F1: Vettel Flies In First Practice At COTA

Formula 1

F1: Vettel Flies In First Practice At COTA

Sebastian Vettel waited until the end of Free Practice One to move to the top of the time sheet at Circuit of the Americas...

Jared Turner | Posted November 16, 2012 Austin, TX

Sebastian Vettel paced opening practice at COTA. (Image: SPEED)

More than two years after it was announced that a Formula One track would be built in Austin, Texas, those plans became official reality on Friday morning as F1 drivers hit the 3.427-mile Circuit of the Americas course for the first time.

While COTA presents a new challenge for every driver on the Formula One grid, a familiar cast of contenders unsurprisingly topped the time sheet at the conclusion of the opening 90-minute practice.

Quickest of the bunch was World Championship leader Sebastian Vettel, who posted what was easily the session's quickest lap (1:38:692) with three minutes left on the clock, only to then eclipse his own mark with a better lap of 1:38:125 as time expired.

Lewis Hamilton, whose McLaren spent most of the session atop the time sheets, toured the 20-turn course at 1:39:543 but was more than 1.4 seconds off Vettel's pace.

Three more heavy-hitters — Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button and Mark Webber — completed the top five, with Felipe Massa, Nico Hulkenberg, Kamui Kobayashi, Nico Rosberg and Sergio Perez filling out the rest of the top 10.

Not surprisingly for a new circuit that was quite slippery as drivers made their initial runs, Friday's first practice wasn't bereft of incident as Webber, Massa, Button and Hulkenberg each went for a spin.

With only Sunday's United States GP and next week's season finale in Brazil left on the 2012 schedule, Red Bull's Vettel holds a 10-point lead over Ferrari's Alonso in the championship standings.

No other driver is mathematically alive in the championship fight.

Jared Turner is an Associate Editor for SPEED.com, covering NASCAR and Formula One. His professional motorsports writing career began in 2005.