Free Practice 1 Classification and times
Nikita Mazepin A danger on and off the circuits
Alonso and Sainz A common obsession on the circuit that puts everyone in their place
Just half a second behind the Mercedes. And with a harder tire, more designed for the race than for the decisive qualifying. That was the encouraging balance for Ferrari after the first free session of the Spanish GP, where
Charles Leclerc
-fifth- and
Carlos Sainz
-sixth- confirmed the good feelings on a lap offered last Sunday in Portimao. Much fewer conclusions can be drawn from the staging of
Fernando Alonso
, fifteenth, who preferred to mount the soft tires when the track was still too
green
.
The dominance of
Valtteri Bottas
(1: 18.504) 12 hundredths faster than
Lewis Hamilton
, also anticipates a vibrant pulse against Red Bull, who took advantage of the last nine minutes to launch
Max Verstappen
and
Sergio Pérez
at full
speed
. Nothing was known about the alleged problems of the Dutchman with his battery, because he finished only 33 thousandths of the tip. The final furious grip of the Mexican, after a brush against
Daniel Ricciardo
, heralds strong emotions for the whole weekend.
Alonso had opted for a reverse order to face the morning.
His first relief, on soft tires, was enough for a moment of glory (1: 19.950).
Only a minute later, Hamilton snatched the lead, with a record two tenths faster.
Track conditions were improving by the minute, allowing even
Sebastian Vettel
to rub shoulders with the elite.
Both the Alpine and the Aston Martin ended up relegated in the timesheets.
Norris again
The most unpleasant moment of the morning was suffered by
Robert Kubica
, who replaced
Kimi Raikkonen
at Alfa Romeo, with a spin on the revamped Turn 10 until he was sunk in the gravel. With only a quarter of an hour to go, the red flag spread unease across the
paddock
. Some, like Red Bull and Ferrari, had not yet had time to test the soft tires, essential in qualifying on Saturday.
Deliberately,
Charles Leclerc
and Sainz voluntarily gave up on that compound, though they sneaked in just behind the Mercedes and
Lando Norris in between
. The Monegasque (1: 18.996) beat his boxing partner by only 24 thousandths (1: 19.020). An interesting starting point for
Mattia Binotto's
troop
, who seems to be planning his jump to Q3 with a risky bet.
In order not to
break
the habit,
Nikita Mazepin
lost control of his Haas at the exit of Turn 8. His tenth incident in 13 sessions of the 2021 World Championship. The morning would be more profitable for rookie
Roy Nissany
, in the usual
George Russell's
seat
in Williams.
The seventeenth Israeli even beat
Mick Schumacher
by 66 thousandths
.
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Know more
Fernando Alonso
Formula 1
sports
Lewis hamilton
Max verstappen
Carlos Sainz Jr
Mercedes gp
Formula 1The best day of Carlos Sainz with Ferrari and the suffering of Fernando Alonso in Portimao
Formula 1 Verstappen also scares Mercedes almost blindly
Formula 1 'Pole' for Hamilton at Imola after an ugly step back from Sainz and Alonso
See links of interest
2021 business calendar
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