F1: Webber Leads First German GP Practice

Formula 1

F1: Webber Leads First German GP Practice

Mark Webber kept up the team’s recent dominance by going quickest in opening practice at the Nurburgring...

SPEED Staff | Posted July 10, 2009 Nurburgring (GER)

Mark Webber kept up the team’s recent dominance of the timesheets by going quickest in opening practice for Sunday’s German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Friday Practice Session 1 Times

Red Bull’s Mark Webber kept up the team’s recent dominance of the timesheets by going quickest in opening practice for Sunday’s German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring.

The Australian was a comfortable 0.381s clear of Brawn GP’s Jenson Button, with Felipe Massa’s Ferrari in third ahead of Toyota’s Jarno Trulli, and the surprise Force India of Giancarlo Fisichella.

The session began under typically cloudy Eifel mountain skies, with temperatures struggling to climb above 50F. Some intermittent drizzle forced cars to take to the escape road at the chicane during their installation laps, including Ferrari’s Kimi Räikkönen.

Poor track conditions meant that virtually nobody turned a timed lap for the first half-hour of the session, but when the meaningful running began – by then under sunny skies – it was Webber and Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel who again topped the early running.

However, Vettel soon hit trouble, when he stopped exiting turn one with an apparent throttle failure. After losing approximately half an hour, the German was back on track with just three minutes remaining, but was unable to improve his time, which left him down in eighth.

World championship leader Jenson Button did not do a flying lap until the session was nearly an hour old, but was straight in amongst the top five, eventually confirming his second in session on his final lap. Meanwhile, Massa spent much of the session evaluating a new, Red Bull-style damper cover on his Ferrari, unlike Räikkönen. The Brazilian eventually switched back to the standard version before setting this third-fastest lap.

Fisichella surprised many in fifth place, having been as high as second at one point. His fortunes contrasted with that of teammate Adrian Sutil, who stopped on track in the same place as Vettel when he lost all gears on his Force India Mercedes. The German was left bottom of the timesheets with only six laps completed.

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