Practice times from Nazareth

'I'd like to stay in the same position for the rest of the weekend, but it's going to be tough. I have a lot of oversteer, but I think everyone is having that problem,' he said.

Despite complaints about the new low downforce wing that has been enforced this weekend, PacWest's Mark Blundell was second quickest. 'We tested the new wings in January and I was against them then, and I'm still against them now,' he said. 'I don't think it's the right way to go, and I think in traffic it's going to be a real headache.'

Sunny skies meant that temperatures got into the mid-60's F, unusually good for Nazareth.
'The tyres are heating up a lot quicker than they were during testing last month,' observed Dario Franchitti, who was sixth fastest. 'Firestone has come here with a new tyre that's a good compromise, despite the fact that we gave them very little notice.'

The first session was free from accidents.

Practice times