Webber's lap of 1 minute, 37.942 seconds on Friday at the brand new Korean International Circuit was almost two-tenths of a second quicker than title rival Fernando Alonso of Ferrari, with another championship contender Lewis Hamilton of McLaren third fastest.
Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel— equal second with Alonso in the standings, 14 points behind Webber — was seventh on the timesheets after suffering a puncture during session two.
Jenson Button was fifth despite missing much of the session after his McLaren overheated and had to be sprayed down with fire extinguishers in pit lane.
The morning session was a learning experience from drivers, who drove with caution around the freshly laid track until enough rubber was laid on the surface and they were able to push harder.
The initial few laps in the morning saw times around the 1 minute, 50 second mark, and by the end of the afternoon session, about 12 seconds had been shaved off.
“It started to get more sensible as the day went on, but its the same for everyone and we just have to keep chipping away,” Webber said.
“It was a positive day and the car ran well. There was a lot of information to gather and we've done that pretty successfully.” Even allowing for the evolution of the track, the first day exposed some problems with the new circuit, particularly in the final sector: a pronounced dip on the apex of the penultimate corner leads into a walled section where drivers can not see if the car ahead is slowing to enter the pit lane.
“The pit entry is quite on the edge here because its blind, and someone going into the pits will be going slower than someone who's staying out,” Vettel said. “If you're trying to pass and they decide to pit, it could be quite difficult.” Despite those issues, drivers were broadly positive about the layout of the track, foreseeing good passing opportunities at the end of the three straights in sector one, and complemented by more technical and varied sections for the remainder of the lap.
“I am very pleasantly surprised with the circuit,” said Mercedes' Michael Schumacher, who was 12th fastest. “It is very demanding, challenging and tricky which provides a challenge that I like a lot.” Alonso acknowledged Webber's performance, but feels Ferrari will be able to provide more of a challenge here to the Red Bulls than the previous race in Japan when he finished third but was never able to challenge the blue cars ahead of him.
“We feel that maybe it's not as easy as it was for Red Bull in Suzuka, even if they are still being the favorites,” Alonso said.
McLaren needs a strong result in Korea, with Hamilton and Button facing title-race oblivion if they cannot finish ahead of their rivals.
The McLarens were predictably strong on the long straights, while ceding ground in the remainder of the lap.
“It was the dirtiest track I have ever been on,” Hamilton said. “The evolution has been quite dramatic; people were speeding up by seconds per lap.
“The times suggest we look as competitive as the Red Bulls, but the Renaults and Ferraris also look quick, so qualifying might come down to which driver can pull the most time out of his quick lap.” The circuit, about 400 kilometers south of Seoul, was only cleared by a safety inspection 10 days prior to Friday's session, and aside from the track issues, gates opened to the public while workers were still installing seats in some stands and finishing touches were being applied elsewhere.
