Sebastian Vettel ended first practice on top of the timesheets. The Red Bull driver led McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton by six tenths.
Jenson Button ended practice in third. Both McLaren’s spent much of the session testing new parts on their car, despite the damp track at the beginning of the session.
Mark Webber and Robert Kubica rounded off the top five quickest drivers.
The session saw no major mistakes or incidents other than a few trips onto the run-off in the early, damp stages of the session.
Abu Dhabi Free Practice 1 Results:
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3. | J. Button | McLaren | 1:43.785 |
| 1. | S. Vettel | Red Bull | 1:42.760 |
| 2. | L. Hamilton | McLaren | 1:43.369 |
| 5. | R. Kubica | Renault | 1:44.080 |
| 9. | N. Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:44.718 |
| 4. | M. Webber | Red Bull | 1:43.840 |
| 15. | V. Liuzzi | Force India | 1:45.585 |
| 6. | F. Alonso | Ferrari | 1:44.121 |
| 11. | F. Massa | Ferrari | 1:45.160 |
| 7. | M Schumacher | Mercedes | 1:44.199 |
| 17. | N. Hulkenberg | Williams | 1:46.644 |
| 14. | A. Sutil | Force India | 1:45.552 |
| 12. | V. Petrov | Renaut | 1:45.445 |
| 18. | S. Buemi | Toro Rosso | 1:47.105 |
| 10. | N. Heidfeld | Sauber | 1:44.737 |
| 8. | K. Kobayashi | Sauber | 1:44.604 |
| 16. | J. Alguersuari | Toro Rosso | 1:46.003 |
| 19. | T. Glock | Virgin | 1:48.450 |
| 20. | J. Trulli | Lotus | 1:48.472 |
| 21. | L. di Grassi | Virgin | 1:49.375 |
| 24. | F. Fauzy | Lotus | 1:51.705 |
| 22. | B. Senna | Hispania | 1:49.590 |
| 13. | R. Barrichello | Williams | 1:45.474 |
| 23. | C. Klien | Hispania | 1:50.274 |
