Free 1: McLaren and Red Bull dominate

Before the rain expected Saturday, it was the sun that welcomed the drivers this Friday morning, for the first free practice session at Interlagos. As traditionally, the first half hour was very calm, with the majority of the best times having been achieved in the middle of the session.

Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) was the fastest. After seeing Vitaly Petrov (Renault), Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) and Rubens Barrichello (Williams) set the best times on the track, the German quickly moved to first place during his first timed laps.

The Red Bull driver had to face competition from Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), the two men having exchanged the best time on several occasions. After a few suspenseful minutes, it was Vettel who emerged victorious from the duel, in 1:12??351 then 1:12??328.

For their part and as usual, the pilots Ferrari hardly showed themselves at the forefront. Fernando Alonso, who was to benefit from an engine change at the end of the session, stopped a few seconds before the end of the session, due to a mechanical problem, perhaps engine.

As for Vitaly Petrov (Renault), he did not reassure his team. Despite some promising times at the start of the session, the Russian sent his R30 into the circuit protections, at high speed. If he did not compromise his weekend, Petrov lost points with a view to a seat for the 2011 season.