The timesheets had a familiar look to them after first practice in India on Friday as Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel – the only man to have ever won at the New Delhi circuit – set the quickest time.
The German, who can wrap up his fourth title this weekend, set a best time of 1m 26.683s to edge team mate Mark Webber, Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg and Lotus’s Romain Grosjean while Fernando Alonso had to retire early from the session with gearbox problems.
| Pos. | Drivers | Teams | Time | Laps |
| 01. |  Sebastian Vettel |
Red Bull Racing | 1:26.683 | 24 |
| 02. |  Mark Webber |
Red Bull Racing | 1:26.871 | 17 |
| 03. | Nico Rosberg |
Mercedes AMG Petronas | 1:26.899 | 23 |
| 04. |  Romain Grosjean |
Lotus F1 | 1:26.990 | 20 |
| 05. |  Lewis Hamilton |
Mercedes AMG Petronas | 1:27.227 | 21 |
| 06. | Jenson Button |
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes | 1:27.335 | 23 |
| 07. |  Sergio Perez |
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes | 1:27.416 | 23 |
| 08. |  Felipe Massa |
Scuderia Ferrari | 1:27.692 | 21 |
| 09. | Nico Hulkenberg |
Sauber F1 | 1:27.770 | 19 |
| 10. |  Valtteri Bottas |
Williams F1 | 1:27.800 | 23 |
| 11. | Jean-Eric Vergne |
Scuderia Toro Rosso | 1:28.035 | 25 |
| 12. |  Fernando Alonso |
Scuderia Ferrari | 1:28.214 | 6 |
| 13. | Daniel Ricciardo |
Scuderia Toro Rosso | 1:28.336 | 18 |
| 14. |  Pastor Maldonado |
Williams F1 | 1:28.342 | 21 |
| 15. | Adrian Sutil |
Sahara Force India | 1:28.468 | 20 |
| 16. | Esteban Gutiérrez |
Sauber F1 | 1:28.538 | 18 |
| 17. | Kimi Raikkonen |
Lotus F1 | 1:28.730 | 18 |
| 18. | James Calado |
Sahara Force India | 1:29.197 | 22 |
| 19. |  Giedo van der Garde |
Caterham F1 Team | 1:29.413 | 24 |
| 20. | Jules Bianchi |
Marussia F1 | 1:29.560 | 20 |
| 21. | Charles Pic |
Caterham F1 Team | 1:30.026 | 23 |
| 22. | Max Chilton |
Marussia F1 | 1:30.471 | 17 |
