Free 1: Kamui Kobayashi fastest in sodden opening practice at Spa

Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi has ended the opening practice at Spa-Francorchamps fastest ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, after the session was run in exceedingly treacherous conditions. Pastor Maldonado and Daniel Ricciardo rounded out the top three, as the unrelenting rain pounded the legendary circuit.

The session started in extremely torrential conditions, with the iconic Spa weather system providing the teams with conditions similar to that seen during qualifying for the British Grand Prix earlier in the year. Regardless of these tricky conditions, many drivers took to the track as the session got underway, with Jean-Eric Vergne the first driver to leave the dry confines of the pits.

In traditional Friday morning fashion, two reserve drivers got behind the wheel of their respective cars, with Valtteri Bottas and Dani Clos replacing respective team-mates’ Bruno Senna and Narain Karthikeyan at Williams and HRT. Kamui Kobayashi became the first driver to brave the elements and complete a flying lap, completing a time well off the usual pace with a 02:23.141. The Japanese driver was able to improve slightly on his next lap, with a 02:17.705.

After Kobayashi’s momentary endeavor onto the slippery Spa circuit, the track fell silent once again as the drivers opted to remain in the safe and dry confines of their respective pit garages. With scenes similar to that of Spa ’98, the possibility of a driver damaging his car whilst aquaplaning was more than enough to prevent the drivers from venturing into the unknown abyss of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

However, after roughly an hour of no track action, the cars decided to take to the track as the rain began to gradually subside slightly. This enabled the Toro Rossos of Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne to set fastest times, with the latter setting a 02:13.179 as the session progressed. The Sauber of Kamui Kobayashi once again returned to the top spot with a 02:12.105, with the 25-year-old Japanese driver running wide slightly through the turn 5 Les Combes section of the tack.

This particular section of the track proved tricky for drivers in these tough conditions, with the likes of Mark Webber and Jenson Button also running wide. Daniel Ricciardo was able to bring Toro Rosso back to the top as the session entered its closing stages, before the Williams of Pastor Maldonado shot to the top with a 02:11.941. However, it was Kamui Kobayashi who eventually finished on top as the rain continued to lash down upon the Spa circuit, with a 02:11.389 the fastest time possible in the utterly perilous track conditions.

Felipe Massa ended the opening practice session in disastrous style, with the Ferrari driver suffering an engine failure on his way back to the pits. With Spa-Francorchamps one of the toughest tracks on engines throughout the year, mechanical issues could become a familiarity throughout the race weekend.

With the conditions forecast to remain wet throughout the remainder of the day, the drivers will be relying on a dry third practice on Saturday morning as they prepare for the all-important qualifying hour. The drivers will return to the Spa-Francorchamps circuit later in the day, as they continue to prepare for Sunday’s race.

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