Germany : Practice One - Webber and Red Bull lead the way

It was good and bad news for Red Bull Racing as the first practice session for the German Grand Prix got underway at the Nurburgring on Friday morning.

Mark Webber set the fastest time of 1m 33.082s in his RB5, but team mate Sebastian Vettel rolled to a halt with a mechanical problem shortly after lapping his sister car in 1m 33.909s. At the time that was second quickest, but he ended the session eighth overall.

Jenson Button’s suggestions that Bridgestone’s super-soft tyre would suit the Brawn BGP001 better in cold conditions was borne out by second fastest time of 1m 33.463s, while Ferrari’s Felipe Massa (1m 33.745s), Toyota’s Jarno Trulli (1m 33.795s), Force India’s Giancarlo Fisichella (1m 33.839s), Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen (1m 33.840s) and Williams’ Nico Rosberg (1m 33.902s) all subsequently dipped below Vettel’s time.

Conditions were very cold throughout, with an ambient temperature of 12 degrees Celsius and a track temperature of 16 degrees.



Williams’ Kazuki Nakajima set ninth best time with 1m 33.952s, chased by Renault’s Fernando Alonso (1m 34.148s), BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld (1m 34.221s), Brawn GP’s Rubens Barrichello (1m 34.227s), McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton (1m 34.483s), BMW Sauber’s Robert Kubica (1m 34.694s), Renault’s Nelson Piquet (1m 34.738s), Toro Rosso team mates Sebastien Bourdais (1m 34.827s) and Sebastien Buemi (1m 34.878s), McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen (1m 34.893s), Toyota’s Timo Glock (1m 34.911s) and Force India’s Adrian Sutil (1m 35.092s).

Sutil, like Vettel, rolled to a halt in Turn One with mechanical ailments.