Max Chilton got things going very quickly, when the Marussia driver slowed to a halt in the pit lane with smoke pouring from the back of his car. The smoke developed into flames, which quickly had to be doused.

Meanwhile, at the top of the times, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were both out early and trading times. Daniel Ricciardo clung to their coat tails, but was beaten by both the Ferrari drivers - Kimi Räikkönen ahead of Fernando Alonso as the Finn finally started to show some spirit behind the wheel. In the end, it was Hamilton on top, as the Brit looks to get his weekend off to a really strong start.