Button claims top spot in first practice
F1 Grand Prix, GP China, Shanghai International Ciruit
McLaren's Jenson Button has claimed the top spot in the first free practice session of the Chinese GP, with Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton completing the top three places. Highlights of a rather uneventful session were Fernando Alonso's engine failure and Sebastien Buemi's catastrophic front suspension failure.
Results
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Button | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:36.677 | ----- | 15 | |
| 2. Rosberg | Mercedes | 1:36.748 | +0.071 | 17 | |
| 3. Hamilton | McLaren-Mercedes | 1:36.775 | +0.098 | 19 | |
| 4. Vettel | Red Bull-Renault | 1:37.509 | +0.832 | 14 | |
| 5. Kubica | Renault | 1:37.601 | +0.924 | 20 | |
| 6. Petrov | Renault | 1:37.716 | +1.039 | 17 | |
| 7. Schumacher | Mercedes | 1:37.745 | +1.068 | 25 | |
| 8. Webber | Red Bull-Renault | 1:37.980 | +1.303 | 17 | |
| 9. Sutil | Force India-Mercedes | 1:38.008 | +1.331 | 13 | |
| 10. Massa | Ferrari | 1:38.098 | +1.421 | 19 | |
| 11. Alguersuari | Toro Rosso-Ferrari | 1:38.161 | +1.484 | 19 | |
| 12. Kobayashi | Sauber-Ferrari | 1:38.375 | +1.698 | 21 | |
| 13. de la Rosa | Sauber-Ferrari | 1:38.421 | +1.744 | 19 | |
| 14. Hulkenberg | Williams-Cosworth | 1:38.569 | +1.892 | 20 | |
| 15. di Resta | Force India-Mercedes | 1:38.618 | +1.941 | 26 | |
| 16. Barrichello | Williams-Cosworth | 1:38.678 | +2.001 | 17 | |
| 17. Buemi | Toro Rosso-Ferrari | 1:39.939 | +3.262 | 5 | |
| 18. Trulli | Lotus-Cosworth | 1:41.531 | +4.854 | 22 | |
| 19. Kovalainen | Lotus-Cosworth | 1:41.779 | +5.102 | 23 | |
| 20. Glock | Virgin-Cosworth | 1:41.830 | +5.153 | 20 | |
| 21. di Grassi | Virgin-Cosworth | 1:42.181 | +5.504 | 27 | |
| 22. Senna | Hrt-Cosworth | 1:43.875 | +7.198 | 23 | |
| 23. Chandhok | Hrt-Cosworth | 1:43.949 | +7.272 | 20 | |
| 24. Alonso | Ferrari | -------- | ----- | 6 |
