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Red Bull’s Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel put down a marker for a possible fifth win in a row by dominating both practice sessions for the Chinese Grand Prix on Friday.
The 23-year-old German, chasing his third victory of the season, lapped the monumental Shanghai circuit with a best time of one minute, 37.688 seconds on a smoggy afternoon with few spectators in attendance.
McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton was 0.166 adrift, a big improvement on the morning that saw him more than two seconds off the Red Bulls’ pace.
Vettel’s Australian team mate Mark Webber had been second fastest in the morning but was only 10th after the break. euronews
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Formula 1: Sebastian Vettel Fastest in First Practice at China
German Nick Heidfeld was fifth for Renault despite a crash with half an hour of the session remaining, while Brazilian Felipe Massa was sixth for Ferrari but 2.3secs behind Vettel’s session-best pace.
Mexican Sergio Perez (Sauber), Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado (Williams), Russian Vitaly Petrov (Renault) and Swiss Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso) rounded out the top 10.
Two-time world champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso could only manage 12th for Ferrari after spending much of the session concentrating on aerodynamic testing.
Heidfeld’s spin, which came after he ran wide at the 10th turn and nosed the Renault into the barrier, was one of few on-track incidents in a relatively quiet session.
Maldonado, who has yet to finish a Grand Prix this season, jumped into the top 10 late in the session for Williams before spinning at the fifth turn and taking no further part after beaching the car on the kerb. The Age
Pos No Driver Team Time/Retired 1 1 Sebastian Vettel RBR-Renault 01:38.7 2 2 Mark Webber RBR-Renault 01:39.4 3 3 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 01:40.8 4 4 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 01:40.9 5 9 Nick Heidfeld Renault 01:41.0 6 6 Felipe Massa Ferrari 01:41.0 7 17 Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 01:41.2 8 12 Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 01:41.2 9 10 Vitaly Petrov Renault 01:41.2 10 18 Sebastien Buemi STR-Ferrari 01:41.3 11 8 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 01:41.4 12 5 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 01:41.4 13 14 Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 01:41.5 14 20 Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 01:41.6 15 15 Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 01:41.6 16 19 Daniel Ricciardo STR-Ferrari 01:41.8 17 11 Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 01:41.9 18 7 Michael Schumacher Mercedes 01:42.3 19 16 Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 01:43.8 20 25 Jerome d'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 01:44.1 21 23 Vitantonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 01:44.4 22 24 Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 01:44.4
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