Mark Webber left it late to record the fastest lap of first practice, after rain interrupted proceedings midway through the session at the Sau Paulo circuit in Brazil.
The Red Bull driver set a sequence of fast laps towards the end of the session and managed a time over four tenths of a second faster than local hero, Rubens Barrichello.
Sebastian Vettel was not far behind in third, with Jenson Button a respectable seventh.
Meanwhile Lewis Hamilton returned to the scene of his 2008 title triumph with the fifth fastest time.
Pos Driver Team Time Laps 1. Webber Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:12.463 29 2. Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes (B) 1:12.874 + 0.411 32 3. Vettel Red Bull-Renault (B) 1:12.932 + 0.469 27 4. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:12.989 + 0.526 25 5. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes (B) 1:13.048 + 0.585 25 6. Nakajima Williams-Toyota (B) 1:13.067 + 0.604 21 7. Button Brawn-Mercedes (B) 1:13.141 + 0.678 29 8. Rosberg Williams-Toyota (B) 1:13.147 + 0.684 23 09. Sutil Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:13.232 + 0.769 23 10. Raikkonen Ferrari (B) 1:13.321 + 0.858 24 11. Trulli Toyota (B) 1:13.326 + 0.863 26 12. Heidfeld BMW-Sauber (B) 1:13.464 + 1.001 28 13. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:13.503 + 1.040 24 14. Kubica BMW-Sauber (B) 1:13.563 + 1.100 24 15. Fisichella Ferrari (B) 1:13.619 + 1.156 23 16. Alonso Renault (B) 1:13.787 + 1.324 28 17. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes (B) 1:13.829 + 1.366 26 18. Kobayashi Toyota (B) 1:14.029 + 1.566 27 19. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari (B) 1:14.040 + 1.577 38 20. Grosjean Renault (B) 1:14.173 + 1.710 23
