F1’s rising star quicker than title contenders

They say the younger you are, the easier it is to learn, and Seb Vettel, 21, proved that by lapping faster than older, more experienced drivers in the first open practice session at Valencia’s new street circuit. The odds on Vettel ending up at a top team in 2010 get shorter and shorter. Vettel’s team-mate, Sebastien Bourdais, also had a fine morning. He finished fourth in the rankings.

It’s perplexing that the Toro Rosso upstarts are suddenly going so well, while Red Bull Racing - supposedly the senior team to STR - are way off the pace: in contrast to the two Sebs, David Coulthard and Mark Webber were slowest this morning, finishing 19th and 20th respectively.

Lewis Hamilton looked like setting a faster time than Vettel, but the Englishman spun while on a quick lap, and so had to settle for third place. Sandwiched between Vettel and Hamilton was Felipe Massa, who again got the better of Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.

Lil’ Lewis wasn’t the only driver to find the going tough on the new track; several other drivers spun off, but no one crashed into the concrete walls.

Full morning timesheet below:

1 Sebastian Vettel (Toro Rosso) 1:40.496
2 Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 1:40.654
3 Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) 1:40.822
4 Sebastien Bourdais (Toro Rosso) 1:41.099
5 Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren) 1:41.163
6 Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber) 1:41.281
7 Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 1:41.317
8 Kazuki Nakajima (Williams) 1:41.329
9 Fernando Alonso (Renault) 1:41.385
10 Nico Rosberg (Williams) 1:41.706
11 Rubens Barrichello (Honda) 1:41.830
12 Jarno Trulli (Toyota) 1:41.930
13 Adrian Sutil (Force India) 1:41.951
14 Timo Glock (Toyota) 1:42.036
15 Nelson Piquet Jr (Renault) 1:42.107
16 Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber) 1:42.453
17 Jenson Button (Honda) 1:42.460
18 Giancarlo Fisichella (Force India) 1:43.075
19 David Coulthard (Red Bull) 1:43.312
20 Mark Webber (Red Bull) 1:43.524

First thoughts: A great morning for Toro Rosso, a dismal morning for Red Bull. It’s interesting that so many young drivers occupy the top ten, with all the older drivers in the bottom half of the rankings. A sign that it’s easier for the whipper-snappers to learn a brand-new circuit?

As for the title race, it looks like McLaren may have a slight edge on Ferrari, but there’s still plenty of time until Sunday for that to change.