Lewis Hamilton topped the first Friday practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix, leading Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel by over three tenths.
The McLaren driver completed just 11 laps, joint fewest with Heikki Kovalainen, as they limited their running on thr dusty, sand covered circuit.
Paul di Resta held P3 for Force India ahead of last weekend’s winner Nico Rosberg, Jenson Button and Nico Hulkenberg.
The session was fairly uneventful, with only minor incidents occurring on-track. Timo Glock span his Marussia but recovered to the pits, whilst a handful of cars ran wide, particularly at turn 10.
In news off the track, Force India are reportedly considering skipping second practice because it would mean travelling back to their hotels in the dark and after Wednesday’s events, that’s something they’re keen to avoid. However, it’s believed Bernie Ecclestone is keen to avoid such embarrassment and is negotiating with the team.
2012 Bahrain GP FP1 Results:
| # | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01. | L. Hamilton | McLaren | 1:33.572 | 11 | |
| 02. | S. Vettel | Red Bull | 1:33.877 | +0.305 | 21 |
| 03. | P. di Resta | Force India | 1:34.150 | +0.578 | 26 |
| 04. | N. Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:34.249 | +0.677 | 23 |
| 05. | J. Button | McLaren | 1:34.277 | +0.705 | 14 |
| 06. | N. Hulkenberg | Force India | 1:34.344 | +0.772 | 26 |
| 07. | M. Schumacher | Mercedes | 1:34.483 | +0.911 | 17 |
| 08. | M. Webber | Red Bull | 1:34.552 | +0.980 | 22 |
| 09. | K. Raikkonen | Lotus | 1:34.609 | +1.037 | 18 |
| 10. | R. Grosjean | Lotus | 1:34.847 | +1.275 | 20 |
| 11. | S. Perez | Sauber | 1:35.024 | +1.452 | 22 |
| 12. | P. Maldonado | Williams | 1:35.268 | +1.696 | 25 |
| 13. | F. Alonso | Ferrari | 1:35.436 | +1.864 | 21 |
| 14. | V. Bottas | Williams | 1:35.497 | +1.925 | 24 |
| 15. | F. Massa | Ferrari | 1:35.719 | +2.147 | 19 |
| 16. | K. Kobayashi | Sauber | 1:35.929 | +2.357 | 24 |
| 17. | J. Vergne | Toro Rosso | 1:36.195 | +2.623 | 20 |
| 18. | H. Kovalainen | Caterham | 1:36.330 | +2.758 | 11 |
| 19. | V. Petrov | Caterham | 1:36.484 | +2.912 | 18 |
| 20. | D. Ricciardo | Toro Rosso | 1:36.591 | +3.019 | 20 |
| 21. | C. Pic | Marussia | 1:37.467 | +3.895 | 18 |
| 22. | T. Glock | Marussia | 1:38.006 | +4.434 | 18 |
| 23. | P. de la Rosa | HRT | 1:38.877 | +5.305 | 19 |
| 24. | N. Karthikeyan | HRT | 1:39.996 | +6.424 | 23 |
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