Singapore GP: Encouraging start for Williams F1 in FP1

The opening Friday practice session for the 2013 Singapore Grand Prix would see Pirelli bring their medium and super soft tyre, with the medium tyre being used as the cars came out for their installation laps. For the Williams F1 team Valtteri Bottas would leave the pit lane first followed shortly after by team-mate Pastor Maldonado. Both drivers would complete a single lap prior to pitting allowing the usual checks to be done. With twenty minutes of the session completed everyone had completed their installation laps but there did not seem to be a rush for drivers coming back out.

The first car to return to the track would be Perez followed by both Caterham's. Turn ten of the circuit had been modified changing it from a chicane to a left hand turn. Perez would set a 1m:53.245 with an hour remaining. Pic would set a 1m:59.152. Van der Gar would set a 1m:57.090 as Perez improved with a 1m:51.644. Last years quickest time in this session was a 1m:50.566 from Vettel. We would now have both Williams and Sauber cars out on the track. A 1m:50.863 from Perez with Van der Gar second followed by Pic. Perez would continue to find time as did both Caterham's. Gutierrez was now third with a 1m:54.621 while Perez would set a 1m:50.103. Pastor was now second with a 1m:50.932, with Valtteri moving into third, 1m:52.951. Hulkenberg was now fourth from Van der Gar and Pic.

Button was now out on the track as Gutierrez moved into third with a 1m:51.338. Hulkenberg was now fourth and Valtteri fifth. The improvement in times from last year would be down to the changes in the track. Perez would pit as Button moved into second with a 1m:50.830. Pastor had gone fastest in the middle sector finishing the lap with a 1m:49.827 to be quickest. More drivers were now out on the track including both Torro Rosso's, Raikkonen, Hamilton, Webber, and Massa. Gutierrez was third from Button, Hulkenberg, and Valtteri. Valtteri would go fastest in sector one while Pastor found time to be quickest again in the middle sector. Button was now fastest in sector one as Pastor completed his lap without improving his time. But Valtteri would finish his lap with a 1m:49.510 to be quickest.

For the Williams team they had brought few new parts except an improved floor. But the times would continue to fall with Webber going fastest with a 1m:48.865 followed by Hamilton with Pastor now third. But Rosberg would move head of all with a 1m:48.684. Valtteri would pit with Pastor now fourth with a time of 1m:49.481. Webber would go quicker with a 1m:48.365 as Pastor also pitted. Hamilton was a very quick lap setting a 1m:47.872 to be quickest from Webber and Rosberg. Raikkonen was now second with a lap time of 1m:48.354. Alonso was also on the track and would improve from seventeenth to be fifth with a 1m:48.693. The only driver yet to set a time was Grosjean. Vettel's first time would see him ninth with a 1m:49.742. A 1m:48.239 from Rosberg but he remained third as Webber went fastest in sector one. He would finish his lap with a 1m:47.699 to again be quickest.

Pastor and Valtteri were now in seventh and eighth with thirty five minutes remaining. Vettel was now in sixth, 1m:48.776, followed by Vergne, Pastor, and Valtteri. The second Torro Rosso of Ricciardo was down in seventeenth. Vettel would improved to be third, 1m:47.933 while Webber would improve with a 1m:47.420. But Hamilton would set a 1m:47.055 to be quickest. The times were considerably faster than last year. Valtteri was back out followed by Pastor. Grosjean was still in his pit with a steering issue. The track had cleared as drivers completed their first runs. Of the top ten we only had Alonso and the two Williams out on the track with under thirty minutes remaining. Perez was now seventh followed by Vergne with Gutierrez now
ninth. Pastor and Valtteri had dropped to tenth and eleventh.

Pos Driver         	  Team		        Time     Laps
 1. Lewis Hamilton        Mercedes              1m47.055s 20
 2. Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault      1m47.420s 20
 3. Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault      1m47.885s 19
 4. Nico Rosberg          Mercedes              1m48.239s 23
 5. Kimi Raikkonen        Lotus-Renault         1m48.354s 18
 6. Romain Grosjean       Lotus-Renault         1m48.355s 12
 7. Fernando Alonso       Ferrari               1m48.362s 21
 8. Sergio Perez          McLaren-Mercedes      1m49.267s 20
 9. Jean-Eric Vergne      Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m49.348s 23
10. Esteban Gutierrez     Sauber-Ferrari        1m49.355s 21
11. Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Renault      1m49.481s 20
12. Felipe Massa          Ferrari               1m49.493s 16
13. Valtteri Bottas       Williams-Renault      1m49.510s 21
14. Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes      1m49.608s 20
15. Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes  1m49.887s 18
16. Adrian Sutil          Force India-Mercedes  1m50.092s 20
17. Nico Hulkenberg       Sauber-Ferrari        1m50.222s 17
18. Daniel Ricciardo      Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m50.757s 16
19. Jules Bianchi         Marussia-Cosworth     1m52.359s 16
20. Max Chilton           Marussia-Cosworth     1m52.673s 15
21. Giedo van der Garde   Caterham-Renault      1m52.920s 24
22. Charles Pic           Caterham-Renault      1m53.647s 23