Valencia, Spain  - Rubens Barrichello topped the opening practice session for the European Formula One Grand Prix on Friday while Ferrari stand-in Luca Badoer was rock bottom.

Barrichello clocked 1 minute 42.460 in his Brawn GP over the 5.440-kilometres lap on the street circuit in Valencia as he held off a challenge from McLaren-Mercedes.

Heikki Kovalainen had 1:42.636 and world champion Lewis Hamilton 1:42.654 minutes, another indication that the Anglo-German team is coming back to life after Hamilton got a first season win in the last race in Hungary.

That race saw Ferrari's Felipe Massa crash heavily and the Brazilian is sidelined indefinitely with head injuries. Record champion Michael Schumacher was originally to take his place, but he was stopped by a neck injury and test driver Luca Badoer of Italy got the place.

But the 38-year-old struggled throughout the first session and trailed by more than three seconds on 1:45.840 minutes in his first Grand Prix outing in a decade.

World championship leader Jenson Button was fourth, while the chasing Red Bull duo of Sebastian Vettel was fifth and eighth, respectively.

Button, who won five of the opening seven season races but is now without victory in the following three, has 70 points. Webber has 51.5 and Vettel 47 from 10 of 17 races.

A second practice session was set for later Friday, qualifying is Saturday and the race Sunday. (dpa)