McLaren's Jenson Button has set the fastest time of the first practice session ahead of this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.

Button recorded a time of 1:34.507 in Suzuka to set the pace in the opening session, with teammate Lewis Hamilton in second to complete a good morning for McLaren.

Sebastian Vettel seemed to struggle and could only record a 17th-place finish but Mark Webber ensured the team did enjoy some success by setting a time only bettered by the McLaren duo.

Mercedes were dealt a cruel blow when Nico Rosberg was forced to pull out late in the session after an impressive performance while Ferrari's Fernando Alonso was off the pace in 11th.

1. Button
2. Hamilton
3. Webber
4. Rosberg
5. Schumacher
6. Kobayashi
7. Massa
8 Di Resta
9. Hulkenberg
10. Maldonado
11. Alonso
12. Perez
13. Raikkonen
14. Grosjean
15. Ricciardo
16. Vergne
17. Vettel
18. Bottas
19. Glock
20. Petrov
21. Pic
22. Karthikeyan
23. Van der Garde
24. De la Rosa