Malaysian GP Practice 1: Webber way out in front

UPDATE

Mark Webber

(GMM) Mark Webber wasn't in a talking mood at Sepang when asked about his problems in Australia two weeks ago.

"We are not going to go into it too much," he told reporters. "I am not going to make a meal of what happened in Melbourne, so let's talk about Malaysia."

Red Bull team figures have said some minor issues were found aboard the Australian's RB7 in Melbourne, after he so struggled to keep up with his teammate Sebastian Vettel.

Team boss Christian Horner said the biggest potential issue was with a rear damper, but he insisted it is not the "smoking gun".

And according to Swiss newspaper Blick, the Briton dismissed an Australian media report that said a careless fan had leaned too hard on an aerodynamic part on Webber's car.

Instead, Horner said Albert Park is a "bogey circuit" for Webber and the team's blunt Helmut Marko told Auto Motor und Sport: "Mark had the pressure of his home race against a relaxed Vettel in super form."

Brazil's Globo reports that Red Bull decided to change Webber's chassis after Melbourne, and the Australian was fastest in the initial practice session at Sepang.

04/07/11 On a very green track, Red Bull's Mark Webber dominated opening practice for the Malaysian GP at Sepang with a lap of 1m37.651s. That easily topped 2nd and 3rd quick Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher at 1m39.316s and 1m39.791s respectively.

Nico Hulkenberg and Pastor Maldonado rounded out the top-5.

World Champ Sebastian Vettel was testing tire wear and race setups and was not a factor in this session.

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