Lotus Renault driver Robert Kubica finished Formula Ones first test session of the season with the quickest time. Kubicas lap of 1 minute,13.144 seconds around the Cheste Circuit was faster than the leading times set by Red Bull and Ferrari over the previous two days. Lotus Renault has invested its 2011 campaign in an innovative forward exhaust system and that appeared to pay off Thursday as the Polish driver was about two-tenths of a second faster than the previous best time set by Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso on Wednesday. Force India driver Adrian Sutil was second with a best lap of 1:13.201 in the Indian teams 2010 car,while Jenson Button was third after taking out McLarens car from last season,too. The British team will unveil its new design in Berlin on Friday and Lewis Hamilton has already said it looks quite different from the rest of the fields liveries. Today was mostly about tire work, Button said after running 105 laps. Red Bull driver Mark Webber was fourth ahead of Ferrari rival Felipe Massa,whose morning run was hampered by a fire brought on from oil leaking into the exhaust. The Brazilian driver eventually returned to the track for a best lap of 1:14.017. We had a good day one and day three - day two wasnt quite so productive - but overall the team has done an awesome job, Webber said. To get the car here for the first test and do the work weve done straight out of the box,its impressive. Seven-time world champion Michael Schumachers best lap was 1:14.537 in his Mercedes.
