Free 1: Hamilton fastest ahead of Vettel in Malaysia

British driver Lewis Hamilton has ended FP1 fastest in Malaysia ahead of reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel, with the heat causing high amounts of tyre wear up and down the grid. Jenson Button suffered a difficult morning session, as the 2009 World Champion’s running was cut short due to an oil leak on his McLaren.

As the session got underway in hot and humid conditions it was the Toro Rosso of Jean-Eric Vergne that took to the track first, the Frenchman followed out by many other drivers’ eager to complete their installation laps. Force India’s Paul Di Resta set the first timed lap of the weekend with a 02:04.524 shortly after the session began.

That timed lap was quickly beaten as Timo Glock, then Jenson Button went quicker. The McLaren driver set a 01:39.323 which was then beaten by a couple of tenths by F1 returnee Kimi Raikkonen, the Finn confident of a possible podium finish this weekend for Lotus.

The other Lotus driver of Romain Grosjean suffered an issue with his right-rear tyre throughout FP1, as the Frenchman limped back to the pits. Many believed at first that he was stuck in seventh gear, but as he returned to the pits it became apparent the tyre had worked itself loose. If Grosjean had gone any faster on his way back to the pits, it could’ve ended disastrously for the Frenchman.

Whilst the Lotus mechanics worked on Grosjean’s car, Michael Schumacher went fastest for Mercedes with a 01:39.083, which the 7-time World Champion improved on shortly afterwards.

As the session wore on, the threat of rain in practice 2 began increasing, forcing many teams’ to alter their Friday plans to accommodate for the possibility of wet running in the afternoon. Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, shot to the top with a 01:38.598, which was beaten by Sebastian Vettel with a 01:38.535 as the times began to get faster. Lewis Hamilton continued his improvements at the top, going even quicker with a 01:38.021 after a heavy lock-up into turn 15.

HRT’s miseries continued throughout practice 1 as Narain Karthikeyan ground to a halt, this time with a suspected hydraulic failure. The Indian driver completed 8 laps in total throughout practice 1.

As their team-mates set the pace atop the timing sheets, Jenson Button and Mark Webber’s cars’ were surrounded by their respective mechanics towards the end of the session. Red Bull mechanics seemed interested on the rear of Webber’s car, with one mechanic filing away at the floor of the Australian’s car.

However, things looked slightly more serious at McLaren, with Button’s car completely stripped down with even the KERs battery removed. It was confirmed that the former Champion was suffering from an oil leak, with mechanics crowding around the car trying their best to fix the issue.

As the session came to a close Hamilton was leading the way five tenths ahead of reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel. With rain forecast for practice 2, this session of dry running could prove pivotal in the quest for success at Sepang.

Follow me on Twitter - @AndyYoungF1