Formula One championship leader Mark Webber of Red Bull asserted his claims to the title by setting the fastest time in yesterday’s practice for the Korean Grand Prix.

Webber’s lap of 1 minute, 37.942 seconds yesterday 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.

Jenson Button was fifth despite missing much of the session after his McLaren overheated and had to be sprayed down with fire extinguishers in pitlane.

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.

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, leading into a walled section where drivers can not see if the car ahead is slowing to enter the pitlane.

The circuit 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.