Sochi, FP1: Hulkenberg tops shortened first practice in Russia

Nico Hulkenberg set the fastest time in opening practice for the Russian Grand Prix as an early morning diesel spill on the track caused the session to be shortened by 30 minutes.

The Force India set his fastest lap in the closing moments of the abbreviated session, with a lap of 1:44.355. Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg was second quickest, just 0.052 behind his compatriot, with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel third.

Some 20 minutes before the session was due to get underway race control reported a ‘significant diesel spill’ at Turns seven and eight. With the incident requiring some time to clear up the session start was delayed by 30 minutes. Race officials also took the decision to do away with the usual opening 30 minutes run on the so-called FP130 tyres and teams were required to return the extra set of prime tyres available to them for this period.

When running eventually got underway those who took to the track did so on intermediate and wet weather tyres, as the affected part of the circuit was still wet from the jet washing using to clear the spill.

Slowly making his way through the wet section on his first outlap, Vettel’s succinct message to Ferrari was a simple “what a mess”.

With little grip on offer and caution the order of the day, it wasn’t until 20 minutes into the curtailed session that a time was registered – with Fernando Alonso clocking a token 2:00.736 before working down to 1:53.584. He was later joined at the head of the timesheet by Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson who slotted into second behind the Spaniard with a time of 1:57.142 on soft tyres.

With just over a quarter of an hour left, Alonso’s McLaren team-mate Jenson Button jumped into P1 with a lap nearly three seconds quicker than the Spaniard.

Alonso swiftly reclaimed the position with a time of 1:49.250 and as the session headed for its final minutes the action on track hotted up and the times began to fall.

Williams’s Valtteri Bottas took P1 with a time of 1:47.959, before Alonso once again rose to the top, finding almost half a second over the Finn. Vettel then claimed the top spot with a time of 1:45.491 and improved that to 1:44.986 two minutes from time.

The flag then came out but Rosberg and Hulkenberg still had laps to complete and Rosberg first supplanted Vettel before Hulkenberg set the final benchmark of 1:44.355.