Free 1: Jenson Button fastest as McLaren test new upgrades

Jenson Button has finished the opening practice session fastest ahead of this weekend’s German Grand Prix, as McLaren got their first taste of how their new upgrades will behave on the MP4-27. It was a successful session for McLaren, with Lewis Hamilton close behind Button in 2nd.

The session started in overcast conditions, as Jean-Eric Vergne became the first driver to take to the track when the session got underway. In traditional practice fashion, the majority of the drivers initially completed installation laps, allowing their relevant teams to check that the cars systems were working.

Kamui Kobayashi set the initial pace, with a rather slow 01:55.759, before Jenson Button stormed to the top with a more competitive time of a 01:18.759. The British driver remained at the top for the rest of the session, as the 2009 World Champion got to grips with the upgrades on his McLaren. The Briton then began to better his time, eventually getting his time down to a 01:16.595.

After the washout that was the British Grand Prix last time out, it seemed as though the inclement weather had followed the F1 circus to Germany. Only 25 minutes into the session, and the rain began to fall albeit lighter than the deluge that plagued proceedings at Silverstone. However, the tricky conditions caught several drivers out, including the Caterham duo of Heikki Kovalainen and Vitaly Petrov.

Once the rain had subsided, the drivers eventually began to return to the track. Kimi Raikkonen’s garage was beginning to attract a lot of attention, as his Lotus mechanics busied themselves towards the rear of his car. With the team reportedly testing a double-DRS system, many team members were doing their best to block out prying eyes on the work being carried out.

Frustratingly for the teams and drivers, the rain returned as the session continued. This once again forced many drivers back into the safe confines of the pits, as the Sauber of Kamui Kobayashi ran exceedingly wide at the tricky turn 12. The Japanese driver was seen on the intermediate (green) tyres with only 28 minutes to go, as the rain once again returned to the Hockenheimring.

However, the rain failed to intervene as much as it did at Silverstone, as the drivers once again returned to the track to carry out more valuable dry running. Mark Webber pushed too hard through turn 12, as the Australian driver ran wide onto the gravel. The Red Bull driver will be looking for his second German Grand Prix victory this weekend, as he hunts down Championship leader Fernando Alonso.

Timo Glock’s home Grand Prix suffered a blow as the session came to a close, as the Marussia driver limped back to the pits with a suspected engine related issue. The session ended under yellow flag conditions, as Williams’ reserve driver Valtteri Bottas made his first error of the season and spun into the barriers at turn 13. The Finnish driver was running in Bruno Senna’s car, which looked to have suffered considerable damage towards the rear.

With the yellow flags fluttering towards the end of the lap, no-one was able to challenge the McLaren’s at the front. Fernando Alonso ended the session 3rd for Ferrari, as the Spaniard hunts for his third win this season, and his third win at the Hockenheimring. The F1 field will return to the track later this afternoon, when the second practice session gets underway.

Follow me on Twitter - @AndyYoungF1