Three practice sessions were held before the Sunday race — two on Friday , and a third on Saturday . The Friday morning and afternoon sessions each lasted 90 minutes . The third session was held on Saturday morning and lasted an hour . The very first practice session on the newly opened Valencia Street Circuit was held on a dusty and slippery track , but despite the drivers ' relative unfamiliarity with the circuit there were no major incidents ( though David Coulthard did hit the barriers late in the session ) . Sébastien Bourdais went fastest early on , but it was his Toro Rosso teammate Sebastian Vettel who posted the quickest time of the session . Massa and Hamilton finished second and third , with Bourdais just behind them . Following the session , the drivers and personnel observed a minute 's silence for those killed in the plane crash in Madrid two days previously . Kimi Räikkönen topped the timesheets in second practice , having traded fastest times with teammate Massa for the majority of the session . Fernando Alonso had the set the quickest time late , but was surpassed by Räikkönen in his final flying lap . A notable incident in the session involved Nico Rosberg spinning under brakes in the final corners , and narrowly missing Mark Webber on the inside , before rejoining the track with no damage done . Surprsingly , usual back-runner Jenson Button , driving for Honda , finished third . After the session , Fernando Alonso , driving for Renault , was reprimanded and fined € 10,000 , after crossing the pitlane entry line early on in the second session . Rain overnight meant that the Valencia track began with almost no rubber on the surface , but Robert Kubica was still able to carry enough speed to become the first man of the weekend to break into the 1:38 s , with Rosberg and Bourdais close behind . There were minimal mishaps , with only Hamilton and Timo Glock spinning . Jarno Trulli spent the majority of the session in the pits with gearbox problems , completing only two laps
plane crash in Madrid
Spanair Flight 5022
2008 European Grand Prix