04.250s + 3.453s 16 laps
17. Vitaly Petrov Renault 2m04.690s + 3.893s 15 laps
18. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 2m05.680s + 4.883s 6 laps
19. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 2m05.697s + 4.900s 18 laps
20. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 2m06.695s + 5.898s 14 laps
21. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 2m07.189s + 6.392s 15 laps
22. Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth 2m07.737s + 6.940s 13 laps
23. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 2m07.955s + 7.158s 15 laps
24. Sakon Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth 2m10.507s + 9.710s 18 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Prac One: Bulls dominate from start to finish

The Red Bull racers proved to be untouchable in Friday's first practice in Hungary where the only competition they had was each other.

Mark Webber was the first of the big-name drivers to put in a serious lap time, immediately taking the P1 slot. And it was from that point onwards the Red Bull held it.

The Aussie led the way, easily quicker than his rivals, before his team-mate Sebastian Vettel joined the mix, making it a Red Bull 1-2. The duo traded blows for a while before Vettel emerged as the quicker of the two with a 1:20.976.

And although Robert Kubica was the closest to the Red Bull drivers, he found himself over a second off the pace with Jenson Button fourth.

Report: Despite the clouds overhead and rain earlier this morning, the track temperature was already sitting at 31'C when the first practice for the Hungarian GP got underway on Friday morning. All eyes were focused on Felipe Massa as the Brazilian ventured out of the garage to put in his first lap at the circuit that almost claimed his life last season. No problems for the Ferrari driver, though, as he made his way back to his garage. But a few problems for Jarno Trulli as he returned to the Lotus garage with a lot of smoke pouring from his T127. Initial reports suggest it was perhaps bodywork that was overheating. Several drivers opted to do more than one installation lap while Nico Rosberg took it to the max, completing six!

Massa set the first time of the day, a rather slow 1:38.521, which was easily beaten by 12s by Adrian Sutil, who is debuting Force India's new blown diffuser exhaust. Jaime Alguersuari claimed second ahead of Bruno Senna and Sakon Yamamoto. Mark Webber joined the fray, taking first place with a 1:23.396. His team-mate Sebastian Vettel slotted in behind him as Webber lowered the benchmark time for the third successive lap. Pedro de la Rosa took third behind the Red Bulls, followed by Alguersuari, Vitaly Petrov, Nico Rosberg, Kamui Kobayashi and Sutil.

Michael Schumacher joined the running, claiming fourth place on his first lap, while Fernando Alonso went eighth quickest. At the halfway point of the session, Webber, with a 1:21.710, led Vettel, Rosberg, de la Rosa, Robert Kuibca, Schumacher, Petrov and Alguersuari. But that didn't last long as Vettel went quicker with a 1:21.275 and Schumacher climbed to third place behind the Bulls.

Kubica was the next to take the fight to the Bulls, moving up to third place with Barrichello fourth, followed by Schumacher, Alonso, Rosberg and de la Rosa. It was a slow start for McLaren with Lewis Hamilton only managing the 15th best time while his team-mate Jenson Button had yet to even set a time.

Vettel lowered the benchmark to a 1:21.177 but his team-mate Webber was on an even faster lap and took the P1 slot by 0.169s. With less than half an hour on the clock, Button ventured out, taking 17th place, right behind Hamilton on the timesheets. Button continued lapping, moving up to fourth place.

Yellow flags were waved - for the first time in the session - when Vitaly Petrov spun his Renault through the last corner, coming to a halt on the straight. The rookie's mistake cost both Hamilton and Kubica, who are on quicker laps. The action resumed but with few changes to the timesheets as lap after lap the drivers put in the mileage, working on their programmes and eventually the data.

The final few minutes saw a flurry of activity but try as they might, Red Bull's rivals were not able to put an end to the team's 1-2 with Vettel quicker than Webber. Kubica finished third but over a second off the pace.

Times:
01. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:20.976 29 laps
02. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:21.106 + 0.130 27 laps
03. Kubica Renault 1:22.072 + 1.096 21 laps
04. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:22.444 + 1.468 17 laps
05. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:22.601 + 1.625 25 laps
06. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:22.764 + 1.788 24 laps
07. Alonso Ferrari 1:22.772 + 1.796 25 laps
08. Rosberg Mercedes 1:22.777 + 1.801 25 laps
09. Schumacher Mercedes 1:22.792 + 1.816 26 laps
10. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:22.966 + 1.990 25 laps
11. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:23.003 + 2.027 19 laps
12. Massa Ferrari 1:23.007 + 2.031 26 laps
13. Petrov Renault 1:23.249 + 2.273 24 laps
14. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:23.327 + 2.351 23 laps
15. di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1:23.520 + 2.544 19 laps
16. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:23.780 + 2.804 22 laps
17. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:23.868 + 2.892 28 laps
18. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:24.075 + 3.099 15 laps
19. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:25.032 + 4.056 22 laps
20. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:25.210 + 4.234 23 laps
21. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:25.990 + 5.014 21 laps
22. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:26.686 + 5.710 17 laps
23. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:26.990 + 6.014 34 laps
24. Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth 1:28.157 + 7.181 24 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Prac One: Sutil quickest, Hamilton crashes

Adrian Sutil set the pace in Friday's rather wet opening practice session for the German GP, edging out the spinning Felipe Massa

With the rain coming down throughout the first half an hour of the session, the drivers had to contend with a wet track, something some handled better than others.

Sutil proved to be one of the stars in the rain, as he has in the past, clocking a 1:25.701, as he managed to stick to the dry line that had formed in the latter stage of the session.

And although Massa recorded at least five off-track moments or spins as he battled to stay on the dry parts, he still managed to finish in second place, albeit over a second down on Sutil.

Jenson Button claimed third after a late charge in the final moments of the session.
But it wasn't all good news for McLaren.

Lewis Hamilton did not have the best of mornings. The McLaren driver completed just three laps in the opening hour, spending most of it stuck in the pits while his mechanics worked on the new floor and blown diffuser exhaust on his car.

And when he finally did venture out, he only managed one timed lap before crashing into the barriers and causing quite a bit of damage to the left side and front of his car.

Report: With the rain coming down, Timo Glock was the first to do a sighting lap and despite travelling rather slowly around the track almost lost control of his VR01. Others also ventured out but it wasn't long before they too returned to the pits while Nico Hulkenberg chanced his luck on a second lap and went off at Turn Two before making his way back to his Williams garage. Jaime Alguersuari, with the full wet tyres, ventured out but ran off the track at the hairpin. He rejoined and went on to set the first time of the day, a 1:41.068. The Toro Rosso driver continued lapping, taking almost five seconds off his time.

Sebastian Vettel was the next to make his mark as he crossed the line with plumes of spray coming from the back of his car and in a time of 1:36.905. Vettel went quickest on his next lap despite fighting his Red Bull through the puddles while Mark Webber took second place before overhauling his German team-mate. Alguersuari returned to the P1 slot as Vettel ran off the track and then Webber ran off the track again.

Felipe Massa, Nico Hulkenberg, Kamui Kobayashi, Sebastien Buemi and Lotus test driver Fairuz Fauzy slotted in behind the Bulls. Nico Rosberg claimed second place, Vitaly Petrov and Massa both ran off the track before the latter improved to first place with a 1:31.981. However, his reign was short-lived as Webber reclaimed the top spot, 0.962s up on the Ferrari driver's best.

Rosberg was the next to lead the way with a 1:30.864 as Hulkenberg took second place, Massa third and Adrian Sutil fourth. Despite the rain easing off and the track drying out a bit, the drivers continued to battle to stay on the track. Massa spun, Hulkenberg ran off the track and Bruno Senna ran wide. Massa went on to run onto the gravel at the hairpin as did one of the Renaults. Barrichello put his Williams into a nice long spin through Turn Three, coming to a halt on the track before resuming his running.

Fernando Alonso climbed to fourth place before taking the lead away from Rosberg with a 1:30.229. Vettel improved to secod place and Barrichello third before Rosberg returned to the top of the pile, 0.810s up on Alonso. Alguersuari joined the battle at the front of the pack while with 35 minutes there were still no times for Lewis Hamilton, Lucas di Grassi and Jarno Trulli.

Webber returned to the front of the pack with a 1:29.048, Hulkenberg claimed second and Alguersuari third. The two Saubers also put in a good run with Kobayashi climbing to fifth place and Pedro de la Rosa to seventh. Vettel joined Webber at the front of the pack, overhauling his team-mate by 0.313s.

With a definite dry line running the entire length of the track, Sutil was the next to take control as the Force India driver posted a 1:27.846. Hamilton finally posted his first time of the morning after his McLaren mechanics spent the better part of an hour working on the floor and new blown diffuser exhaust on his car. The McLaren driver crossed the line with a 1:29.429.

Massa went off the track again, this time at the stadium section. But despite all his offs the Brazilian managed to keep his car away from the barriers. Hamilton did not. His crashed his McLaren at Turn Three after sliding across the grass, into the barriers and damaging the left side and front nose of the car.

Yellow flags lifted, Massa put his car into another spin, Jarno Trulli ran off the track, Massa ran off the track, Buemi took second place, Massa third, Senna spun off the track at the final corner and beached his car in the gravel, Massa put his spins behind him to go quickest with a 1:26.850 and Petrov took second place.

However, it was Sutil who ended the session quickest of all, clocking a 1:25.701. Massa was second ahead of Jenson Button, who put in a late charge to move up the order.

Times:

01. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:25.701 20 laps
02. Massa Ferrari 1:26.850 + 1.149 27 laps
03. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:26.936 + 1.235 16 laps
04. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:26.947 + 1.246 21 laps
05. Petrov Renault 1:26.948 + 1.247 21 laps
06. Rosberg Mercedes 1:27.448 + 1.747 20 laps
07. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:28.114 + 2.413 31 laps
08. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:28.193 + 2.492 24 laps
09. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:28.300 + 2.599 19 laps
10. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:28.486 + 2.785 23 laps
11. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:28.735 + 3.034 21 laps
12. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:28.735 + 3.034 21 laps
13. Kubica Renault 1:28.903 + 3.202 20 laps
14. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:29.048 + 3.347 13 laps
15. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:29.280 + 3.579 17 laps
16. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:29.366 + 3.665 34 laps
17. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:29.429 + 3.728 8 laps
18. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:29.500 + 3.799 19 laps
19. Alonso Ferrari 1:29.684 + 3.983 15 laps
20. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:29.690 + 3.989 17 laps
21. Fauzy Lotus-Cosworth 1:30.938 + 5.237 27 laps
22. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:31.720 + 6.019 23 laps
23. Schumacher Mercedes 1:32.450 + 6.749 13 laps
24. Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth 1:32.791 + 7.090 26 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Prac One: Seb P1, in-field causes concerns

Sebastian Vettel claimed the honours in the opening practice session for the British GP, edging ahead of Lewis Hamilton and his new-look McLaren.

Vettel, the winner of last year's British Grand Prix, crossed the line with a 1:32.280 as the Formula One drivers had their first taste of Silverstone's new in-field.

Hamilton finished in second place with his heavily revised McLaren, 0.334s behind, while Robert Kubica was third for Renault.

The new in-field section, though, caused some concern for the drivers and teams.

Starting at the old Abbey chicane, which has been altered, bumps in the asphalt caused several drivers to fly off the track although there is a run-off area that prevented any of them from hitting the barriers.

Added to Abbey's bumps, the asphalt was rather slippery, which resulted in the likes of Hamilton and Michael Schumacher from either spinning or sliding off the track at the Village corner.

But as the session progressed and the track rubbered in, the incidents became fewer and fewer.
Report: First practice at the new-look Silverstone circuit got underway with the track temperature sitting at 28'C and a new driver, Sakon Yamamoto, in action for Hispania Racing, who dropped Bruno Senna late Thursday. Meanwhile, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton put in their first laps in their revised McLarens, which feature a blown diffuser exhaust system and revamped rear bodywork for their cooling system.

Button broke the silence with the first timed lap of the day but lifting off marginally just ahead of the new section, which meant he crossed the line with a 1:37.994. The reigning Champ stayed out on track, shaving a massive 2.414s off his time. Mark Webber put his Red Bull into second place, 0.3s behind Button, while Virgin revealed that a fuel pick-up problem was keeping Timo Glock stuck in his garage. Jaime Alguersuari claimed third place ahead of Yamamoto, who was a massive 11s down on his first lap. The Japanese driver took three seconds off his time on his second lap while Webber overhauled Button with a 1:34.681.

With more drivers joining the action after the opening half-an-hour, the timesheets behind Webber, who had again lowered the benchmark, and Button saw plenty of changes while Michael Schumacher put in the first spin of the day as he lost the back end of his Mercedes GP at Village corner. Moments later Hamilton ran wide at the same spot. Schumacher went third quickest before Hamilton took the position off him.

Nico Hulkenberg jumped up to second place in his Williams, entering the grand prix on the back of the team's best race of the season in Valencia, while Force India test driver Paul di Resta took third place before he was demoted by Alguersuari. Schumacher had another moment, a minor off at Village, while Hamilton hit the bumps at the new Abbey corner and was forced onto the run-off.

Nico Rosberg was the next to lead the way with a 1:33.622 as Robert Kubica improved to second place. Fernando Alonso, who was running with Ferrari's new front wing, claimed eighth while Felipe Massa, who is without the blown rear wing, was 13th. Trying to improve his time and get a feel for the changes to the car, Massa ran wide at the exit of the loop in the new section of the track and kicked up a hole lot of dirt onto the track.

Kubica overhauled Rosberg at the front of the pack, however, his reign was short-lived as Sebastian Vettel took the P1 slot only for Kubica to fight back. Vettel responded with another fastest lap, a 1:32.705 for the leading German. Vettel lowered the benchmark while Adrian Sutil moved up to third place before running wide on his next lap at Village corner.

Webber climbed to second place, Hamilton hit a bump at Abbey and forced, again, to take to the run-off area. He improved to fourth place on his next lap. Schumacher, speaking on his team radio, informed his Merc pit wall of the difficulties of tackling Abbey and its bumps. Timo Glock was seen badly bottoming out over those bumps. Hamilton continued his run, moving up to second place, 0.334s behind Vettel.

The final few minutes saw a flurry of activity, however, it was cut short at Fauriz Fauzy stopped at the Loop. The session ended with Vettel on top, ahead of Hamilton and Kubica.

Times

01. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:32.280 22 laps
02. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:32.614 + 0.334 16 laps
03. Kubica Renault 1:32.725 + 0.445 21 laps
04. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:32.747 + 0.467 23 laps
05. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:32.968 + 0.688 18 laps
06. Rosberg Mercedes 1:33.318 + 1.038 21 laps
07. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:33.377 + 1.097 19 laps
08. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:33.519 + 1.239 20 laps
09. Schumacher Mercedes 1:33.955 + 1.675 18 laps
10. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:34.016 + 1.736 17 laps
11. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:34.132 + 1.852 21 laps
12. Petrov Renault 1:34.365 + 2.085 22 laps
13. Alonso Ferrari 1:34.490 + 2.210 20 laps
14. di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1:34.580 + 2.300 22 laps
15. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:34.710 + 2.430 16 laps
16. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:34.901 + 2.621 17 laps
17. Massa Ferrari 1:35.037 + 2.757 21 laps
18. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:35.318 + 3.038 27 laps
19. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:36.747 + 4.467 16 laps
20. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:37.330 + 5.050 11 laps
21. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:37.518 + 5.238 15 laps
22. Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1:38.735 + 6.455 21 laps
23. Fauzi Lotus-Cosworth 1:39.510 + 7.230 11 laps
24. Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth 1:39.673 + 7.393 27 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Prac One: Rosberg tops McLaren duo

Nico Rosberg finished Friday's first practice session for the European GP fastest after edging ahead of early pace-setters McLaren

Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton were the first to lead the way before the Mercedes GP drivers, Michael Schumacher and Rosberg, got involved in the action.

But at the end of the 90-minute session it was Rosberg who prevailed with Hamilton and Button roughly two-tenths off the pace.

Robert Kubica was fourth for Renault ahead of Felipe Massa, Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber and Schumacher. The seven-time World Champ was 1.137s adrift of his team-mate.

Report: With blue skies overhead and the track temperature sitting at 24'C, the first of the European GP's practice sessions kicked off in Valencia on Friday morning. Ferrari, Renault and Mercedes are all using their new Red Bull-styled blown-diffuser exhaust systems while test driver Paul di Resta is back in action for Force India and Christian Klien for Hispania Racing.

With the introduction of new upgrades, many of the teams opted for several installation laps with Michael Schumacher completing three when the back end of his W01 stepped out widely. However, he wasn't the only one struggling on the dirty track as Tonio Liuzzi missed his braking point and had to take to the escape road.

Lucas di Grassi posted the first time of the session, a 1:49.569, before shaving seconds off his time while Jenson Button joined the action with a 1:43.245. A nervous twitch from Klien almost put him into the barriers before he grabbed hold of the car and crossed the line in third place.
Lewis Hamilton claimed second place behind his team-mate as McLaren set the early pace.

Kamui Kobayashi improved to second place, slotting in between the two McLarens. Problems for Bruno Senna as his left side mirror fell off the car, hitting him on the helmet before falling onto the track and into the path of Sebastien Buemi, who rode over it as he climbed to third place ahead of his team-mate Jaime Alguersuari, Timo Glock and Hamilton.

36 minutes into the session was red flagged due to the debris caused by Senna's mirror, which littered the track. The session resumed five minutes later with track temperature up to 30'C.
Back out on track there was a frantic flurry with the drivers finally getting down to some serious running. Schumacher took the P1 slot with a 1:42.369, Felipe Massa took sixth place, Pedro de la Rosa eighth, di Resta sixth, Massa second, di Resta seventh, Rubens Barrichello 11th, Fernando Alonso second, Nico Hulkenberg fifth and Nico Rosberg second.

Rosberg was the next to take charge of the session, a 1:41.862 for the Mercedes GP drive while Button returned to the P2 slot, 0.384s off the pace. Schumacher had to take to the escape road at Turn 2, performing a U-turn to get back on track. Robert Kubica climbed to second place while Hamilton took third. Both, though, were dropped as Button topped the timesheets with a 1:41.383.

Button's reign was short-lived as Hamilton went quickest, 0.044s up on his team-mate. Mark Webber moved to sixth place while Alonso stopped at the end of the pit lane in a simulation of what it will be like for his car to sit on the grid ahead of the start of the race as Ferrari continue testing their new exhaust system.

Rosberg took over at the front of the pack with a 1:41.175, edging ahead of the McLarens. Sebastian Vettel improved to sixth place as yet another Sauber took to the escape roads. Returning to the action, Hamlton put his McLaren into a minor spin but was able to continue on his way without any problems, although it did cost him over four seconds.

The session ended with Rosberg on top, followed by Hamilton, Button, Kubica, Massa, Vettel, Webber and Schumacher.

Times:
01. Rosberg Mercedes 1:41.175 16 laps
02. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:41.339 + 0.164 19 laps
03. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:41.383 + 0.208 21 laps
04. Kubica Renault 1:41.715 + 0.540 20 laps
05. Massa Ferrari 1:42.182 + 1.007 21 laps
06. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:42.216 + 1.041 24 laps
07. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:42.275 + 1.100 17 laps
08. Schumacher Mercedes 1:42.312 + 1.137 18 laps
09. Alonso Ferrari 1:42.421 + 1.246 22 laps
10. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:42.463 + 1.288 21 laps
11. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:42.707 + 1.532 23 laps
12. Petrov Renault 1:42.962 + 1.787 17 laps
13. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:43.310 + 2.135 23 laps
14. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:43.380 + 2.205 19 laps
15. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:43.397 + 2.222 21 laps
16. di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1:43.437 + 2.262 18 laps
17. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:43.729 + 2.554 21 laps
18. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:44.183 + 3.008 21 laps
19. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:44.491 + 3.316 21 laps
20. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:45.653 + 4.478 23 laps
21. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:47.123 + 5.948 17 laps
22. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:47.285 + 6.110 18 laps
23. Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1:47.343 + 6.168 14 laps
24. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:47.356 + 6.181 24 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Prac One: Hamilton blitzes the competition

Lewis Hamilton set a blistering pace around the Istanbul Otodrom on Friday morning, almost a full second up on his nearest rival

With McLaren's f-duct and revised front wing in action, Hamilton crossed the line with a 1:28.653, to beat his team-mate Jenson Button by 0.962.

And although Mercedes GP tried to take the charge to McLaren, using their longer wheelbase car, Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg fell short, both over a second adrift of Hamilton's impressive lap time.

Red Bull and Renault were next in line with Sebastian Vettel and Robert Kubica having the edge over their respective team-mates.

Report: A nice warm start to the Turkish GP with the track temperature sitting at 28'C as the first of Friday's two practice session got underway at the Istanbul Otodrom. The temperature and design of the track mean tyre wear could be high with Bridgestone predicting that some could suffer with severe graining.

The drivers were quickly out on track for their installation laps with Hispania test driver Sakon Yamamoto the only change to the usual 24 drivers. It was a strange start, though, as some drivers such as Michael Schumacher, Nico Rosberg and Lucas di Grassi completed as many as five laps without even setting a time.

Yamamoto set the first time of the session, a 1:38.785, shaving almost two seconds off over the next few laps. More drivers finally ventured out after the first half an hour had lapsed with Jaime Alguersuari taking the P1 slot ahead of Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli. Karun Chandhok ventured out for his first run but immediately ran into problems with his car slowly touring the track at 33kph. He was, however, able to return to the pits.

Vettel hit the front of the timesheets with a 1:31.718 while Schumacher, using Merc's long wheelbase car, went quicker through the first two sectors before once again pitting. It was his seventh lap without a time. Vettel went quicker still, lowering the benchmark to a 1:30.840.

Halfway through the session on a very dirty track, Vitaly Petrov was second ahead of Mark Webber, Alguersuari, Kovalainen, Nico Hulkenberg, Jarno Trulli and Rubens Barrichello.

With the track getting cleaner with each run, Robert Kubica joined the action, going quickest while Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton slotted in behind Vettel. Felipe Massa was fifth.

Webber improved to third place ahead of the McLarens before Hamilton overhauled the entire field, going P1 with a 1:29.672. Schumacher, running a bit wide at the final corner, climbed to second place before being dropped as Button went fastest.

With the front runners all putting in the laps, the timesheets continued to change although McLaren remained P1 and P2, now with Hamilton leading Button. Behind the McLarens and Schumacher, raged the battle for fourth with the two Red Bulls and Renaults swapping positions.
With twenty minutes remaining, Rosberg joined Schumacher in the battle against the McLarens taking third place. However, he was still a full second slower than Hamilton. Fernando Alonso finally put his Ferrari into the top ten, taking ninth place while his team-mate Felipe Massa failed to improve on his P12.

The final five minutes saw Schumacher overhaul Rosberg before Adrian Sutil brought out the yellow flags as he put his Force India into the wall at Turn Eight, causing considerable damage to the car.

The session ended with Hamilton quickest ahead of Button and Schumacher.

Times:

01. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:28.653 20 laps
02. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:29.615 + 0.962 20 laps
03. Schumacher Mercedes 1:29.750 + 1.097 24 laps
04. Rosberg Mercedes 1:29.855 + 1.202 24 laps
05. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:29.867 + 1.214 30 laps
06. Kubica Renault 1:30.061 + 1.408 23 laps
07. Petrov Renault 1:30.065 + 1.412 24 laps
08. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:30.097 + 1.444 26 laps
09. Alonso Ferrari 1:30.294 + 1.641 20 laps
10. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:30.501 + 1.848 17 laps
11. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:30.615 + 1.962 20 laps
12. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:30.853 + 2.200 21 laps
13. Massa Ferrari 1:30.867 + 2.214 21 laps
14. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:31.011 + 2.358 23 laps
15. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:31.238 + 2.585 17 laps
16. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:31.355 + 2.702 23 laps
17. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:31.464 + 2.811 19 laps
18. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:31.735 + 3.082 27 laps
19. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:32.161 + 3.508 24 laps
20. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:32.990 + 4.337 22 laps
21. Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1:34.876 + 6.223 13 laps
22. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:35.137 + 6.484 21 laps
23. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:35.583 + 6.930 15 laps
24. Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth 1:36.137 + 7.484 26 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Prac One: Alonso pips Vettel in Monaco

Fernando Alonso set the pace in Thursday's opening practice for the Monaco GP, beating Sebastian Vettel by a mere 0.073s

For much of the session the battle was between Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton. However, with less than 30 minutes left on the clock they lost out to Alonso, who went quickest with a 1:15.927.
Vettel, who did not venture out until late in practice, was second ahead of Robert Kubica, Mark Webber, Massa, Michael Schumacher and Hamilton.

It was a rather low-key start to the weekend with few signs of the traffic that many had been complaining about ahead of the weekend. But then again, practice is 90 minutes compared to Q1's 20 minutes...

Report: It's a beautiful morning in Monte Carlo with a track temperature of 28'C and ambient of 20'C as the drivers put in their first laps around the street circuit, noting the changes. One such change is that the chicanes have been raised at the Chicane and the exit of the Swimming Pool. Within ten minutes everyone had completed their installation laps and now we await the beginning of the action.

Jaime Alguersuari set the first time of the morning, a 1:21.675. Jenson Button, who had to clear the Sauber of Kamui Kobayashi at the Chicane, slotted in to second place behind the Toro Rosso driver before taking the P1 slot on his next lap. Felipe Massa took third place, 2.003s down on the McLaren driver, while Sebastien Buemi, Kobayashi, Nico Hulkenberg, Pedro de la Rosa and Vitaly Petrov completed the top eight after the first half an hour.

Button improved to a 1:17.618 with Massa taking second, 0.974s adrift while Lewis Hamilton went third quickest on his first attempt. Michael Schumacher claimed eighth place in his short wheelbased Merc GP. His team-mate Nico Rosberg slotted into third place, ahead of Buemi, Robert Kubica, Fenrando Alonso and Kobayashi.

Hamilton was the next to lead the way, taking first place with a 1:17.423. Schumacher moved up to sixth but was still over a second off the pace of the McLarens. Massa momentarily overhauled Hamilton only to lose out seconds later to the McLaren driver. A 1:16.963 for the 2008 World Champ. Kubica claimed to third ahead of Alonso, Button and Schumacher.

Massa returned to the front with a 1:16.765, Rosberg claimed to fourth ahead of Alonso, Buemi, Schumacher and Button. A close one for Alonso, who slid right out to the barrier at the final corner, leaving lovely black tyre marks on the barriers. A slow start for Mark Webber, who ventured out late and was down in 16th place.

But not as slow as his team-mate Sebastian Vettel's. The German driver finally came out with 36 minutes on the clock and went P15, 1.872s off the pace. Shortly after the yellow flags were waved as Karun Chandhok lost the back end of his Hispania on the dustier side of the track, and by some miracle only nudged the barrier with the rear at the very end of what looked as if it could've been a car-destroying accident.

With 30 minutes remaining, Timo Glock, Heikki Kovalainen, Jarno Trulli, Lucas di Grassi, Chandhok and Bruno Senna made up the final six positions on the timesheets with Glock 3.601s off the pace. However, Senna was 6.399s down on Hamilton's P1 time.

Massa retook the P1 slot from Hamilton as the duo continued their own private battle for supremacy. Their battle, though, was interrupted as Alonso, Kubica and Vettel all slotted in ahead of them, Alonso quickest with a 1:16.325. Schumacher improved to fifth place, 0.300s off the pace.

Alonso lowered the benchmark time to a 1:15.927, putting over half a second between himself and second placed Kubica. At the back, Senna has improved to take 23rd place off his stricken team-mate, who is out of practice. Webber's slow run continued, he improved but only to 13th place. However, a few minutes later the Aussie was fighting at the front, P2, 0.455s behind Alonso.

The final few minutes saw Vettel climb to second, Button balk Webber, who was not impressed and in the process of complaining did the same to Buemi, Kobayashi lost his front wing at the exit of the Swimming Pool when he slapped the barriers and brought out the yellow flags. So Alonso stayed quickest.

Times:

01. Alonso Ferrari 1:15.927 31 laps
02. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:16.000 + 0.073 26 laps
03. Kubica Renault 1:16.016 + 0.089 28 laps
04. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:16.382 + 0.455 24 laps
05. Massa Ferrari 1:16.517 + 0.590 29 laps
06. Schumacher Mercedes 1:16.589 + 0.662 21 laps
07. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:16.647 + 0.720 32 laps
08. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:16.692 + 0.765 29 laps
09. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:16.805 + 0.878 23 laps
10. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:16.857 + 0.930 30 laps
11. Rosberg Mercedes 1:17.149 + 1.222 14 laps
12. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:17.331 + 1.404 28 laps
13. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:17.704 + 1.777 26 laps
14. Petrov Renault 1:17.718 + 1.791 38 laps
15. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:17.991 + 2.064 36 laps
16. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:18.397 + 2.470 39 laps
17. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:18.434 + 2.507 37 laps
18. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:18.547 + 2.620 32 laps
19. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:19.527 + 3.600 23 laps
20. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:19.606 + 3.679 31 laps
21. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:19.902 + 3.975 30 laps
22. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:20.566 + 4.639 18 laps
23. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:21.688 + 5.761 27 laps
24. Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1:21.853 + 5.926 6 laps

Source: Planet-F1

Prac One: Kubica quickest for Renault

Robert Kubica pulled off a surprise in Friday's Australian GP practice as the Renault racer put his R30 into the P1 slot ahead of Nico Rosberg.

With the sun baking down on the circuit, Kubica was the only driver to break into the 1:26s as he outpaced Rosberg by 0.199s.

Jenson Button and Felipe Massa were next in line while Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton all finished within a second of the Polish driver's P1 time.

However, it was Kamui Kobayashi who livened up the show as the Sauber driver brought out the red flags on two occasions.

Report: With practice starting at 12:30pm local time, the sun over Melbourne was out in full force with a track temperature of 39'C awaiting the drivers, who were quick to put in their installation laps and get their weekend underway.

Bruno Senna set the first time of the day, a 1:37.989 for the Hispania driver. He was soon overhauled by his team-mate Karun Chandhok, who went 0.011s quicker while Virgin's Lucas di Grassi took third place. Heikki Kovalainen went quickest of all, up by more than a second over his fellow new team drivers.

However, he was dropped when Lewis Hamilton put in his first lap time, a full five seconds up on Kovalainen's best, and the first indication of what the big boys will be doing around the Albert Park circuit. With more drivers venturing out Kamui Kobayashi went second ahead of Pedro de la Rosa, Force India test driver Paul di Resta, Vitaly Petrov and Nico Hulkenberg.

Problems for Kobayashi, who lost his front nose at Turn 12 after hitting a bollard before sliding across the gravel and heading back to the pits.

Michael Schumacher took second place, 2.054s behind Hamilton. However, while on a hot lap that included a fastest first sector time, the session was then red flagged, sending Schumacher into the pits and allowing the marshals time to clear up the damage caused by Kobayashi's incident.

Four minutes later the session was re-started with some talk that Schumacher could face a penalty of some sort for setting the fastest lap time of the session, a 1:28.629 under red flags conditions. His time was disallowed almost immediately while Red Bull boss Christian Horner joked that the German should face a ten-grid slot penalty for the next two races for his antics under red.

Nico Rosberg moved up to first place before he was dropped by Jenson Button. Robert Kubica took third ahead of Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber, Rubens Barrichello and Schumacher.

Button improved to a 1:27.482 while Kubica climbed to second, Schumacher sixth and Felipe Massa eighth.

The session then came to an halt as Kobayashi crashed his Sauber C29 when his front wing, who had just been put back on following his earlier incident, collapsed under the car as he came into the run down to Turn 3, sending the Japanese rookie across the gravel and into the barriers.

Kobayashi managed to avoid doing serious damage to his car and climbed out unaided while once again the marshals were entrusted with the task of cleaning up the debris as he hit a polystyrene braking board on his way to the gravel.

Six minutes later the session re-started with Jarno Trulli putting in his first time of the day, a 1:33.799, over six seconds off Button's pace, however, it was di Grassi who was still the quickest of the new team drivers in 19th place. Kovalainen added his name to the list of spinnners.

Rosberg moved up to first place before losing out to Kubica, who posted a 1:26.927, while his team-mate Petrov spun his Renault. Pedro de la Rosa returned to the track after the Sauber team checked over his car to ensure he wouldn't suffer a similar wing failure to his team-mate, however, seconds later his car stopped on the side of the track.

Another incident for Petrov saw him damage the under side of his car as he rode the kerbs before spinning while Senna took the grass as he went off track.

Massa improved up to fourth place, Alonso to seventh and di Resta to 14th. Petrov moved up to ninth place after the chequered flag had fallen while Kovalainen parked his Lotus on the side of the track.

Times

1. Kubica Renault 1:26.927 22 laps
2. Rosberg Mercedes 1:27.126 + 0.199 18 laps
3. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:27.482 + 0.555 22 laps
4. Massa Ferrari 1:27.511 + 0.584 18 laps
5. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:27.686 + 0.759 23 laps
6. Alonso Ferrari 1:27.747 + 0.820 21 laps
7. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:27.793 + 0.866 22 laps
8. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:28.014 + 1.087 21 laps
9. Petrov Renault 1:28.114 + 1.187 25 laps
10. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:28.192 + 1.265 18 laps
11. di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1:28.537 + 1.610 25 laps
12. Schumacher Mercedes 1:28.850 + 1.623 19 laps
13. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:28.572 + 1.645 21 laps
14. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:28.683 + 1.756 22 laps
15. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:29.465 + 2.538 13 laps
16. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:29.712 + 2.785 18 laps
17. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:30.249 + 3.322 26 laps
18. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:31.654 + 4.661 5 laps
19. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:31.652 + 4.725 13 laps
20. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:31.654 + 4.727 26 laps
21. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:32.831 + 5.904 25 laps
22. Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1:33.401 + 6.474 24 laps
23. Senna HRT-Cosworth 1:34.251 + 7.324 19 laps
24. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:34.924 + 7.998 8 laps

Source: Planet-F1