Lewis Hamilton topped the times ahead of his teammate for first practice for the Italian GP by almost a second.
Jenson Button managed a time three tenths quicker than third placed man Sebastian Vettel, with Mark Webber topping off the top four.
Michael Schumacher had an off at Parabolica in his Mercedes, narrowly avoiding contact with the wall.
Just minutes later, Heikki Kovalainen was forced to stop due to a technical issue, he finished 19th quickest ahead of Karun Chandhok.
Italian GP Free Practice 1 Results:
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01. | L. Hamilton | McLaren | 1:23.865 | 18 | |
| 02. | J. Button | McLaren | 1:24.786 | +0.921 | 19 |
| 03. | S. Vettel | Red Bull | 1:25.231 | +1.366 | 25 |
| 04. | M. Webber | Red Bull | 1:25.459 | +1.594 | 24 |
| 05. | A. Sutil | Force India | 1:26.550 | +2.685 | 23 |
| 06. | V. Petrov | Renault | 1:26.625 | +2.760 | 20 |
| 07. | F. Alonso | Ferrari | 1:26.647 | +2.782 | 20 |
| 08. | F. Massa | Ferrari | 1:26.676 | +2.811 | 24 |
| 09. | S. Perez | Sauber | 1:26.694 | +2.829 | 28 |
| 10. | J. Alguersuari | Toro Rosso | 1:26.696 | +2.831 | 15 |
| 11. | M. Schumacher | Mercedes | 1:26.699 | +2.834 | 21 |
| 12. | N. Hulkenberg | Force India | 1:26.826 | +2.961 | 21 |
| 13. | R. Barrichello | Williams | 1:26.836 | +2.971 | 25 |
| 14. | K. Kobayashi | Sauber | 1:26.996 | +3.131 | 29 |
| 15. | P. Maldonado | Williams | 1:27.365 | +3.500 | 25 |
| 16. | B. Senna | Renault | 1:27.385 | +3.520 | 23 |
| 17. | S. Buemi | Toro Rosso | 1:27.433 | +3.568 | 25 |
| 18. | N. Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:27.492 | +3.627 | 24 |
| 19. | H. Kovalainen | Team Lotus | 1:39.593 | +5.674 | 10 |
| 20. | K. Chandhok | Team Lotus | 1:30.148 | +6.283 | 19 |
| 21. | D. Ricciardo | HRT | 1:30.609 | +6.744 | 27 |
| 22. | V. Liuzzi | HRT | 1:30.619 | +6.754 | 24 |
| 23. | T. Glock | Virgin | 1:31.052 | +7.187 | 12 |
| 24. | J. d’Ambrosio | Virgin | 1:31.899 | +8.034 | 22 |
