F1 Fanatic

Lewis Hamilton, McLaren, Interlagos, 2010

The first practice session in Brazil brought few surprises. Red Bull look fast, with a healthy half-a-second advantage over McLaren.

Ferrari kept a low profile in the first session as usual – there’s no way they’re really the best part of two seconds off the pace, even though Felipe Massa was complaining about understeer during the session.

View interactive chart full screen

Tick/untick drivers’ names to show their laps, click and drag to zoom

The gap between the two Red Bull drivers is eye-catching given they set them at similar times with a similar amount of tyre wear. And there’s no consolation for Mark Webber in the ultimate lap times (see below) either.

Once again, it seems Vettel has the upper hand, and at McLaren it was the same story for Lewis Hamilton.

As expected the McLarens are the fastest thing in a straight line, Jenson Button clocking 318.4kph through the speed trap.

But even so, the Red Bulls were quickest through every sector. Let me correct that: Sebastian Vettel was quickest through every sector.

Vettel’s 1’12.328 beat the best time seen in last year’s first practice by a tenth of a second.

But it remains to be seen how quick the cars will go when they switch to the super-soft tyre – which could have a significant bearing on strategy for the race.

A final note on today’s first practice session: Vitaly Petrov’s crash was reportedly caused by an F-duct problem and not driver error.

Ultimate laps

An ultimate lap is a drivers’ best three times in each sector added together.

2010 Brazilian Grand Prix

• 2010 Brazilian Grand Prix: the complete F1 Fanatic race weekend review
• Vote for the best driver of the Brazilian GP weekend
• Red Bull win teams title but risk throwing drivers championship away
• Alonso loses the battle but he’s winning the war
• Poor pace spells end of McLaren’s title hopes
• Hülkenberg eighth after pole position
• Mercedes seal fourth in constructors’ championship
• Brazil sees most race finishers since 1952
• Force India fall behind Williams in teams’ title
• Kubica frustrated by Hülkenberg’s defence

Image © www.mclaren.com