BlogF1

The Formula One drivers finally got to drive around the new Valencia circuit earlier this morning as the free practice session got underway for Sunday’s race. Being a new track on the calendar, the tables look a little different as some drivers managed to get a great set-up from the word go while others started a little slower. And at the very top is Sebastian Vettel, charging around the streets in his Ferrari-powered Scuderia Toro Rosso.

Vettel’s lap was compounded by his team mate, Sebastien Bourdais, who finished in fourth before breaking for lunch. Felipe Massa had to settle for second while Kimi Raikkonen was back in seventh. McLaren are looking good at the moment with both drivers doing well throughout the 90 minute session. In the end Lewis Hamilton was third and Kovalainen ended his morning in fifth.

Part of the reason for the slightly tumultuous times was the circuit; during the running this morning the track surface was particularly dusty. This meant that as the cars ran around, the surface started to clean and the times started to tumble. In fact, the lap times improved by nine seconds and are expected to improve even further after lunch.

Valencia 2008: Friday Free Practice One