Lewis Hamilton topped the times for the first practice session of the Indian Grand Prix with a lap of 1:26.836, just as the checkered flag fell to end the session.
Sebastian Vettel finished in second, almost six tenths behind the McLaren, whilst his teammate Mark Webber, completed the top three a further one hundredth slower.
The drivers were very keen to lap the track in an attempt to learn the track and clean up the very dusty surface. Several drivers completed 25+ laps, which is unusual for the first practice session.
The session was red flagged for a few minutes after a dog entered the track and caused Karun Chandhok to take avoiding action.
Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso only set four timed laps after his engineer requested he stop on track, which he duly did at turn ten following a technical issue.
Jaime Alguersuari suffered the first accident in India after losing the rear of his car and ending his session in the barriers.
Meanwhile, Pastor Maldonado’s Cosworth engine decided to give up in a plume of smoke with just four minutes of the session remaining.
Indian GP Free Practice 1 Results:
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01. | L. Hamilton | McLaren | 1:26.836 | 22 | |
| 02. | S. Vettel | Red Bull | 1:27.416 | +0.580 | 23 |
| 03. | M. Webber | Red Bull | 1:27.428 | +0.592 | 27 |
| 04. | J. Button | McLaren | 1:28.394 | +1.558 | 23 |
| 05. | M. Schumacher | Mercedes | 1:28.531 | +1.695 | 23 |
| 06. | N. Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:28.542 | +1.706 | 29 |
| 07. | F. Massa | Ferrari | 1:28.644 | +1.808 | 22 |
| 08. | A. Sutil | Force India | 1:28.705 | +1.869 | 23 |
| 09. | S. Buemi | Toro Rosso | 1:29.219 | +2.383 | 24 |
| 10. | K. Kobayashi | Sauber | 1:29.355 | +2.519 | 29 |
| 11. | P. di Resta | Force India | 1:29.700 | +2.864 | 24 |
| 12. | V. Petrov | Renault | 1:29.705 | +2.869 | 22 |
| 13. | B. Senna | Renault | 1:29.799 | +2.963 | 20 |
| 14. | S. Perez | Sauber | 1:30.132 | +3.296 | 25 |
| 15. | R. Barrichello | Williams | 1:30.367 | +3.531 | 21 |
| 16. | J. Alguersuari | Toro Rosso | 1:30.566 | +3.730 | 19 |
| 17. | P. Maldonado | Williams | 1:30.669 | +3.833 | 22 |
| 18. | J. Trulli | Team Lotus | 1:30.818 | +3.982 | 22 |
| 19. | K. Chandhok | Team Lotus | 1:32.487 | +5.651 | 24 |
| 20. | T. Glock | Virgin | 1:32.771 | +5.935 | 24 |
| 21. | D. Ricciardo | HRT | 1:33.928 | +7.092 | 27 |
| 22. | N. Karthikeyan | HRT | 1:34.113 | +7.277 | 30 |
| 23. | J. d’Ambrosio | Virgin | 1:35.796 | +8.960 | 19 |
| 24. | F. Alonso | Ferrari | 1:35.899 | +9.063 | 4 |
