Free 1: Vettel leads the way after opening practice at Austin

Sebastian Vettel has ended the opening practice session fastest ahead of this weekend’s United States Grand Prix, after the drivers took to the brand-new Circuit of the Americas for the first time ever. The McLaren of Lewis Hamilton was 2nd, with Championship contender Fernando Alonso a distant 3rd.

After much anticipation, the first official session around the new Circuit of the Americas began in glorious sunshine and chilly weather conditions. There was only one driver change for the opening practice session of the weekend, as HRT’s development driver Ma Qing Hua replaced Narain Karthikeyan alongside Pedro de la Rosa for the opening 90 minutes.

Kimi Raikkonen was the first driver to take to the Circuit of the Americas, in doing so making history. The Finn was immediately followed out by many other drivers, including Marussia’s Timo Glock and Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi, all of whom made minor mistakes almost immediately due to the tricky track conditions. With the Circuit of the Americas having never been raced upon, the track was incredibly dusty and ‘green’, providing the drivers with a tricky opening practice session.

Slight concerns were raised in the early stages of the session, when smoke was seen ominously emanating from the Mercedes of Michael Schumacher after the German had completed his installation lap. However, the issue was quickly addressed by the team, and Schumacher was instantly back in the car, ready to go.

The early pace in the session was set by the Sauber of Kamui Kobayashi, with a rather slow 01:54.846. However, the Japanese driver was quickly able to improve upon his time, with a 01:48.517. Mark Webber instantly challenged Kobayashi’s dominance, and the duo became locked in a battle for supremacy at the top of the timing sheets. Eventually it was Mark Webber who emerged as the fastest driver on the circuit, setting several blistering lap times which eventually saw the Red Bull driver set a 01:43.672 as the track conditions gradually improved.

Lewis Hamilton then surged to the top of the timing sheets with an impressive 01:42.603, before Championship contender Fernando Alonso asserted his authority over proceedings with a 01:42.538 for Ferrari. Nico Hulkenberg made several minor errors as he pushed to the limits around the new track, as the German driver spun at both Turn 1 and Turn 13. Lewis Hamilton momentarily rose to the top, before Fernando Alonso returned to the top with a 01:40.603.

However, Lewis Hamilton was quick to once again storm to the top of the timings sheets, as Heikki Kovalainen spun at Turn 9. The McLaren of Hamilton continued to improve at the top of the timings sheets, as Mark Webber became the latest driver to spin as he made a minor mistake at Turn 8. Lewis Hamilton became the first driver to dip beneath the 01:40s as the session entered its closing stages, with a 01:39.543 being his personal best.

Despite Lewis Hamilton’s dominance throughout the latter half of the session, reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel eventually rose to the top with a sensational 01:38.692. This time raised many eyebrow within the paddock, however the German was not finished yet, as he set a stunning 01:38.125 as the checkered flag emerged signaling the end of the opening session.

The teams and drivers will return to the Circuit of the Americas later in the day for the second practice session, as they continue to gain valuable track knowledge. Both Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel already look comfortable around the new circuit, as they continue squabbling for the Championship.

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