• Brazilian Grand Prix

Red Bull strikes opening blow at Interlagos

Sebastian Vettel was by far the fastest driver in FP1 © Getty Images

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• Report:
• Red Bull maintains advantage at Interlagos
  
• News:
• Red Bull emotionally backing Vettel - Webber
  

• Race:
• Brazilian Grand Prix

• Championship:
• FIA Formula One World Championship

• Drivers:
• Sebastian Vettel
• |
• Mark Webber

• Teams:
• Red Bull

Red Bull struck an early psychological blow on the opening salvo of the most important grand prix weekend of the season, as Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber topped the timesheets after the first practice session for the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Vettel clocked a best time of 1:12.328 to finish 0.482 seconds ahead of team-mate Webber and over half a second up on the McLaren duo of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button in third and fourth.

Championship leader Fernando Alonso completed just 20 laps and set the 14th fastest time before an engine failure forced him to stop on track. Ferrari played down the significance of the problem and revealed he was using a very high-mileage engine that it had planned to change at the end of the session regardless. As a result he will not use a ninth engine and will not take a penalty.

At recent grands prix Ferrari has played its cards close to its chest during Friday practice and held back until Saturday before setting a competitive lap time. As a result Alonso looked nonplussed as he got out of his stricken Ferrari and, with a best time nearly two seconds off the pace of the Red Bulls, watched the final seconds of the session from behind the Armco.

Vitaly Petrov cut a much more solitary figure after slamming his Renault against the barriers in the final ten minutes. His car twitched on the entrance to turn seven and then swapped ends before making heavy contact with the barrier. The front end of the car was destroyed and the mistake will not help the Russian hold onto his seat next year.

His team-mate Robert Kubica continued his impressive season by setting the fifth fastest time and could again be a contender for the top six positions this weekend. Nico Rosberg was sixth fastest, ahead of the highest-placed Brazilian Rubens Barrichello in seventh and Michael Schumacher in eighth.

Force India's Adrian Sutil was ninth with Sauber's Nick Heidfeld rounding out the top ten. His team-mate Kamui Kobayahsi was 11th but spun off at the end of the session as he entered turn seven. As he came to a halt the rear-left tyre had come off its rim but it was not clear if it failed before or during the accident.

At the bottom of the timesheets Brazilian Bruno Senna clocked the slowest lap, over half a second off his HRT team-mate Christian Klien.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.