Abu Dhabi GP first practice

Lewis Hamilton was in outstanding form as he set the pace in first practice at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The McLaren driver was 0.333 seconds quicker than team-mate Jenson Button in second place.
Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull was third, 0.765secs off the pace. The German's title rival Fernando Alonso was fourth fastest as Ferrari tried out a number of new parts. Red Bull's Mark Webber was fifth ahead of Michael Schumacher's Mercedes and Williams' Pastor Maldonado. Schumacher's team-mate Nico Rosberg was eighth fastest, ahead of Williams reserve driver Valtteri Bottas and Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen.

Felipe Massa followed with 1m 45.567s for Ferrari, ahead of Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg on 1m 45.587s, Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi on 1m 45.722s, Romain Grosjean on 1m 45.743s in the second Lotus, Jules Bianchi, standing in for Paul di Resta in the second Force India on 1m 45.769s, and Sergio Perez in the second Sauber on 1m 45.811s.

The Toro Rosso were off that pace, with Daniel Ricciardo on 1m 46.649s from Jean-Eric Vergne on 1m 46.708s, then Heikki Kovalainen flew the Caterham flag alone with 1m 47.718s after morning team mate Giedo van der Garde never got a timed run thanks to engine problems.
Timo Glock was on Kovalainen’s tail with 1m 47.891s for Marussia, as Pedro de la Rosa took 22nd for HRT with 1m 48.354s. Max Chilton’s first Friday run for Marussia yielded a solid 1m 48.887s, while Ma Qing Hua’s return to the second HRT, in place of Narain Karthikeyan, was good for 1m 50.487s.
Much of the interest in the session was in Ferrari's new parts, aimed at bringing them closer to Red Bull's pace and reviving Alonso's faltering title challenge.
 The Spaniard has fallen to 13 points behind Vettel after a run of four consecutive wins for the Red Bull driver.
Alonso tried out a new front wing, a new rear wing and a new design of barge boards - the aerodynamic shapes between the front wheels and the side-pods.
Credits: F1, ESPNf1,BBC

Tweet