The opening practice session for the 2008 Australian Grand Prix would get underway with the AT&T Williams team running the new FW30 with drivers Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima behind the steering wheel. After an encouraging pre-season test programme, how would the new FW30 fare in the heat of competition? The 2008 season sees new rules, in particular the removal of
traction control from the cars. As well as gearboxes that have to last four races. The drivers would again be allowed to use type types of Bridgestone tyre over the course of the weekend.

The first cars out on the circuit would be the BMW Sauber's of Heidfeld and Kubica. The day was sunny for the first one and a half hour session. There would be a rush of other cars taking to the track, including Vettel, Piquet, and Bourdais. Most drivers would pit after an installation lap. Both Toyota and Honda cars were now out on the track. Glock would pit while Hamilton left the pit lane. Hamilton would be left by himself as the others pitted. As Hamilton pitted the
track was empty.

Next to come out was Coulthard. Neither of the AT&T Williams cars had left the pit lane. Both Super Aguri cars were also out with just under and hour and twenty minutes remaining. Everyone would pit. Bourdais would be the first driver to complete a timed lap, 1m:35.239. He was using the 2007 Torro Rosso. He would be joined by Vettel. Bourdais would lower his time with a 1m:33.900. Bourdais would again lower his time with a 1m:32.175 as Vettel set a time of 1m:32.238. Nico and Kazuki still had yet to take to the track. Vettel was now fastest with a
1m:31.879. Bourdais would pit with a time of 1m:32.068. Vettel would pit.

Finally both Nico and Kazuki would complete installation laps with just about and hour and five minutes left in the session. Nico would pit while Kazuki would set a time of 1m:35.053 to see him third. Nico would have problems with what appeared to be a gearbox problem as he coasted to the pit lane. Piquet was now fourth fastest, 1m:35.599. Both Toyota's would return to the track. Kazuki had pitted. Raikkonen was on an installation lap. Piquet was now third with a
1m:33.085. Massa was the last car to take to the track. Trulli was now fastest, 1m:31.023.

Glock was now fifth, 1m:33.215. Bourdais was back out. Raikkonen's first timed lap would see him seventh, 1m:38.141. Piquet was now second, 1m:31.739. Both Honda's would leave the pit lane. Massa would not waste time going fastest with a 1m:29.847. But Raikkonen would move ahead of his team-mate, 1m:28.997. Trulli was now in second, 1m:29.469. Massa was again fastest with
a 1m:28.391, but the next lap from Kimi would again see him fastest, 1m:28.158. With fifty two minutes remaining the order was Raikkonen, who has gone faster with a 1m:27.709, Massa, Trulli, Glock, Bourdais, Piquet, Vettel, Button, Kazuki, and in tenth Barrichello.

It was all happening as Nico returned to the track. Massa would set a 1m:27.930. We had both Renault, McLaren, and Ferrari cars out on the circuit. Nico must have been able to recover from his earlier problem. Glock was now third, 1m:28.913. Kimi would pit as Massa again was fastest, 1m:27.524. Nico would pit without setting a time. Slowest so far were the two Force India cars. Hamilton would move into third, 1m:28.332. Kovalainen was in seventh but would
improve to be ahead of his team-mate, 1m:28.023. Alonso was now in seventh, 1m:29.462. Hamilton was now fastest, 1m:27.386.

Coulthard and Webber were in eighth and tenth. Sutil had improved to be ninth. But the Torro Rosso cars of Bourdais and Vettel would improve to be ninth and tenth. Alonso was now fifth, 1m:28.568. Nico had still yet to set a time while Kazuki was down in eighteenth. Coulthard's session would end with smoke coming from his Red Bull as he got out of car in the pit lane. Raikkonen had returned to the track. Glock and Trulli were in sixth and seventh. With thirty
minutes remaining the order was Hamilton, Massa, Raikkonen, Kovalainen, Alonso, Glock, Trulli, Coulthard, Heidfeld, and in tenth Bourdais.

Nico and Kazuki had only completed three laps each. Hamilton would improve with a 1m:27.085. Massa and Raikkonen had also improved but remained in second and third. The Ferrari and McLaren cars were the only in the 1m:27's. Heidfeld would stop in sector two. Kovalainen would pit. Piquet would spin his Renault and it would stop on the track. The red flag would come out with
just over twenty minutes left in the session. Piquet's car was removed and the session restarted. Nico had still to set a lap time with thirteen minutes remaining. Bourdais was in tenth as Kovalainen returned to the track.

We now had Kazuki and Nico the slowest of the twenty two cars, Nico having not even set a time. The top six were all back out on the track as the final seven minutes counted down. Kubica would move up to be in sixth, 1m:28.579. Alonso would lockup his front left and take a trip across the gravel. With minutes remaining it looked like the Williams drivers would not get off the bottom of the times. Raikkonen would put in a quick lap to move ahead of Hamilton with a
1m:26.823. Kovalainen was now third, 1m:27.114. Kimi would cut four tenths off his time with a 1m:26.461, to be 0.624 ahead of Hamilton.

With the end of the session it was Raikkonen from Hamilton, Kovalainen, Massa, Webber, Alonso, Kubica, Glock, Vettel, and in tenth Trulli. Whatever the gearbox problem was with the Williams cars it was a disappointing start to the Australian Grand Prix weekend for the team. But we should expect them to improve in the next session.

Pos  Driver        Team                      Time     Laps
 1.  Raikkonen     Ferrari              (B)  1:26.461 25
 2.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes     (B)  1:26.948 21
 3.  Massa         Ferrari              (B)  1:26.958 25
 4.  Kovalainen    McLaren-Mercedes     (B)  1:27.114 19
 5.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault     (B)  1:28.263 18
 6.  Alonso        Renault              (B)  1:28.360 22
 7.  Kubica        BMW Sauber           (B)  1:28.579 12
 8.  Glock         Toyota               (B)  1:28.913 16
 9.  Vettel        Toro Rosso-Ferrari   (B)  1:28.957 22
10.  Trulli        Toyota               (B)  1:29.014 23
11.  Button        Honda                (B)  1:29.124 25
12.  Fisichella    Force India-Ferrari  (B)  1:29.230 24
13.  Coulthard     Red Bull-Renault     (B)  1:29.301 5
14.  Bourdais      Toro Rosso-Ferrari   (B)  1:29.363 32
15.  Barrichello   Honda                (B)  1:29.533 17
16.  Heidfeld      BMW Sauber           (B)  1:29.561 7
17.  Sutil         Force India-Ferrari  (B)  1:30.155 13
18.  Piquet        Renault              (B)  1:30.357 21
19.  Sato          Super Aguri-Honda    (B)  1:31.048 7
20.  Davidson      Super Aguri-Honda    (B)  1:31.771 7
21.  Nakajima      AT&T Williams-Toyota (B)  1:35.053 3
22.  Rosberg       AT&T Williams-Toyota (B)  No time  3