Oliver WhiteNico Rosberg of Williams topped the first free practice around Turkey’s Istanbul Park circuit earlier today, setting a lap time 0.3s faster than nearest rival Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren. Hamilton had been in the top spot as the 90 minute session drew to a close, but in a last second attempt, Rosberg managed to clinch the fastest time, demoting the reigning world champion to P2. Jarno Trulli went into P3 in the Toyota while the Brawns were back in P9 and P11.
The Istanbul Park circuit started off in a very dusty condition, meaning that few drivers ventured out in the first 30 minutes, and when they did plumes of dust were sent into the air as the cars cleaned the surface with each tour. By the mid-point, most drivers had set a time and Jarno Trulli showed promise in the TF109, improving on his and the car’s form from the previous Monaco Grand Prix.
A few drivers left the track at the first corner, and when Felipe Massa ventured off into the scenery, his Ferrari dislodged the astro-turf lining the track, causing the session to be briefly stopped while repairs were made. Turn 8 also saw a few drivers run wide, the corner notorious with its quadruple apex. Sebastian Vettel, Timo Glock and Fernando Alonso also span and one point or another during the practice run.
The times set were relatively close, with only a second separating Lewis Hamilton in P2 and Mark Webber in P15. Other notable performances came from the Force Indias, with Adrian Sutil ending his morning in P12, and Giancarlo Fisichella keeping himself ahead of the two Scuderia Toro Rosso pilots.
Turkey 2009
|
Lap Time
|
Laps Set
|
1. |  Nico Rosberg Williams |
1m28.952s | 24 Laps |
| 2. |  Lewis Hamilton McLaren |
1m29.263s | 23 Laps |
| 3. |  Jarno Trulli Toyota |
1m29.271s | 26 Laps |
| 4. | Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing |
1m29.337s | 17 Laps |
| 5. |  Felipe Massa Ferrari |
1m29.342s | 22 Laps |
| 6. |  Kazuki Nakajima Williams |
1m29.371s | 21 Laps |
| 7. |  Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari |
1m29.398s | 24 Laps |
| 8. |  Fernando Alonso Renault |
1m29.422s | 24 Laps |
| 9. | Rubens Barrichello Brawn |
1m29.525s | 24 Laps |
| 10. | Heikki Kovalainen McLaren |
1m29.590s | 19 Laps |
| 11. | Jenson Button Brawn |
1m29.747s | 20 Laps |
| 12. | Adrian Sutil Force India |
1m29.864s | 21 Laps |
| 13. | Timo Glock Toyota |
1m29.934s | 25 Laps |
| 14. | Nelson Piquet Jr. Renault |
1m30.132s | 18 Laps |
| 15. |  Mark Webber Red Bull Racing |
1m30.176s | 21 Laps |
| 16. |  Robert Kubica BMW |
1m30.645s | 22 Laps |
| 17. | Nick Heidfeld BMW |
1m30.689s | 19 Laps |
| 18. | Giancarlo Fisichella Force India |
1m30.729s | 22 Laps |
| 19. |  Sebastien Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso |
1m30.838s | 24 Laps |
| 20. |  Sebastien Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso |
1m30.944s | 25 Laps |
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