The first practice session is under way.

The chequered flag is out and that's the end of the session. Fernando Alonso saves his fastest lap for the final go round. He clocks a 1:31.894. Join me again just before 13:00 BST for the second free practice.

Buemi, in the Torro Rosso, lifts into the air on the fifth turn and and completely beaches it. He just dips a wheel into the turn and gets caught out. Could've been dangerous.

Karthikeyan goes wide entering the NGK chicane and mounts the kurb on the exit. He's backs off before continuing his lap.

Apparently, the new Team Lotus driver, Chandhok, is not allowed in the pit lane as he only has a 'paddock only' pass.

There's a fair bit of traffic out on the circuit. I doubt there'll be any more rapid laps in this first free practice.

Kovalainen carries too much speed into turn five. It's cambered which probably deceives the Finn. He shows his rallying heritage to hold it together and get back on track.

Sutil's teammate is one place behind. Hulkenberg is now at ninth with a lap time of 1:33.858.

Force India's Adrian Sutil is up to eighth with his fastest lap time of the session. The 28-year old goes round in 1:34.096

It doesn't look like Alonso's lap time is going to be beaten unless they continue with the experimental soft tyres.

Webber moves up to second with a 1:32.217. Massa stands at fourth with a 1:32.681. Hamilton is fifth (1:32.996), Button in sixth (1:33.628).

Schumacher is off the track at the hairpin. The German gives the adoring fans a wave as he sorts himself out. Top PR.

Chandhok is propping up the table. With a lap time of 1:41.248 he is almost five seconds off his teammates.

Something's gone a bit wrong on Heidfeld's Renault. A section of the car is getting too hot near the exhaust. It's peeling his stickers off.

Alonso is getting better. He's very quick in the first and last sectors and continues to lead - that's a time of 1:31.981.

Webber is improving with every lap in the Red Bull. He moves up one place to third. On the soft tyres he clocks a lap of 1:32.599.

Schumacher locks up on the first corner but the outside rear of his car steps out. That's not something that he'll be happy with. At all.

I can't keep up with all this. Alonso finds more on his very next lap on that soft rubber. He's top of the pile in 1:32.037.

Vettel moves further away from the former World Champion. He's two thousandths of a second quicker with a 1:32.534.

Fernando Alonso is within three hundreths of a second of Vettel. He's now up to second with a quick time of 1:32.574.

Schumacher is out of the pits. Hulkenberg moves up three positions to 12th with a time of 1:36.077.