Malaysia – Free Practice 1: Hamilton and Mercedes Dominate, Räikkönen Lurking

During the first half-hour, many drivers take to the track, starting with installation laps in the opening minutes. Esteban Gutierrez is the first to set a timed lap at 1:45.851, before this time is improved by the highly competitive Williams of Valtteri Bottas in Melbourne: 1:44.359. Some drivers also conduct a start simulation, while Jenson Button improves the best time ahead of Fernando Alonso with 1:42.531. But the Spanish driver improves: times begin to drop, while tires lock up on some cars. First issue for Lotus this weekend, Romain Grosjean is stopped on the track. Another small incident on track, Adrian Sutil missed the entry to the pits, braking on the grass and nearly ending up in the wall.

In the second third of this session, Daniil Kvyat has the track to himself for a few laps: the young Toro Rosso driver ranks just behind Jean-Eric Vergne, in 7th position. The Frenchman is the second driver to take the track, followed by Esteban Gutierrez. The Scuderia Toro Rosso driver improves the best time by half a second: 1:41.402, before being beaten by Kevin Magnussen. A small yellow flag is caused by Marcus Ericsson; the young Caterham driver made a mistake but managed to get back on track. Another yellow flag is deployed as Kevin Magnussen stops in neutral at the pit entry line. The McLaren driver remains in his car, which is pushed by the marshals, while Romain Grosjean’s Lotus finally returns to the pits. At Ferrari, we finally see Kimi Räikkönen ahead of Fernando Alonso in the standings: the Finn sets the best time at 1:40.843, while his teammate spins out at the exit of a corner.

In the last half hour, Lewis Hamilton takes the lead, while Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button clock the 3rd and 4th fastest times. Felipe Massa also provokes a yellow flag by making a mistake, before being able to get back on track. A second problem for Lotus, Pastor Maldonado’s car, which had just taken to the track, emits smoke, and the Venezuelan is asked to cut his engine. At the end of the session, Romain Grosjean manages to go out for installation laps, while the front wing of Daniel Ricciardo’s Red Bull is changed for comparison purposes. Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, takes a little detour through the gravel.

So it’s Lewis Hamilton who is the fastest of the morning, while problems continue to pile up for Lotus. A nice surprise in 2nd position with Kimi Räikkönen, with Fernando Alonso only in 11th. All the drivers set their times on hard tires (orange).

Free Practice 1 Results of the 2014 Malaysian Grand Prix: