McLaren duo fastest in Abu Dhabi GP practice

McLaren shone in opening practice for the first Abu Dhabi Grand Prix yesterday with Lewis Hamilton on top in the afternoon and Heikki Kovalainen quickest under floodlights in the evening.

Britain's Jenson Button, who clinched the championship in Brazil earlier this month to take Hamilton's crown, was second and third respectively.

Spanish rookie Jaime Alguersuari, driving a Toro Rosso, had the honour of setting the first competitive timed lap at the lavish new Yas Marina circuit in an incident-free debut for the track.

McLaren's Hamilton and Brawn's Button traded fastest laps towards the end of the opening session with the outgoing champion coming out on top with a best of one minute 43.939 seconds.

Button, clearly relishing his first race of the year with no pressure, was 0.096 slower and they were on course to repeat their earlier placings in the second session until Kovalainen beat them both.

The Finn's time in the evening, with the light falling and the waterside track lit up in preparation for the first day-to-night race, was 1:41.307 with Hamilton 0.197 slower in second place.

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel was third and fourth on the timesheets ahead of Brawn's Rubens Barrichello and surprising Japanese rookie Kamui Kobayashi for Toyota. Vettel and Barrichello are fighting for second place overall in the championship.

With track temperatures of 35 degrees in the first session, but dropping to 30 in the evening, and a new but dusty surface, the leading drivers sat out the first half-hour before taking to the track.

"It is a cool track, it's going to be good to race on and from a driver's perspective, it sure is fun," said Germany's Nico Rosberg, preparing for his last race for Williams.

"Obviously as the track surface is completely new, it was quite dirty, so you have to be a little careful to find your way to begin with."

The anti-clockwise layout also has the novel features of a hotel built across the track and a pit lane exit through a tunnel.

"I haven't pushed really hard through the narrow pitlane exit just yet, but because it is covered under the tunnel, it is a completely unique experience unlike anywhere else in the world," said Williams' Kazuki Nakajima.