Webber ahead in P1

Mark Webber set the pace in the first practice session in Barcelona, setting a lap that was a second ahead of team-mate Sebastian Vettel. Nico Rosberg was third, two-tenths behind the World Champion. Fernando Alonso was fourth ahead of Sergio Perez’s Sauber and Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren. Michael Schumacher was seventh ahead of Nick Heidfeld and Jenson Button. The tenth place was taken by Rubens Barrichello.

Vitaly Petrov was 11th ahead of Scuderia Toro Rosso test driver Daniel Ricciardo with Pastor Maldonado, who had incident in his Williams, in the finest tradition of the team’s recent number two drivers. Fortunately this time he did not damage the nose. Nico Hulkenberg was next in the Force India, ahead of his team-mate (and the man who he may soon replace full time) Adrian Sutil. Felipe Massa was next in his Ferrari ahead of Kamui Kobayashi’s Sauber, Jaime Alguersuari in the second Toro Rosso, Heikki Kovalainen in his Lotus and Jerome d’Ambrosio, in the older version of the Virgin. Timo Glock was next in the newer version, while Tonio Liuzzi was ahead of Jarno Trulli and Narain Karthikeyan.

The pace of the Red Bulls was thus rather ominous, althouch it is no real surprise given what we have seen thus far this year.