Mark Webber topped the time sheets of the a damp and gloomy first practice session in Silverstone this morning.
The Australian picked a prime moment to secure his best lap of the reconfigured circuit during his nineteen lap session.
Webber’s best of 1:46.603 came late in the session and placed his Red Bull over six-tenths quicker than Mercedes veteran Michael Schumacher.
It was not all trouble-free for Webber though. Come the close of practice, the Australian parked his RB7 at the entrance to old pitlane, with potential electrical issues.
Rubens Barrichello brought his Williams to 3rd in the standings. The team arrived at Silverstone with an updated FW33, including a pair of new front wings. Barrichello and teammate Pastor Maldonado ran different diffusers.
Sergio Perez set the 4th quickest lap for Sauber. The young Mexican went further than teammate Kamui Kobayashi, who suffered a large crash near the close of the session, after he lost his C30 on the approach to the first corner.
Daniel Ricciardo made his début at Hispania. The Australia propped up the rear of the field after a 24 lap practice that saw Ricciardo 7.7 seconds shy of Webber.
Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m46.603s 19 2. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m47.263s + 0.660 20 3. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m47.347s + 0.744 23 4. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m47.422s + 0.819 22 5. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m47.562s + 0.959 13 6. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m47.758s + 1.155 23 7. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m48.161s + 1.558 16 8. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m48.549s + 1.946 21 9. Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1m48.598s + 1.995 19 10. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m48.678s + 2.075 22 11. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m48.730s + 2.127 18 12. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m48.778s + 2.175 18 13. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m48.794s + 2.191 21 14. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 1m48.809s + 2.206 17 15. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m48.841s + 2.238 23 16. Nick Heidfeld Renault 1m48.941s + 2.338 20 17. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m49.603s + 3.000 15 18. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m50.133s + 3.530 17 19. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault 1m50.222s + 3.619 14 20. Karun Chandhok Lotus-Renault 1m51.119s + 4.516 17 21. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m52.470s + 5.867 17 22. Tonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 1m53.143s + 6.540 20 23. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1m53.469s + 6.866 26 24. Daniel Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth 1m54.334s + 7.731 24
