Sebastian Vettel was the quickest man in Barcelona on day one. The German took the quickest lap from Fernando Alonso in the dying minutes of the session.
Laptimes improved throughout the day after a wet start to the day. It took several hours for the track to become completely dry, allowing drivers to set some competitive times.
Alonso could only manage a time over a second slower than that of Vettel as most drivers concentrated on longer runs.
Jaime Alguersuari and Kamui Kobayashi both caused red flags. The former left the track and got himself stuck in the gravel whilst Koabyashi ran out of fuel.
Jenson Button came in behind the Toro Rosso and Sauber to claim fifth after a relatively quiet afternoon saw him complete just 77 laps, the majority in the morning.
Narain Karthiekyan in the 2010 HRT and Jerome d’Ambrosio set the most laps, both completing 116.
KERS software issues at Renault saw them well-off the pace in 12th and 13th.
Test times from day one (Barcelona):
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01. | S. Vettel | Red Bull | 1:24.374 | 37 | |
| 02. | F. Alonso | Ferrari | 1:25.485 | +1.111 | 101 |
| 03. | J. Alguersuari | Toro Rosso | 1:25.638 | +1.264 | 57 |
| 04. | K. Kobayashi | Sauber | 1:25.641 | +1.267 | 78 |
| 05. | J. Button | McLaren | 1:26.365 | +1.991 | 77 |
| 06. | P. di Resta | Force India | 1:26.575 | +2.201 | 26 |
| 07. | R. Barrichello | Williams | 1:26.912 | +2.538 | 52 |
| 08. | M. Schumacher | Mercedes | 1:27.512 | +3.138 | 90 |
| 09. | N. Karthikeyan | Hispania | 1:28.393 | +4.019 | 116 |
| 10. | H. Kovalainen | Lotus | 1:30.065 | +5.691 | 54 |
| 11. | J. D’Ambrosio | Virgin | 1:30.950 | +6.576 | 116 |
| 12. | V. Petrov | Renault | 1:35.174 | +10.800 | 20 |
| 13. | N. Heidfeld | Renault | 1:44.324 | +19.950 | 27 |
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