Kubica on top in practice 1 - Bahrain
BMW Sauber's Polish test driver Robert Kubica enjoyed a dream start to his Formula One testing career by topping the times in the first practice session of the season in Bahrain
Kubica, 21, lapped the lapped the Sakhir circuit in 1:32.170 to beat his nearest challenger by less than 0.1 seconds. Williams test driver Alex Wurz set the second fastest time.
McLaren's Finnish star Kimi Raikkonen and Ferrari's Michael Schumacher, of Germany both took to the track late in the dying minutes and finished third and fourth fastest overall, albeit over a second away from the time of Kubica.
Wurz was the first man onto the track and set the initial pace, but his run was not without drama. Wurz left his braking too late at turn 10 during one of his first flying laps and slid off the track and on to the concrete run-off area. He was able to re-join following a quick turnaround.
Scuderia Toro Rosso's Italian driver Vitantonio Liuzzi did likewise with 15 minutes of the session remaining, as did Raikkonen while on a flyer.
Super Aguri's Japanese rookie Yuji Ide, 31, encountered a mechanical problem early on that left him coasting back to the pits after a piece of bodywork had flown off his left sidepod.
World champion Fernando Alonso and his Italian Renault teammate Giancarlo Fisichella both did one slow installation lap mid-way through the session but did not register an official time.
Honda's third driver Anthony Davidson hit trouble during the session, suffering a gearbox problem after just one installation lap. The Briton, who didn't set a time, was forced to stay in the pits while the team fixed the problem ahead of the second session.
Four drivers did not leave the pits at all during the session. They were Honda racers Jenson Button and Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, and BMW-Sauber pilots Jacques Villeneuve Nick Heidfeld.
Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Kubica BMW-Sauber (M) 1:32.170 20
2. Wurz Williams-Cosworth (B) 1:32.184 + 0.014 18
3. Raikkonen McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:33.388 + 1.218 6
4. M.Schumacher Ferrari (B) 1:33.469 + 1.299 5
5. Klien Red Bull-Ferrari (M) 1:34.800 + 2.630 6
6. Jani Toro Rosso-Cosworth (M) 1:34.831 + 2.661 15
7. Montoya McLaren-Mercedes (M) 1:34.887 + 2.717 6
8. Massa Ferrari (B) 1:34.925 + 2.755 6
9. Coulthard Red Bull-Ferrari (M) 1:35.017 + 2.847 4
10. Liuzzi Toro Rosso-Cosworth (M) 1:35.083 + 2.913 8
11. Doornbos Red Bull-Ferrar (M) 1:35.203 + 3.033 15
12. Speed Toro Rosso-Cosworth (M) 1:35.371 + 3.201 7
13. Monteiro MF1-Toyota (B) 1:36.542 + 4.372 9
14. Albers MF1-Toyota (B) 1:36.930 + 4.760 9
15. Winkelhock MF1-Toyota (B) 1:37.918 + 5.748 16
16. Sato Super Aguri-Honda (B) 1:38.190 + 6.020 15
17. Ide Super Aguri-Honda (B) 1:40.782 + 8.612 15
18. Davidson Honda (M) No Time 2
19. Alonso Renault (M) No Time 2
20. Fisichella Renault (M) No Time 2
21. R.Schumacher Toyota (B) No Time 2
22. Trulli Toyota (B) No Time 1
23. Webber Williams-Cosworth (B) No Time 1
24. Rosberg Williams-Cosworth (B) No Time 1
25. Barrichello Honda (M) No Time
26. Button Honda (M) No Time
27. Heidfeld BMW-Sauber (M) No Time
28. Villeneuve BMW-Sauber (M) No Time
All timing unofficial
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