Mark Webber sets scorching Hungaroring pace

Mark Webber quickest in F1 Practice

Mark Webber Red Bull

Mark Webber

F1 – Final Test Day 1 – Webber easily quickest


Mark Webber

Mark Webber (1:19.574) set the fastest time in the final session of free practice ahead of qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The Australian, the only man to have won three times in 2010, was half a second down on Red Bull team mate Sebastian Vettel on Friday, when many drivers reported feeling more understeer on Bridgestone's super soft tyre.

Bridgestone's Hirohide Hamashima explained: "How much teams are affected by the option tyre depends on front wing set-up. For example, between Vettel and Webber, Webber mistook the set-up of the front wing and felt big understeer, which is why his best lap time was much slower than Vettel, but maybe he could adjust the set-up. Everyone felt a bit more understeer with the supersoft."

Webber, who found a full second from his Friday best, looks like he has found a set-up he is happy with as the Red Bulls continued to dominate. Vettel was second fastest with 1:20.058.

Fernando Alonso (1:20.724) was more than a second from Webber's pace but still Red Bull's closest challenger, while Robert Kubica set fourth quickest time for Renault (1:21.066). Felipe Massa (1:21.264) produced a lap that was good enough for fifth fastest but remains half a second shy of Ferrari team mate Alonso.

Lewis Hamilton (1:20.376) put the first McLaren sixth, with Martin Whitmarsh stressing that in what looks as if it could be a tough race for the team, an error free race day picking up maximum number of points is the target.

Vitaly Petrov (1:21.399) continues to do a strong job in the second Renault at a circuit he knows well, while Nico Rosberg's Mercedes (1:21.422) just pipped Jenson Button's McLaren (1:21.473) to eighth place and Nico Hulkenberg's Williams (1:21.533) completed the top 10, a couple of tenths in front of team mate Rubens Barrichello (1:21.705).