Mark Webber topped first practice for the British Grand Prix with a time of 1:46.603, just over six tenths quicker than Michael Schumacher in P2.
The session was a damp affair which led to a few drivers exploring the run-off areas including Kamui Kobayashi who span his Sauber and so nearly rolled it before hitting the start/finish wall, providing his mechanics with a huge repair job.
Lewis Hamilton also went off after conducting an aero test on slicks – the grip clearly too low for such a tyre. Most, including Fernando Alonso opted for intermediates, but that didn’t stop the Spaniard from spinning at Stowe.
Webber may have been fastest but he too encountered an issue on his in-lap as he coasted to the entrance of the new pitlane. Unable to make it under the power of his sick RB7, he had to jump out and aid the mechanics in pushing it back to the garage.
Daniel Ricciardo debuted in the Hispania and kept pace with teammate Vitantonio Liuzzi until the last few minutes of the session before the Italian improved to over a second quicker.
British GP Free Practice 1 Results:
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01. | M. Webber | Red Bull | 1:46.603 | 19 | |
| 02. | M. Schumacher | Mercedes | 1:47.263 | +0.660 | 20 |
| 03. | R. Barrichello | Williams | 1:47.347 | +0.744 | 23 |
| 04. | S. Perez | Sauber | 1:47.422 | +0.819 | 22 |
| 05. | F. Massa | Ferrari | 1:47.562 | +0.959 | 13 |
| 06. | N. Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:47.758 | +1.155 | 23 |
| 07. | F. Alonso | Ferrari | 1:48.161 | +1.558 | 16 |
| 08. | L. Hamilton | McLaren | 1:48.549 | +1.946 | 21 |
| 09. | N. Hulkenberg | Force India | 1:48.598 | +1.995 | 19 |
| 10. | J. Alguersuari | Toro Rosso | 1:48.678 | +2.075 | 22 |
| 11. | P. di Resta | Force India | 1:48.730 | +2.127 | 18 |
| 12. | S. Buemi | Toro Rosso | 1:48.778 | +2.175 | 18 |
| 13. | S. Vettel | Red Bull | 1:48.794 | +2.191 | 21 |
| 14. | P. Maldonado | Williams | 1:48.809 | +2.206 | 17 |
| 15. | J. Button | McLaren | 1:48.841 | +2.238 | 23 |
| 16. | N. Heidfeld | Renault | 1:48.941 | +2.338 | 20 |
| 17. | V. Petrov | Renault | 1:49.603 | +3.000 | 15 |
| 18. | K. Kobayashi | Sauber | 1:50.133 | +3.530 | 17 |
| 19. | J. Trulli | Team Lotus | 1:50.222 | +3.619 | 14 |
| 20. | K. Chandhok | Team Lotus | 1:51.119 | +4.516 | 17 |
| 21. | T. Glock | Virgin | 1:52.470 | +5.867 | 17 |
| 22. | V. Liuzzi | Hispania | 1:53.149 | +6.540 | 20 |
| 23. | J. D’Ambrosio | Virgin | 1:53.469 | +6.866 | 26 |
| 24. | D. Ricciardo | Hispania | 1:54.334 | +7.731 | 24 |
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