Practice got underway with the expected sight of Lewis Hamilton posting the fastest time, recovering from the disappointment of losing the win in Monaco very quickly. There was rain in the air, but none fell during the morning session, with most of the forecasts predicting showers in the afternoon.

Romain Grosjean posted the third fastest time, whilst there were troubles at McLaren. Button had gearbox issues that meant he missed a lot of running, eventually finishing 15th overall. Carlos Sainz also had mechanical problems that saw him stop in the pitlane towards the end of the session. The hardest working man was Pastor Maldonado, who completed over 40 laps to finishing 8th on the timesheets.