Alonso sets the early pace at Catalunya
F1 Grand Prix, GP Spain, Circuit de Catalunya
Fernando Alonso set the early pace today as he topped the first free practice session of the Spanish Grand Prix weekend. The Spaniard, much to the delight of local fans, went faster than Sebastian Vettel and Kamui Kobayashi.
Debuting in this session are Dani Clos for HRT and Alex Rossi behind the wheel of the Caterham.
The session was considered a further test session, as Toro Rosso came out early with flowviz paint on the rear wing. Lewis Hamilton on the other hand ran a new higher nose while aerodynamic sensors were attached at the back of the car.
Results
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari | 1:24.430 | - | 20 |
| 2 | 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 1:24.808 | 0.378 | 18 |
| 3 | 14 | Kamui Kobayashi | Sauber-Ferrari | 1:24.912 | 0.482 | 28 |
| 4 | 3 | Jenson Button | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:24.996 | 0.566 | 24 |
| 5 | 19 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams-Renault | 1:25.120 | 0.690 | 24 |
| 6 | 7 | Michael Schumacher | Mercedes | 1:25.187 | 0.757 | 15 |
| 7 | 10 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus-Renault | 1:25.217 | 0.787 | 16 |
| 8 | 4 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:25.252 | 0.822 | 20 |
| 9 | 9 | Kimi Räikkönen | Lotus-Renault | 1:25.285 | 0.855 | 29 |
| 10 | 12 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India-Mercedes | 1:25.339 | 0.909 | 24 |
| 11 | 17 | Jean-Eric Vergne | Str-Ferrari | 1:25.367 | 0.937 | 22 |
| 12 | 6 | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 1:25.433 | 1.003 | 21 |
| 13 | 2 | Mark Webber | Red Bull Racing-Renault | 1:25.539 | 1.109 | 23 |
| 14 | 8 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:25.607 | 1.177 | 20 |
| 15 | 15 | Sergio Perez | Sauber-Ferrari | 1:25.918 | 1.488 | 19 |
| 16 | 16 | Daniel Ricciardo | Str-Ferrari | 1:26.226 | 1.796 | 24 |
| 17 | 18 | Pastor Maldonado | Williams-Renault | 1:26.297 | 1.867 | 18 |
| 18 | 11 | Jules Bianchi | Force India-Mercedes | 1:26.630 | 2.200 | 21 |
| 19 | 21 | Vitaly Petrov | Caterham-Renault | 1:27.475 | 3.045 | 20 |
| 20 | 24 | Timo Glock | Marussia-Cosworth | 1:28.267 | 3.837 | 21 |
| 21 | 20 | Alexander Rossi | Caterham-Renault | 1:28.448 | 4.018 | 25 |
| 22 | 25 | Charles Pic | Marussia-Cosworth | 1:28.633 | 4.203 | 22 |
| 23 | 22 | Pedro de la Rosa | Hrt-Cosworth | 1:29.107 | 4.677 | 19 |
| 24 | 23 | Dani Clos | Hrt-Cosworth | 1:31.618 | 7.188 | 19 |
