Britain's Lewis Hamilton topped the timings in a glitch-plagued first practice session for the Indian Grand Prix.

Hamilton on Friday clocked 1min 26.836sec with his final run, nosing ahead of Red Bull's newly re-crowned world champion Sebastian Vettel and his Australian team-mate Mark Webber.

Hamilton's McLaren team-mate Jenson Button was fourth followed by seven-time title-winner Michael Schumacher in his Mercedes.

But Ferrari's Fernando Alonso was one of three drivers who came to grief on the dusty Buddh International Circuit near New Delhi as he stopped his car on a service road and sat disconsolately under a giant TV screen.

Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari span into the barriers and Pastor Maldonado was forced out of the session when his Williams car started spewing smoke.

The first ever run on Buddh International Circuit was also briefly halted when a stray dog ran onto the track. The 90-minute second practice session starts at 2:00 pm (0830 GMT).