Felipe Massa finished the first day of Pirelli tyre testing quickest at the Abu Dhabi circuit on Friday.
This is the first time the teams have had the chance to test on the new rubber since Bridgestone’s departure on Wednesday.
Sebastian Vettel finished just behind the Brazilian in the Red Bull whilst McLaren test and reserve driver Gary Paffett, filling in for Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, came in third.
Other drivers in action today included Kamui Kobayshi, Robert Kubica and Rubens Barrichello, whilst Paul di Resta and Adrian Sutil shared duties. Nico Rosberg finished just ahead of Jaime Alguersuari with the three newcomers coming in slowest.
The session didn’t end well for Pirelli as they suffered their first failure with Vettel causing a red-flag.
Pirelli Tyre Test Times (Day 1):
| # | Driver | Team | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01. | Felipe Massa | Ferrari | 1:40.170 |
| 02. | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull | 1:40.500 |
| 03. | Gary Paffett | McLaren | 1:40.874 |
| 04. | Kamui Kobayashi | Sauber | 1:40.950 |
| 05. | Robert Kubica | Renault | 1:41.032 |
| 06. | Rubens Barrichello | Williams | 1:41.425 |
| 07. | Paul di Resta | Force India | 1:41.615 |
| 08. | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:41.778 |
| 09. | Jaime Alguersuari | Toro Rosso | 1:42.019 |
| 10. | Adrian Sutil | Force India | 1:42.859 |
| 11. | Timo Glock | Virgin | 1:44.124 |
| 12. | Heikki Kovalainen | Lotus | 1:44.686 |
| 13. | Pastor Maldonado | Hispania | 1:45.728 |
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