Australia’s Mark Webber of Red Bull Racing set the fastest time in the first session of the official practise session at the Sepang Circuit here Friday.
Webber clocked one minute 37.651 seconds, 1.665 seconds ahead of Briton Lewis Hamilton of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team.
Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher of Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team clocked the third fastest time with 1:39.791s while team mate, Nico Rosberg finished 10th with 1:40.646s. Bernama
As in Melbourne, reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg again took over the seat from Scotland’s Paul di Resta, but was still 2.7secs down along with Williams’ Pastor Maldonado who was fifth.
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Formula 1: Malaysian Grand Prix - First Practice Results
Ferrari’s Felipe Massa completed 14 installation laps as the team reviewed various components on the car before finally posting a lap time. Eventually the Brazilian moved up to sixth on the timesheet ahead of Nick Heidfeld, with Williams’ Rubens Barrichello, Fernando Alonso in his Ferrari and Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg completing the top 10.
It proved to be a wretched morning for Renault in particular as first Heidfeld and then Vitaly Petrov suffered what appeared to be brake issues. The Press Association
Renault were in the wars. After Heidfeld had set the early pace with that 1m 40.525s, his R31’s right front wheel seized due to a suspected suspension problem and he limped the whole lap back to the pits from which he did not emerge again. Later, Vitaly Petrov’s attempt to better 1m 47.932s was frustrated when his car was pitched off the road in Turn Nine by what at first appeared to be the failure of its front left Pirelli; the Russian, however, suggested that there had perhaps been a brake disc or suspension problem which shattered the wheel and precipitated the tyre explosion. Heidfeld ended the session seventh, with Petrov 24th.
HRT appeared to be in much better shape than they had been in Melbourne, but things soon went wrong after Narain Karthikeyan’s progress was stopped early on by an apparent engine problem on his third lap. Tonio Liuzzi spent much of the session in the garage after his opening run. Subsequently, however, the Italian worked down to 1m 45.228s for 22nd.
There was also drama at the end for D’Ambrosio, whose Virgin lost its right-front wheel under braking for Turn 15 after a suspension failure, pitching the Belgian into the gravel. Formula 1
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