25/10/2013
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's opening practice session the air temperature is 27 degrees C, while the track temperature is 33 degrees. As in previous years there is a sort of yellow smog hanging over the circuit.
There are two DRS zones at, the detection point of the first is 16m before Turn 3 and its activation point is 350m after Turn 3. The second zone's detection point is 10m after
Turn 15, with the activation point 36m after Turn 16.
Tyre compounds medium and soft as opposed to the hard and soft combination used in 2011 and 2012.
There is only one reserve driver on duty this morning and that is James Calado who replaces Paul di Resta. Contrary to earlier reports the Scot is not sidelined by 'Delhi belly' - though he does have a mild upset - rather Calado has been promised a number of FP1 outings before the end of the season.
The lights go green and Maldonado is first out, followed by Chilton and Bottas.
Within a couple of minutes all but Hamilton, Calado, Sutil and Ricciardo have been out indeed, as mechanics swarm over his car the Australian climbs from his cockpit.
Having eventually ventured out, on returning to the pits Hamilton reveals that he clipped a wall with the left-front wing. But where? This is not Monaco or Singapore.
There follows an inordinately long period of total inactivity - just the sort of thing to encourage those fans watching on TV to make the trip to the circuit - indeed, most drivers are out of their cars. It's claimed that advance ticket sales number just 15,000... and to thing the Indian tax authorities classes F1 as entertainment.
Twenty-five minutes into the session Perez heads down the pitlane again to finally give the fans something to look at. And we (at Pitpass) thought Cricket was boring.
The Mexican posts the first time of the weekend (1:30.953), subsequently improving to 29.324. After just two laps Perez is told to "protect" his front-left tyre. From the pit-wall his progress is watched by Kevin Magnussen.
Thirty-five minutes into the session, having improved to 28.207, Perez heads back to the pits, Maldonado, Bottas and Pic take his place on track. In the paddock, Lewis Hamilton, accompanied by his brother Nick, poses with a couple of fans for pictures.
Finally out of his garage, Ricciardo is on track, the problem with his Toro Rosso, whatever it was, seemingly resolved.
Bottas runs wide at T10, but nonetheless moments later he is one of five new names that join Perez on the timesheet and finally give the fans something to watch. Elsewhere, the TV cameras pick up on Vergne bottoming, his car sending up a shower of sparks.
Bottas goes second (28.893), ahead of Vergne, Button, Ricciardo and Pic as more drivers finally take to the track.
Watched by his girlfriend Jessica and father John - both wearing a lot of pink - Button goes quickest with as 27.995 only to be leapfrogged by Rosberg (27.937) moments later. Elsewhere, Maldonado locks up going into T3 and Massa runs wide in T14.
At 'half-time', it's: Rosberg, Button, Perez, Bottas, Vergne, Hamilton, Maldonado, Hulkenberg, Raikkonen and Van der Garde.
As Rosberg improves to 27.217, Ricciardo reveals that his car is bottoming on the back straight.
Alonso goes fourth (28.214), as Vettel improves from 29.231 to 27.196, going quickest on his second flying lap. Webber (28.803) subsequently improves to third with a 27.872.
As hears sink - the Red Bulls looking as though they are on rails (don't they always), Rosberg ups the ante with 26.899.
Alonso - sporting an ad for BT's voicemail service (what else could 1571 stand for) heads slowly back to the pits, the Spaniard seemingly only having one gear available.
As Massa goes third (27.694), Vettel re-takes the top spot with a 26.683.
"The track surface here is generally not very abrasive," tweets Pirelli, "but having made its debut only two years ago, the asphalt is still evolving. Over time new asphalt tends to get rougher as the bitumen on the surface is swept away, leaving the stones that make up the asphalt exposed. This fact increases abrasion, which has an effect on tyre wear."
Ferrari suggests, via Twitter (natch!) that Alonso's problem was electrics related.
Having been quiet for much of the preceding hour, Grosjean finally pops up in third (26.990), teammate Raikkonen having dropped down to 28.996.
As Rosberg reports "too much oversteer", Ricciardo runs wide in T7.
A big, big spin and slide for Maldonado at T6 but is able to continue. Elsewhere, cameras pick up on Ricciardo cutting the chicane and Perez running wide at T6.
With twenty minutes remaining, Ferrari reveals that Alonso's session is over, after only 6 laps, having discovered a "gearbox problem which needs to be checked". A bad start to the weekend for the only man who might possibly delay Vettel's coronation.
Calado says that his car "started off brilliant" but has now "gone the other way".
Hamilton, currently 14th, runs wide and over the gravel in T1, the Mercedes driver admitting that he is "struggling" with the balance of the car. He subsequently improves to 8th (27.774), around 0.8s slower than his teammate.
With 19 cars on track, teams complain that traffic is an issue.
Bianchi, who is sporting a haircut of Foreign Legion proportions, runs wide at T7 as Calado has a big spin at T15, the Force India driver losing it on entry to the corner.
Hamilton improves to fifth, now 0.3s down on his Mercedes teammate, while Raikkonen, despite having completed 17 laps, remains down in seventeenth.
A late nose change for Button who appears to be carrying out a back-to-back test.
Despite posting PBs in the first two sectors, a poor final sector means that Grosjean is unable to improve on fourth.
The session ends with Vettel quickest ahead of Webber, Rosberg, Grosjean, Hamilton, Button, Perez, Massa, Hulkenberg and Bottas.
Vergne is eleventh, ahead of Alonso, Ricciardo, Maldonado, Sutil, Gutierrez, Raikkonen, Calado, Van der Garde, Bianchi, Pic and Chilton.
Check out our Friday gallery, here.