• Australian Grand Prix Free Practice 1

Kubica sets the early pace

The first practice session gets underway © Sutton Images

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• News:
• Kobayashi in the wars
  

• Race:
• Australian Grand Prix

• Championship:
• FIA Formula One World Championship

• Drivers:
• Jenson Button
• |
• Karun Chandhok
• |
• Lewis Hamilton
• |
• Kamui Kobayashi
• |
• Vitaly Petrov
• |
• Sebastian Vettel

• Teams:
• Alfa Romeo
• |
• Ferrari
• |
• HRT
• |
• McLaren
• |
• Red Bull
• |
• Renault
• |
• Team Lotus
• |
• Virgin

Robert Kubica set the fastest time of the first practice session in Melbourne, his 1:26.927 putting him 0.199 clear of Nico Rosberg with Jenson Button and Felipe Massa third and fourth. Sebastian Vettel was fifth for Red Bull, from Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton in the second of the Ferraris and McLarens. Once again, potentially large differences in the fuel loads made the times hard to interpret.

The slippery nature of the Albert Park circuit caused a number of drivers to lose their way, and Kamui Kobayashi caused both the red flags, firstly when he ran over a cone and removed his car's nose, and then soon after he resumed when the other front wing on his Sauber simply detached itself.

Hamilton set the first meaningful time, more than five seconds ahead of that recorded by Heikki Kovalainen early on, and he was briefly bettered by Michael Schumacher whose efforts were in vain as the final 20 seconds of his lap were under red-flag conditions. Schumacher finished the session back in 12th but professed himself much happier with things than he had been in Bahrain.

Rosberg, Button and finally Kubica set new fastest times as some of the less experienced drivers - and nine of those out this morning were experiencing the circuit for the first time - found grass and gravel. Vitaly Petrov appeared to have damaged his Renault when he rode the kerbs soon after spinning but it turned out to be inconsequential.

Of the new teams, HRT got in some much-needed track time - Karun Chandhok's 19 laps were almost four times what he managed in three days in Bahrain - but Lotus struggled again with hydraulic issues. Virgin had the hardest time, admitting that it would need to completely rebuild the car's chassis as it had been established the fuel tanks were not big enough to allow them to complete a grand prix.

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