AZERBAIJAN GP - FREE PRACTICE #1 - RE-CAP & TIMES
The Mercedes driver’s 1m44.242s time put him 0.9s faster than anybody when he set it, though Ricciardo later cut the gap down to just 0.035s.
The Red Bull duo of Ricciardo and Max Verstappen set the pace in the first half hour of the 90 minute session, followed closely by Lewis Hamilton and Bottas.
The mood at the Milton Keynes based squad turned, however, when Verstappen was sent into the barrier just after the 30 minute mark. Verstappen lost control of his car while on the brakes at turn six and slid into the wall, bringing out the virtual safety car.
Verstappen was unable to get back out before the end of the session and dropped down the order to finish sixth.
After a disappointing weekend in China, Force India was back on the pace on the streets of Baku. Both drivers spent the session at the sharp end of the field, with Sergio Perez jumping up to third with his final lap of the session. Perez ended FP1 just 0.8s behind Ricciardo and 0.125s ahead of Hamilton in P4. Esteban Ocon took P5.
Fernando Alonso finished seventh quickest, ahead of Sergey Sirotkin and Pierre Gasly.
Most of the field spent the session struggling to get their Pirelli tyres in the right temperature window. Ferrari seemed to especially have problems with their rear tyres, leaving them 16th and 17th after the first part of the session. Both found improvements later on, with Sebastian Vettel managing to break into the top 10, but he was still more than two seconds slower than Bottas.
Raikkonen, who’s session ended early, was even further back, ending FP1 15th quickest and 2.6s off the pace.
Lance Stroll finished the morning just outside the top 10 in P11, ahead of Brendon Hartley, who was the first of many drivers to make use of the escape road.
Renault brought new upgrades to Baku, some specifically designed for the unique street circuit and others intended for use throughout the season. Neither driver managed to make it into the top 10, with Nico Hulkenberg the best of the pair in P13. He suffered with lock ups throughout the session and at one point struggled to make it to the pits due to his flat spotted tyres. Team-mate Carlos Sainz ended FP1 slowest, more than four seconds off the pace and seven tenths of a second behind Stoffel Vandoorne in 19th.
Romain Grosjean led a Ferrari-powered quintet in P14, ending the session ahead of Raikkonen, Charles Leclerc, Marcus Ericsson and Kevin Magnussen.
TIMES:
1. Valtteri Bottas - 1:44.242 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland
2. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:44.277 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia
3. Sergio Perez - 1:45.075 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
4. Lewis Hamilton - 1:45.200 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
5. Esteban Ocon - 1:45.237 / Force India-Mercedes / France
6. Max Verstappen - 1:45.559 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands
7. Fernando Alonso - 1:46.465 / McLaren-Renault / Spain
8. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:46.480 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia
9. Pierre Gasly - 1:46.492 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France
10. Sebastian Vettel - 1:46.513 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
11. Lance Stroll - 1:46.590 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
12. Brendon Hartley - 1:46.747 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand
13. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:46.749 / Renault-Renault / Germany
14. Romain Grosjean - 1:46.856 / Haas-Ferrari / France
15. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:46.861 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
16. Charles Leclerc - 1:46.875 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco
17. Marcus Ericsson - 1:47.073 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
18. Kevin Magnussen - 1:47.434 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark
19. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:47.967 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium
20. Carlos Sainz - 1:48.741 / Renault-Renault / Spain
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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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