Free 1: McLaren duo fastest after opening practice at Suzuka

Jenson Button has ended the opening practice session in preparation for this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix fastest overall, only just ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton. The McLaren duo were followed home closely by the Red Bull of Mark Webber in 3rd, whereas reigning Champion Sebastian Vettel floundered down in 17th position.

The opening session of the weekend got underway in glorious weather conditions, only several days after a typhoon tore through Suzuka. There were only two driver changes ahead of the first practice session, as Valtteri Bottas [Williams] and Giedo van der Garde [Caterham] replaced Bruno Senna and Heikki Kovalainen behind the wheel of their respective cars.

In traditional practice fashion, many drivers completed only installation laps as the session got underway. Jean-Eric Vergne was the first driver to take to the track, followed almost immediately by Nico Hulkenberg amongst others. Whereas many only completed the one installation lap, Vergne continued circulating on the track to complete a second lap before he too decided to pit.

It took over 20 minutes for the first timed lap of the session to be set, as the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton finally crossed the line to set a 01:37.435. The Briton continued to improve upon his time at the top, as the HRT duo of Narain Karthikeyan and Pedro de la Rosa slotted into 2nd and 3rd. Whilst many drivers once again took to the track, Hamilton continued to assert his authority with a 01:34.910.

As many drivers began setting times up and down the grid, Mark Webber made a slight error through turns 16 and 17 as he pushed in his Red Bull. The Australian driver then stormed to the top of the timing sheets as the session progressed, displacing Lewis Hamilton with a 01:34.856. Local hero Kamui Kobayashi also made a slight mistake as he too pushed to the limit, with the Sauber driver running momentarily off the circuit through turn 13.

Mark Webber’s reign at the top was brought to an end by the McLaren of Jenson Button, who set a 01:34.507 to shoot to the top of the timing sheets. Lewis Hamilton then slotted neatly into 2nd position, as the McLaren duo led the way at the front of the field. Sergio Perez momentarily left the circuit through the daunting ‘130R’ at turn 15, after the Mexican driver dipped a wheel off the track at high speeds. Loosing control of the car through this blisteringly quick corner can be detrimental, with the likes of Allan McNish and Jaime Alguersuari crashing heavily in recent years.

As the session drew to an end, Jenson Button remained fastest at the front. Many drivers up and down the grid were visibly pushing to the limits of the Suzuka circuit, with the likes of Timo Glock, Fernando Alonso and Michael Schumacher all making minor errors in the closing stages of the session. Nico Rosberg’s preparations for the race weekend were dealt a serious blow in the final minutes, when the German driver came to an abrupt halt at turn 4 with a suspected mechanical issue once again plaguing his performance.

The drivers will return to the Suzuka circuit later in the day, as they continue to prepare for this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix. Both Bruno Senna and Heikki Kovalainen will return to their respective seats for the second session, as they get their first taste of the Suzuka circuit.

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