British GP: Webber sets pace before electrical problem

(GMM) Mark Webber set Friday's fastest practice time, but the Australian also sat out the end of the afternoon session while Red Bull repaired an electrical problem.

But in the sister RB6, 2009 winner Sebastian Vettel had been the quickest runner in the morning, demonstrating that the Austrian-owned team is still the favorite for British grand prix victory.

McLaren debuted its Red Bull-like blown exhaust layout on Friday, but Lewis Hamilton – the fastest of the two MP5-25s – was 1.5 seconds off the pace.

His teammate Jenson Button, nearly two seconds too slow in the afternoon, said: "We know it (the new package) will take a little bit getting used to and I am sure there is setup work needed, so we are going to have a busy couple of days getting it right."

Closest to Webber's ultimate pace was Fernando Alonso, but the Ferrari was four tenths slower in the afternoon session.

"I am quite optimistic for the weekend, but we know the characteristics of the track are maybe not the same as Canada or Valencia, so we will see," said the Spaniard.

"I think Red Bull are clearly the favorites at the moment," added Alonso.

Results

Pos

Driver Team Time Behind Laps
1. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1:31.234 +0.000 15
2. Alonso Ferrari 1:31.626 +0.392 26
3. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:31.875 +0.641 24
4. Massa Ferrari 1:32.099 +0.865 25
5. Rosberg Mercedes 1:32.166 +0.932 29
6. Schumacher Mercedes 1:32.660 +1.426 27
7. Petrov Renault 1:32.745 +1.511 28
8. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:32.757 +1.523 22
9. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:32.787 +1.553 27
10. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:32.967 +1.733 32
11. Kubica Renault 1:33.019 +1.785 30
12. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:33.164 +1.930 28
13. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:33.200 +1.966 24
14. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:33.402 +2.168 23
15. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:33.728 +2.494 27
16. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:33.836 +2.602 36
17. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:34.051 +2.817 29
18. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:34.643 +3.409 36
19. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1:35.465 +4.231 25
20. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1:36.237 +5.003 24
21. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1:36.553 +5.319 21
22. Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1:37.019 +5.785 27
23. Yamamoto HRT-Cosworth 1:38.303 +7.069 32
24. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1:42.901 +11.667 3