Formula 1 2012: First Test Session of New Season Finishes; Alonso on Top for Ferrari [TOP TIMES AND PHOTOS]

The 2012 Formula 1 season has finally gotten under way!

After months of winter testing... working in wind tunnels and on computer programs, the 12 teams participating in the new championship season finally put rubber to asphalt... at the circuit in Jerez, Spain, for the first official test of the season.

Pre-season tests are rarely indicative of how fast the cars really are... and, more importantly, of how reliable they are.

In any case, the 2012 machines in action this week were the Red Bull RB8, the McLaren MP4-27, the Ferrari F2012, the Lotus E20, Force India's VJM05, Sauber's C31, the Toro Rosso STR7, Williams' FW34 and the Caterham CT01.

Check out the top three times for each of the four days of the Jerez test...

Day 1 -

- Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus) - 1:19.670, 73 laps

- Paul di Resta (Force India) - 1:19.772, 101 laps

- Nico Rosberg (Mercedes, 2011 model) - 1:20.219, 56 laps

Day 2 -

- Michael Schumacher (Mercedes, 2011 model) - 1:18.561, 132 laps

- Mark Webber (Red Bull) - 1:19.184, 97 laps

- Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso) - 1:19.587, 100 laps

Day 3 -

- Nico Rosberg (Mercedes, 2011 model) - 1:17.613, 118 laps

- Romain Grosjean (Lotus) - 1:18.419, 117 laps

- Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) - 1:19.297, 96 laps

Day 4 -

- Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) - 1:18.877, 39 laps

- Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso) - 1:19.597, 80 laps

- Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) - 1:19.606, 50 laps

For more results, visit here...

There will be three more test sessions, ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, scheduled for March 18.

Meanwhile, check out the first glimpses of the 2012 monsters in action!