Azerbaijan GP: Free Practice #1 - Re-Cap & Times

AZERBAIJAN GP - FREE PRACTICE #1 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Red Bull topped the time sheet in the first practice session of the weekend. Max Verstappen took the top spot after he clocked a 1:44.410. He was followed closely by team-mate, Ricciardo, who put in a 1:44.880. Vettel, Perez and Hamilton were the other drivers in the top five.

    While Perez was 4th quickest, his session ended with a heavy crash at Turn 8. He clipped the barriers heading towards Turn 9 but managed to stop the car and avoid a second heavy impact. While Perez was fine and able to climb out unscathed, the car had plenty of damage. One of the rear wheels had broken off completely with the wheel-rod still intact. The session was red flagged as the marshals removed the car and had a bit of trouble doing so, trying to maneuver the Force India around the tight spaces of the circuit. His team-mate, Ocon, finished in 7th with a 1:45.752

    While there were no major mechanical issues, both Marcus Ericsson and Lance Stroll reported minor problems with their cars. Ericsson reported a loss of power coming out of a certain corner and Stroll reported brake issues early on in the session. Stroll, who claimed his first points at his home race in Canada, finished in 11th with a 1:46.649. Ericsson finished down in last place, just behind his team-mate, with a 1:49.937.

    Both McLaren drivers are set to take multiple grid penalties for Sunday's race after it was reported that both Alonso and Vandoorne had multiple power element changes and that more are planned to take place over the rest of the weekend as well.

TIMES:

1. Max Verstappen - 1:44.410 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands

2. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:44.880 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia

3. Sebastian Vettel - 1:44.967 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

4. Sergio Perez - 1:45.398 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

5. Lewis Hamilton - 1:45.497 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

6. Valtteri Bottas - 1:45.737 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland

7. Esteban Ocon - 1:45.752 / Force India-Mercedes / France

8. Felipe Massa - 1:45.968 / Williams-Mercedes / Brazil

9. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:46.000 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

10. Daniil Kvyat - 1:46.617 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Russia

11. Lance Stroll - 1:46.649 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

12. Kevin Magnussen - 1:46.721 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

13. Romain Grosjean - 1:46.837 / Haas-Ferrari / France

14. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:47.217 / Renault-Renault / Germany

15. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:47.446 / McLaren-Honda / Belgium

16. Carlos Sainz - 1:47.501 / Toro Rosso-Renault / Spain

17. Fernando Alonso - 1:47.551 / McLaren-Honda / Spain

18. Jolyon Palmer - 1:48.525 / Renault-Renault / Great Britain

19. Pascal Wehrlein - 1:49.048 / Sauber-Ferrari / Germany

20. Marcus Ericsson - 1:49.937 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

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Article Written By: Amy Hawk

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