Button leads first free practice in Japan
F1 Grand Prix, GP Japan, Circuit Suzuka
McLaren Mercedes driver Jenson Button has clocked the fastest lap time during the first free practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix. The Briton was followed by his compatriot and team mate Lewis Hamilton. Sebastian Vettel, who will most likely crown himself 2011 F1 champion this weekend, clocked the third time.
Results
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Jenson Button | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:33.634 | - | 20 |
| 2 | 3 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:33.725 | 0.091 | 18 |
| 3 | 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Rbr-Renault | 1:34.090 | 0.456 | 22 |
| 4 | 5 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 1:34.372 | 0.738 | 24 |
| 5 | 2 | Mark Webber | Rbr-Renault | 1:34.426 | 0.792 | 25 |
| 6 | 19 | Jaime Alguersuari | Str-Ferrari | 1:34.937 | 1.303 | 23 |
| 7 | 6 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 1:35.585 | 1.951 | 27 |
| 8 | 18 | Sebastien Buemi | Str-Ferrari | 1:35.590 | 1.956 | 25 |
| 9 | 7 | Michael Schumacher | Mercedes | 1:36.033 | 2.399 | 22 |
| 10 | 10 | Vitaly Petrov | Renault | 1:36.370 | 2.736 | 18 |
| 11 | 9 | Bruno Senna | Renault | 1:36.487 | 2.853 | 18 |
| 12 | 14 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India-Mercedes | 1:36.700 | 3.066 | 21 |
| 13 | 16 | Kamui Kobayashi | Sauber-Ferrari | 1:36.948 | 3.314 | 24 |
| 14 | 15 | Paul di Resta | Force India-Mercedes | 1:36.949 | 3.315 | 22 |
| 15 | 17 | Sergio Perez | Sauber-Ferrari | 1:37.103 | 3.469 | 29 |
| 16 | 8 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:38.197 | 4.563 | 18 |
| 17 | 11 | Rubens Barrichello | Williams-Cosworth | 1:38.331 | 4.697 | 11 |
| 18 | 12 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams-Cosworth | 1:38.446 | 4.812 | 8 |
| 19 | 21 | Jarno Trulli | Lotus-Renault | 1:39.168 | 5.534 | 10 |
| 20 | 20 | Karun Chandhok | Lotus-Renault | 1:39.946 | 6.312 | 22 |
| 21 | 24 | Timo Glock | Virgin-Cosworth | 1:40.872 | 7.238 | 13 |
| 22 | 25 | Jerome d'Ambrosio | Virgin-Cosworth | 1:41.019 | 7.385 | 24 |
| 23 | 22 | Daniel Ricciardo | Hrt-Cosworth | 1:41.106 | 7.472 | 25 |
| 24 | 23 | Narain Karthikeyan | Hrt-Cosworth | 1:41.775 | 8.141 | 25 |
