| 09:50:34
| Welcome to F1-Live.com and our live coverage of the 2008 Formula One World Championship. The first practice session of the Australian Grand Prix gets underway in a few minutes. |
| 09:52:46
| There’s a number of changes to the rules for the new season, the most significant being the switch to a standard ECU. The result is that traction control is no longer permitted and that should allow the drivers with the extra talent, to extend their advantage. Other rules changes include a move to long life gearboxes which will be required to last four Grand Prix. |
| 09:54:35
| There’s a new look to many teams as while Ferrari remain unchanged, Heikki Kovalainen has joined Lewis Hamilton at McLaren, Fernando Alonso now teams up with Nelson Piquet at Renault. BMW Sauber, Red Bull Renault and Williams Toyota are unchanged from Interlagos. |
| 09:55:53
| Timo Glock joins Trulli at Toyota, Sebastien Bourdais joins Sebastian Vettel at Toro Rosso. No driver changes for Honda or Super Aguri while Giancarlo Fisichella joins Adrian Sutil at Force India – formerly Spyker. |
| 09:57:12
| Friday practice remains unchanged this year, so we will have two free practice sessions today and as was the case last year, any mechanical failure today does not result in any grid position penalty. |
| 09:57:56
| It is a sunny day with some blustery winds. Some are already in the cars and waiting to get straight out. |
| 10:00:13
| The first practice session of the new season is now underway. Most will head out, complete and installation lap and then return to the pit for checks. |
| 10:00:58
| Nick Heidfeld and Kubica head straight out for BMW Sauber. |
| 10:01:35
| Piquet, Vettel, Bourdais and others now heading out. |
| 10:02:19
| The BMW duo run together as Kubica makes a pass on Heidfeld |
| 10:02:39
| A speedy out lap and they return to the pit lane. |
| 10:03:09
| Alonso is on track in his Renault, Kovalainen in his McLaren. |
| 10:04:25
| No one has completed a timed lap yet. Glock is on a slow out lap in his Toyota. |
| 10:05:51
| Button and Barrichello are out for Honda. Glock pits and Trulli heads out. |
| 10:06:55
| Hamilton heads out in his McLaren. No sign yet of the Ferrari, Super Aguri and Williams team. |
| 10:07:21
| A lot of work going on on Fisichella's Force India car around the front end. |
| 10:08:17
| Coulthard is out in his Red Bull Renault. |
| 10:09:22
| Given Super Aguri missed moost of the pre-season testing, it is a surprise they are not straight out. |
| 10:09:41
| Now Sato does head out in the Super Aguri. |
| 10:10:04
| And now team-mate Davidson too. |
| 10:12:04
| Sato and Davidson return to the pits. No one on track at the moment. |
| 10:13:48
| Now we have Bourdais heading out in his Toro Rosso. It is his first Grand Prix weekend after dominating in Champ Car for so long. |
| 10:14:58
| Bourdais is on the harder compound as he starts his first flying lap. |
| 10:15:21
| Toro Rosso are running the 2007 car for the first few races, the STR2B. |
| 10:15:42
| Now Vettel joins his team-mate on track. |
| 10:17:14
| First timed lap of the year from Bourdais on a 1:35, nine second off the pole from last year. Times will pick up thoughout the weekend. |
| 10:17:46
| Massa, Raikkonen, Rosberg and Nakajima have yet to complete an installation lap. |
| 10:18:36
| Bourdais completes another tour and is picking up the pace. |
| 10:19:01
| Vettel joins Bourdais on the timesheets. |
| 10:19:48
| Vettel's STR seems to have its fuel flap open. Not ideal. |
| 10:20:38
| Vettel continues on and is a tenth slower than Bourdais despite the loss of aero. |
| 10:22:07
| Vettel improves his time and is now fastest ahead of Bourdais. No one else is on track. |
| 10:23:56
| The STR duo have now both pitted after a short first stint. |
| 10:24:52
| Williams send out Nakajima and Rosberg to complete installation laps. |
| 10:25:26
| Kimi Raikkonen is in his Ferrari and will be heading out. |
| 10:26:27
| There's a problem on the Williams. Rosberg is coasting to the pit. It sounded like a gearbox issue as he got nothing on the downshift. |
| 10:27:59
| Lucky for Rosberg he was close to the pit entry. Nakajima remains on track and sets his first timed lap. Piquet is out too. |
| 10:29:33
| Piquet is now on his first timed lap of the session. Jarno Trulli is on track in his Toyota. |
| 10:30:35
| Piquet moves fourth fastest on his first lap. |
| 10:31:06
| Raikkonen heads out in his Ferrari. Nakajima has pitted after just three timed laps. |
| 10:31:39
| Piquet is picking up speed on each lap. |
| 10:32:08
| Now Massa too heads out. |
| 10:33:06
| Trulli moves fastest in his Toyota. His team-mate Glock is on his first run. |
| 10:34:19
| Raikkonen backs off on his lap as Piquet runs wide and on to the grass. |
| 10:35:09
| Raikkonen is on a much better second lap and should move fastest. |
| 10:35:32
| All change as Raikkonen moves P1 ahead of Massa and Trulli. |
| 10:37:11
| Trulli improves only for Massa to regain the position. |
| 10:38:07
| Trulli gets a slide on in the last but one turn but hold the car nicely. |
| 10:39:30
| Alonso is going out in his Renault. |
| 10:40:13
| Raikkonen puts a rear wheel on the grass and nearly loses his Ferrari under braking. |
| 10:40:40
| Rosberg is back out in the FW30 after his earlier problem. |
| 10:42:14
| McLaren duo Hamilton and Kovalainen are on track. |
| 10:43:02
| Massa improves and is now fastest ahead of Raikkonen. |
| 10:44:42
| Hamilton moves third fastest ahead of Glock, Trulli, Alonso and Kovalainen, |
| 10:45:17
| Raikkonen has pitted. Massa remains on track. |
| 10:45:32
| Kovalainen moves third fastest in his McLaren. |
| 10:47:23
| Sutil runs wide but is able to continue. |
| 10:48:03
| Hamilton is now fastest from Massa, Raikkonen and Kovalainen. |
| 10:49:08
| Nakajima remains slowest of those to complete a lap. Rosberg pitted again and has not completed a lap. Shaky start for Williams. |
| 10:49:29
| Alonso moves up a position and is now fifth. |
| 10:50:41
| Alonso uses all of the road and kerbing though turn one, plus a little grass. |
| 10:51:43
| Most of the front runners have pitted for now. Heidfeld is on track and looking for gains. |
| 10:53:17
| A problem for Coulthard as he hops out of his smoking Red Bull Renault. He has quite a little fire going at the back of his RB4. |
| 10:54:08
| Coulthard is currently eighth fastest but that is probably the end of his session. At least he made it back to the pits so the crew can work on the car. |
| 10:54:48
| Raikkonen, now third fastest, heads back out. |
| 10:55:59
| No times yet from Kubica, Sato, Davidson and Rosberg. |
| 10:57:08
| Trulli and Glock back on track for Toyota. |
| 10:58:35
| Piquet is curretly down in 15th position in the second Renault. |
| 11:00:53
| There's no real lap time gains at the moment. Most have completed one or two runs on the same tyres. |
| 11:02:08
| The top six are all on track now. |
| 11:03:47
| After an hour in the pits, Kubica is back out in the BMW Sauber. |
| 11:04:08
| Raikkonen finds three tenths but remains third fastest. |
| 11:05:04
| There's a problem for Nick Heidfeld as he has stopped on track with a mechanical problem on his BMW Sauber. |
| 11:07:32
| Heidfeld was ninth fastest, but that will be the end of his session. Team-mate Kubica is 18th. |
| 11:07:56
| Piquet, 15th, spins his Renault. |
| 11:08:09
| The R28 is stopped on track. |
| 11:08:37
| The red flags are out and the session is being halted. |
| 11:09:49
| Alonso also has had a moment in the sister Renault with a trip into the gravel trap. He has now returned safely to the pits though. |
| 11:11:27
| Piquet's R28 has been removed and the session will resume in a minute. |
| 11:13:02
| The session resumes with Jenson Button heading out in the Honda followed by Mark Webber. |
| 11:14:27
| Bourdais heads out. Only the Super Aguri Honda duo and Rosberg have yet to set a lap time. |
| 11:16:20
| Button is currently just 16th and it looks like Honda are in for another tough season. |
| 11:17:08
| Bourdais is pushing hard and showing well in his Toro Rosso. |
| 11:17:44
| Webber improves and splits the STR duo. |
| 11:18:53
| Kovalainen is back out in his McLaren, Alonso in the Renault. |
| 11:19:15
| Sato and Davidson are out. Neither has set a time yet. |
| 11:19:46
| Massa, second, joins the action. Ten minutes remain. |
| 11:21:35
| The fastest five are now all on track again. |
| 11:23:01
| Kubica makes a leap to sixth fastest in his F1.08. |
| 11:24:27
| First timed laps from Super Aguri place them ahead of the troubled Williams duo. |
| 11:25:09
| Alonso lock his front left wheel and takes a trip through the gravel trap. |
| 11:26:37
| Massa is on a good lap, it will be close to Hamilton's best. |
| 11:27:11
| Massa loses a couple of tenths as he catches Trulli at the end of the lap. |
| 11:28:09
| Raikkonen moves fastest for Ferrari with a good lap. |
| 11:28:27
| Kovalainen moves third ahead of Massa. |
| 11:28:47
| Raikkonen is on another hot lap. |
| 11:29:31
| Raikkonen finds another three tenths and improves his own best time. |
| 11:29:50
| Button vaults his Honda into the top ten. |
| 11:30:04
| The chequered flag is out. |
| 11:30:28
| Webber moves up five positions to fifth in his Red Bull. |
| 11:31:13
| No one is going to better Raikkonen's time. |
| 11:31:34
| Massa finds a little time and moves third. |
| 11:32:11
| So it is Raikkonen, Hamilton, Massa, Kovalainen, Webber, Alonso, Kubica and Glock. |
