Sebastian Vettel as a volunteer firefighter: The German would have liked to save himself this mission on Friday during the first Formula 1 training session in Zandvoort for 36 years.
The comeback immediately led to a longer interruption of the practice laps because the Mercedes engine in the Aston Martin had given up its ghost after six laps and the smoke inside indicated a fire.
Anno Hecker
Responsible editor for sports.
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Vettel jumped out of his company car, borrowed a fire extinguisher from the friendly marshals and extinguished what could be extinguished. After a short time the danger for the bolide was averted, but neither for the rescue personnel nor for the colleagues. For fear of a racer under high voltage, Vettel's car remained untouched for a long time and therefore stood in the way of a continuation. This is the first insight from Formula 1's first appearance since Niki Lauda won one last time in 1985: The track is so narrow that damaged racers quickly block everything. For 24 minutes of the first practice session, the fans watched an empty track. What if the tatters fly in the heat of the moment in the race on Sunday (3 p.m. CEST in the FAZ live ticker for Formula 1 and on Sky)?
Vettel also delivered the second message on behalf of all colleagues: “It's a lot of fun to ski on the new slope.” The circuit at Circuit Park Zandvoort leads through the dunes at the back of the North Sea. The route does not leave the drivers in peace, constant smaller and larger changes of direction, short descents and fast ascents keep the control artists in suspense. Three banked turns, which are unusual for Formula 1 of the modern age, not only give the driver an unusual driving experience, but also a bit of freedom of choice of line: “Very interesting,” said Vettel, “there are many options in the second banked turn. You can try a lot. "
Which indirectly brought him back to the subject. Vettel could not try anything as a spectator until the installation of a replacement engine into the second training hour. When Lewis Hamilton had to park his car after three laps on Friday afternoon due to a loss of oil pressure, the second problem for the world championship team (the Aston Martin also has a Mercedes engine), Formula 1 got stuck again, if only for eight minutes. The tightness and the aroused interest of all drivers to quickly gain experience with the new challenge before the next retirement, then led to a hardly representative performance profile: Two Ferraris, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz at the wheel, stood at the end of the training tours on Friday in this order at the top, followed by Esteban Ocon in the Alpine, Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) and Max Verstappen.The Dutchman, Hamilton's first and only rival in the fight for the world title, only fifth?
Quickly explained: The density of vehicles on the slopes, a forced termination of his qualification simulation because Nikita Masepin had buried his Haas in the gravel, prevented a full gas tour under the best conditions to the finish. Ferrari is to be expected because the route suits the car. But both Mercedes and Red Bull were beaten under value. The question arises as to why Sergio Perez drove slower than world champion Hamilton with only three, despite 27 laps (twelfth). Vettel (tenth) also managed to get a better result with significantly fewer tours than his teammate Lance Stroll (14.0.4 seconds behind). The real performance will be seen on Saturday, when everyone has run in. Or does George Russell getthe big winner in Belgium as second in qualifying training in Williams, no longer the curve within a week? This time the Brit (20th) ended up at the other end of the ranking, while Mick Schumacher in the Haas in 17th left both Williams and teammate Masepin behind.
The audience was not impressed by the unresolved question of power on Verstappen terrain. 70,000, vaccinated, tested or recovered, took their seats in the stands. Allegedly a million people asked for tickets for the big break at the North Sea a year ago. At that time, the Grand Prix was canceled due to the pandemic. Without a paying audience, the expenses for renting the driver's field and the entertainment program cannot be refinanced. This time the promoter defied the corona crisis. The space in the stands had to be reduced to two thirds. But at the gates of the route, in the small town (around 17,000 inhabitants), there are no limits to the free travel to the wet and happy summer festival.
In other places in the Netherlands, there are stricter requirements for smaller festivals. Verstappen apparently makes it possible, the great machinery behind him and the tremendous enthusiasm for the 23-year-old son of the nation. He didn't bother with sports politics on Friday: “Oh, that was wonderful today to see so many people in orange. I don't think the lap times are representative. In my best attempt, I was on used tires. ”In other words: Verstappen is counting on a pre-jump on Saturday. It has to be: Because "we know that it is very important to be at the front here at the start".