Turkish GP – Free Practice 1: Alonso leads in the rain, Vettel destroys Kinky Kylie

The first practice session of this Turkish Grand Prix began in the rain, marking the return after a three-week break. Thus, most drivers started the session with an installation lap using rain or intermediate tires.

The day on Saturday is expected to be dry according to the weather forecast, so the teams don’t want to wear out their engines by doing laps that may not serve any purpose.

After twenty minutes, one of the two HRTs is seen being pushed by race marshals, without knowing if the driver went off the track or if there was a technical issue.

After half an hour has passed, several drivers have finally posted a time, with Sebastien Buemi at the top of the timesheet. After a few minutes, Fernando Alonso sets the fastest time while the sound of his Ferrari seems to have changed, indicating an evolution of his car, before being overtaken by Nico Rosberg and his W002. His teammate Michael Schumacher takes third place with a single timed lap, while Mark Webber makes his way onto the track. Red Bull chooses different tires, moving to intermediate tires.

Fernando Alonso comes out for a lap and sets the fastest time of the session, more than a second quicker than Nico Rosberg, who had the previous best lap. Thirty minutes before the end, the two Lotus Renaults positioned themselves in 3rd and 4th place, behind Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes.

Since the beginning of the session, several drivers have fallen victim to aquaplaning, but the first big shock came when Sebastian Vettel made a mistake after the infamous turn number eight, the triple left-hander. Indeed, the German driver went beyond the curb and his car spun out, hitting the wall very hard at over 200 km/h, from both sides and completely destroying his RB7. Despite the crash, the reigning world champion appears physically unscathed, even though his car was completely destroyed. The red flag is out, even though the timer doesn’t stop. The chassis seems damaged, and it’s possible that Sebastian Vettel will have to find a replacement for Kinky Kylie, the name the world champion gave his RB7 at the start of the season.

Michael Schumacher, on the restart, retakes third position, with some impressive slides on the wet track. Several drivers, at the end of the session, didn’t even complete timed laps, such as the McLaren and Lotus drivers. At the end of the session, both McLarens go out for another installation lap, but Lewis Hamilton gets stuck at the red light at the end of the session.

Fernando Alonso and the two Mercedes seem to be in good form on the rain, while some top drivers chose not to take further risks after Sebastian Vettel’s crash, which destroyed his car and seriously compromised his chances of participating in Free Practice 2 this afternoon.

Results of Free Practice 1 – 2011 Turkish Grand Prix: