Spain – Free Practice 1: Bottas Dominates the Competition on a Still Young Track
During a session punctuated by numerous off-track excursions, Valtteri Bottas led the way for Hamilton and the rest of the field. Daniel Ricciardo and Lance Stroll were forced to abort their session after going off at the start of the second sector.
At the green light, the European tour is officially underway for this first practice session of the Spanish Grand Prix. The weather is ideal with beautiful sunshine and an air temperature of 22°C, but the wind is always a factor to consider.
The track is warming up… and the action is about to as well 🌡️
Who’s ready for some FP1 action? 🙌#F1 🇪🇸 #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/kYbzExkCRq
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 11, 2018
As usual, the Haas drivers quickly leave their garage, with Robert Kubica, who is replacing Sergei Sirotkin this morning, following suit. This is the Polish driver’s first official session since the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2010.
The morning looks busy for McLaren with the addition of new elements to this MCL33 2.0. Alonso and Vandoorne complete two installation laps, interspersed with a routine pit stop.
Esteban Ocon is the first to charge against the clock, fitted with medium tires. The setup of the Force India is not yet optimal, as it briefly loses grip at the entrance of turn 9. He concludes his lap with a 1:22.592.
After 20 minutes of the session, Kimi Räikkönen is at the top of the timesheets with a 1:20.336. Both McLarens are within six-tenths. Finally out, Bottas is the first of the Mercedes to attack the clock, but a mistake at turn 10 in the pit makes him cut his effort short. He had set the best time in the first sector.
One after the other, Vettel and Bottas lose control of their cars. The German at turn 13, the Finn at turn 10, at the same spot as the previous lap. At turn 12, Ericsson also loses control of his car before getting back on track. Hartley takes a spin in the gravel trap at turn 4, and Grosjean also collects some gravel in the same turn 30 seconds later and resumes his run the following lap.
The standings after 35 minutes of the session: Bottas with a 1’18″695, Hamilton, Ricciardo, Vettel, Alonso, Verstappen, Räikkönen, Vandoorne, Magnussen, Grosjean, Leclerc, Hülkenberg, Gasly, Sainz, Pérez, Ocon, Hartley, Kubica, Stroll, Ericsson.
In form since the beginning of the session, Ricciardo loses his Red Bull in turn 4 and goes straight into turn 4. Yellow flag and safety car deployed to clear the Austrian single-seater from the gravel trap.
Notably, the super-soft tires have not really made an appearance so far. Kubica and Stroll are the only ones to have used them. Starting on mediums, Pérez confirms the instability of the Force India. The car slides a lot on corner entry, especially in slow corners, 13 and 14.
Bottas improves his time by completing a lap in 1:18.441, pushing Hamilton beyond the half-second mark. Grosjean also improves and enters the top 10 at the expense of his teammate. After Ricciardo, it’s Stroll’s turn to trigger a virtual safety car. The Canadian went wide in turn 5, ending the session for him as well. Earlier, Kubica lost his Williams at the entry of turn 13 but without damage.
Within the top 10, Ferrari is the only team to have attempted the ultra-soft adventure. The gamble paid off on paper, with Vettel securing the 3rd time and Räikkönen the 4th. Conversely, Renault did not improve significantly throughout the session. Sainz finished 15th and Hülkenberg 17th.
Regarding the French drivers, Grosjean confirms the good performance of Haas with the 8th fastest time. Gasly secures his Toro Rosso in 10th place, closing the top 10. Struggling at the start of the session, nothing went smoothly for Ocon this morning, who finishes 16th in this session.
The final standings of Free Practice 1:
The Mercedes pair lead the way in FP1 morning in Barcelona
As Kubica beats his teammate on his Grand Prix weekend return 💪#F1 🇪🇸 #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/BsDVR0p12Q
— Formula 1 (@F1) 11 mai 2018
