Abu Dhabi GP: Free Practice #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

ABU DHABI GP - FREE PRACTICE #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton topped the times in the final free practice session of the 2018 formula 1 season in Abu Dhabi.

    Hamilton jumped to the top of the times in the final third of the session, knocking Sebastian Vettel from the top spot and ending the morning with a 1m37.176s lap time.

    Vettel and team-mate Kimi Raikkonen set the pace in the first half of the session with Vettel’s best lap – a 1m37.587s – remaining the benchmark until 20 minutes before the chequered flag.

    Hamilton beat Vettel’s time by more than four tenths of a second, before improvements from Raikkonen knocked his team-mate down to P3.

    Max Verstappen took fourth, half a second behind Hamilton but ahead of the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas, while Daniel Ricciardo picked up sixth.

    Romain Grosjean claimed the best of the rest spot after a frantic final 10 minutes.

    It was the Renault of Nico Hulkenberg top of the order with five minuets left on the clock, but
Grosjean, Kevin Magnussen and Charles Leclerc were all yet to complete their qualifying simulations.

    Grosjean was the only man to beat Hulkenberg’s time, managing to lap half a second quicker than the Renault – and just 0.2s behind Ricciardo.

    Carlos Sainz Jnr took ninth, ahead of Esteban Ocon – who spent most of the session in the garage with a suspected engine problem - and Sergio Perez.

    The final practice session of the season wasn’t without incident.

    Raikkonen was called to the stewards after crossing the pit-lane entry line and returning to the track. He’d ran wide at the penultimate corner of the Yas Marina circuit, putting him off line and on the wrong side of the pit entry line. He chose not to head into the pits, though, and returned to the track, prompting an investigation. He wasn’t penalised.

    Grosjean and Pierre Gasly made contact at the end of the session when Gasly was trying to find a way past the Haas. The light contact sent bodywork flying from the Toro Rosso, but neither was significantly damaged and resolved the issue after the chequered flag.

    Leclerc also suffered bodywork damage. The Sauber has spun early in the session and broke the rear wing after backing into the wall. He was able to get back out, ending the morning 13th quickest behind Toro Rosso’s Brendon Hartley.

    Magnussen finished 14th, ahead of Gasly, Fernando Alonso, and Marcus Ericsson.

    Lance Stroll, Stoffel Vandoorne, and Sergey Sirotkin completed the order.

TIMES:

1. Lewis Hamilton - 1:37.176 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
2. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:37.464 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
3. Sebastian Vettel - 1:37.587 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
4. Max Verstappen - 1:37.747 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands
5. Valtteri Bottas - 1:37.933 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland
6. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:38.090 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia
7. Romain Grosjean - 1:38.304 / Haas-Ferrari / France
8. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:38.850 / Renault-Renault / Germany
9. Carlos Sainz - 1:38.970 / Renault-Renault / Spain
10. Esteban Ocon - 1:39.011 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / France
11. Sergio Perez - 1:39.053 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
12. Brendon Hartley - 1:39.074 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand
13. Charles Leclerc - 1:39.282 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco
14. Kevin Magnussen – 1:39.612 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark 
15. Pierre Gasly - 1:39.740 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France
16. Fernando Alonso - 1:39.974 / McLaren-Renault / Spain
17. Marcus Ericsson - 1:39.997 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
18. Lance Stroll - 1:40.117 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
19. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:40.233 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium
20. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:41.182 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia

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Abu Dhabi GP: Free Practice #2 - RE-CAP & TIMES

ABU DHABI GP - FREE PRACTICE #2 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Valtteri Bottas topped the second session of the Abu Dhabi GP weekend, ahead of the Red Bull duo.

    Bottas put himself first with a 1:37.236, while Max Verstappen, who topped FP1, was second with a 1:37.280.

    Daniel Ricciardo was third, followed by Lewis Hamilton who came fourth with a 1:37.443, just ahead of Kimi Raikkonen, who completed the top 5.

    Charles Leclerc, who sat out FP1 as Giovinazzi took over the car, finished this session in 15th with a 1:38.831. Team-mate and soon-to-be Indycar driver, Ericsson, finished in 17th with a 1:39.502.

    Sirotkin, who is without a seat in 2019, was back as well after Robert Kubica took over his seat in FP1. The young Russian driver finished the session in 20th with a 1:40.935. Team-mate, Stroll, was only one place ahead in 19th with a 1:40.046.

    Vettel, Grosjean, Hulkenberg, Magnussen and Ocon were the other drivers in the top 10.

TIMES:

1. Valtteri Bottas - 1:37.236 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland
2. Max Verstappen - 1:37.280 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands
3. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:37.428 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia
4. Lewis Hamilton - 1:37.443 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
5. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:37.461 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
6. Sebastian Vettel - 1:37.569 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
7. Romain Grosjean - 1:38.060 / Haas-Ferrari / France
8. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:38.230 / Renault-Renault / Germany
9. Kevin Magnussen - 1:38.318 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark
10. Esteban Ocon - 1:38.402 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / France
11. Pierre Gasly - 1:38.506 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France
12. Carlos Sainz - 1:38.511 / Renault-Renault / Spain
13. Fernando Alonso - 1:38.725 / McLaren-Renault / Spain
14. Sergio Perez - 1:38.806 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
15. Charles Leclerc - 1:38.831 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco
16. Brendon Hartley - 1:38.957 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand
17. Marcus Ericsson - 1:39.502 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
18. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:39.938 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium
19. Lance Stroll - 1:40.046 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
20. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:40.935 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia

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Abu Dhabi GP: Free Practice #1 - RE-CAP & TIMES

ABU DHABI GP - FREE PRACTICE #1 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Max Verstappen led the first free practice session of the last F1 weekend of 2018.

    The Dutch driver set a 1:38.491, to go ahead of team-mate, Ricciardo, who was close behind with a 1:38.945. 

    Valtteri Bottas was next in the order with a 1:39.452, followed by Lewis Hamilton and Esteban Ocon, who completed the top 5 with a 1:40.102.

    Robert Kubica, who has been confirmed to drive for Williams full-time in 2019, was a participant in this session, filling in for Sergey Sirotkin, who has been left without a seat for next year. The Polish driver was last on the time-sheets with a 1:42.992.

    Antonio Giovinazzi, who also has a full-time seat next year with Sauber, got to drive for them in this session as well, in place of Ferrari-bound, Charles Leclerc. Giovinazzi's fastest time was 1:41.662, placing him in 16th.

    Fernando Alonso was presented with special livery for the weekend, as he prepares to leave Formula 1 for other motorsport options. He finished in 19th with a 1:42.313. Stoffel Vandoorne, who is also leaving McLaren and Formula 1, to race in Formula E, finished one space ahead of Alonso, in 18th with a 1:42.114.

    Marcus Ericsson, who will stay with Sauber as their 3rd driver, had a crash during the session near Turn 1. He hit the barriers but managed not to do too much damage to the car, as he was able to drive away and get back to the pits. He finished the session in 17th with a 1:41.928.

TIMES:

1. Max Verstappen - 1:38.491 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands

2. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:38.945 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia

3. Valtteri Bottas - 1:39.452 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland

4. Lewis Hamilton - 1:39.543 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

5. Esteban Ocon - 1:40.102 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / France

6. Kevin Magnussen - 1:40.235 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

7. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:40.417 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

8. Sebastian Vettel - 1:40.453 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

9. Carlos Sainz - 1:40.588 / Renault-Renault / Spain

10. Romain Grosjean - 1:40.663 / Haas-Ferrari / France

11. Pierre Gasly - 1:40.671 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France

12. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:41.023 / Renault-Renault / Germany

13. Sergio Perez - 1:41.075 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

14. Brendon Hartley - 1:41.137 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand

15. Lance Stroll - 1:41.493 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

16. Antonio Giovinazzi - 1:41.662 / Sauber-Ferrari / Italy*

17. Marcus Ericsson - 1:41.928 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

18. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:42.114 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium

19. Fernando Alonso - 1:42.313 / McLaren-Renault / Spain

20. Robert Kubica - 1:42.992 / Williams-Mercedes / Poland*

* - Notes drivers are participating in FP1 only

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Formula 2 - Abu Dhabi - Free Practice - TIMES

FORMULA 2 - ABU DHABI - FREE PRACTICE - TIMES

1. George Russell - 1:51.720 / ART Grand Prix / Great Britain

2. Antonio Fuoco - 1:51.884 / Charouz Racing System / Italy

3. Luca Ghiotto - 1:52.315 / Campos Vexatec Racing / Italy

4. Nirei Fukuzumi - 1:52.323 / BWT Arden / Japan

5. Nyck de Vries - 1:52.386 / PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing / Netherlands

6. Roberto Merhi - 1:52.395 / Campos Vexatec Racing / Spain

7. Louis Deletraz - 1:52.518 / Charouz Racing System / Switzerland

8. Lando Norris - 1:52.611 / Carlin / Great Britain

9 Alexander Albon - 1:52.655 / DAMS / Thailand

10. Artem Markelov - 1:52.940 / RUSSIAN TIME / Russia

11. Jack Aitken - 1:53.012 / ART Grand Prix / Great Britain

12. Sergio Sette Camara - 1:53.037 / Carlin / Brazil

13. Alessio Lorandi - 1:53.216 / Trident / Italy

14. Tadasuke Makino - 1:53.360 / RUSSIAN TIME / Japan

15. Sean Gelael - 1:53.398 / PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing / Indonesia

16. Arjun Maini - 1:53.483 / Trident / India

17. Nicholas Latifi - 1:53.507 / DAMS / Canada

18. Niko Kari - 1:53.605 / MP Motorsport / Finland

19. Dorian Boccolacci - 1:53.875 / MP Motorsport / France

20. Daniel Ticktum - 1:54.317 / BWT Arden / Great Britain*

* - Notes Ticktum is replacing Gunther for the rounds of Abu Dhabi

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GP3 - Abu Dhabi - Free Practice - TIMES

GP3 - ABU DHABI - FREE PRACTICE - TIMES

1. Giuliano Alesi - 1:55.676 / Trident / France

2. David Beckmann - 1:56.568 / Trident / Germany

3. Gabriel Aubry - 1:56.568 / Arden International / France

4. Jehan Daruvala - 1:56.589 / MP Motorsport / India*

5. Joey Mawson - 1:56.655 / Arden International / Australia

6. Sacha Fenestraz - 1:57.053 / Arden International / France

7. Leonardo Pulcini - 1:57.116 / Campos Racing / Italy

8. Anthoine Hubert - 1:57.170 / ART Grand Prix / France

9. Devlin DeFrancesco - 1:57.170 / MP Motorsport / Canada

10. Richard Verschoor - 1:57.259 / MP Motorsport / Netherlands

11. Ryan Tveter - 1:57.277 / Trident / USA

12. Jake Hughes - 1:57.311 / ART Grand Prix / Great Britain

13. Nikita Mazepin - 1:57.393 / ART Grand Prix / Russia

14. Juan Manuel Correa - 1:57.453 / Jenzer Motorsport / USA

15. Diego Menchaca - 1:57.579 / Campos Racing / Mexico

16. Simo Laaksonen - 1:57.588 / Campos Racing / Finland

17. Pedro Piquet - 1:57.727 / Trident / Brazil

18. Tatiana Calderon - 1:57.826 / Jenzer Motorsport / Columbia

19. Callum Ilott  - 1:57.847 / ART Grand Prix / Great Britain

20. Jannes Fittje - 1:58.579 / Jenzer Motorsport / Germany

* - Notes Daruvala joins MP Motorsport for the rounds of Abu Dhabi 

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Brazilian GP: Free Practice #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

BRAZILIAN GP - FREE PRACTICE #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Sebastian Vettel topped the times in the final free practice session ahead of qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix.

    The Ferrari driver was the only man to set a time under 1m18s around the Interlagos circuit, lowering the benchmark to 1m07.948s before the end of the morning.

    Newly-crowned champion Lewis Hamilton finished second fastest, 0.217s slower than Vettel, after spending much of the first half of the session confined to the pits.

    A breather pipe in Hamilton’s car had become dislodged and the Mercedes mechanics spent the first half hour repairing Hamilton’s car. When he eventually managed to get on track, puffs of smoke came out of the Brit’s car on a number of occasions, but there didn’t seem to be any serious issue.

    On his first lap of the day, Hamilton  put himself second, ahead of team-mate Valtteri Bottas, before improving to push Vettel off the top spot.

    Kimi Raikkonen, the first man to set a time earlier in the session, quickly pushed Hamilton back down to second, before Vettel put in his fastest time of the day to go P1.

    With smoke still coming out of the back of his car, Hamilton put in another flying lap. He set the fastest second sector but couldn’t quite hook up the lap and had to settle for second quickest.

    Bottas took third, ahead of Raikkonen, Max Verstappen, and Daniel Ricciardo.

    A late improvement from Kevin Magnussen put him best of the rest, finishing the morning just 0.358s behind the Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo.

    Romain Grosjean took eighth, ahead of Pierre Gasly and Charles Leclerc, making it five Ferrari powered cars inside the top 10.

    Nico Hulkenberg was the fastest of the works Renaults in P11, finishing 1.513s off Vettel’s pace.

    Esteban Ocon ended the morning 12th quickest, ahead of Marcus Ericsson, Carlos Sainz, and Sergey Sirotkin.

    Brendon Hartley, Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso, Sergio Perez, and Stoffel Vandoorne completed the order.

TIMES:

1. Sebastian Vettel - 1:07.948 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
2. Lewis Hamilton - 1:08.165 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
3. Valtteri Bottas - 1:08.465 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland
4. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:08.490 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
5. Max Verstappen - 1:08.733 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands
6. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:08.788 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia
7. Kevin Magnussen – 1:09.146 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark 
8. Romain Grosjean - 1:09.257 / Haas-Ferrari / France
9. Pierre Gasly - 1:09.402 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France
10. Charles Leclerc - 1:09.448 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco
11. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:09.461 / Renault-Renault / Germany
12. Esteban Ocon - 1:09.588 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / France
13. Marcus Ericsson - 1:09.808 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
14. Carlos Sainz - 1:09.864 / Renault-Renault / Spain
15. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:09.885 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia
16. Brendon Hartley - 1:09.985 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand
17. Lance Stroll - 1:10.001 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
18. Fernando Alonso - 1:10.020 / McLaren-Renault / Spain
19. Sergio Perez - 1:10.116 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
20. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:10.289 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium

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Brazilian GP: Free Practice #2 - RE-CAP & TIMES

BRAZILIAN GP - FREE PRACTICE #2 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Valtteri Bottas topped the second practice session on Friday, beating the time Verstappen set in FP1.

    The Finn set a quickest time of 1:08.846 to put himself ahead of team-mate, Lewis Hamilton, who came extremely close, finishing in second with a 1:08.849.

    Sebastian Vettel was third, followed by the Red Bull duo of Ricciardo and Verstappen, who finished 4th and 5th, respectively.

    Despite finishing in 5th with a 1:09.339, Verstappen missed the first half of the session due to an oil leak.

    Nico Hulkenberg caused red flags in the opening minutes of the session after he crashed heavily. While he wasn't injured in the crash, his session was over, leaving him down in 20th with a 1:11.674.

    Raikkonen, Grosjean, Leclerc, Magnussen and Ocon were the other drivers who finished within the top 10.

TIMES:

1. Valtteri Bottas - 1:08.846 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland

2. Lewis Hamilton - 1:08.849 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

3. Sebastian Vettel - 1:08.919 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

4. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:09.164 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia

5. Max Verstappen - 1:09.339 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands

6. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:09.412 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

7. Romain Grosjean - 1:09.769 / Haas-Ferrari / France

8. Charles Leclerc - 1:09.943 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco

9. Kevin Magnussen - 1:10.007 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

10. Esteban Ocon - 1:10.159 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / France

11. Sergio Perez - 1:10.320 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

12. Pierre Gasly - 1:10.330 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France

13. Fernando Alonso - 1:10.332 / McLaren-Renault / Spain

14. Carlos Sainz - 1:10.458 / Renault-Renault / Spain

15. Marcus Ericsson - 1:10.532 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

16. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:10.569 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia

17. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:10.596 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium

18. Lance Stroll - 1:10.662 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

19. Brendon Hartley - 1:10.734 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand

20. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:11.674 / Renault-Renault / Germany

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Brazilian GP: Free Practice #1 - RE-CAP & TIMES

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

    Max Verstappen topped the times of the first practice session of the Brazilian GP weekend. The Dutch driver set a 1:09.011, just ahead of Vettel in the Ferrari, who came remarkably close with a 1:09.060.

    Hamilton was next in the order, finishing with a 1:09.107. Daniel Ricciardo and Kimi Raikkonen finished 4th and 5th, respectively, completing the top 5.

    Antonio Giovinazzi was a part of the session as he replaced Ericsson at Sauber. The Italian driver, who joins the team full-time in 2019, finished in 13th with a 1:10.685. Leclerc, in the other Sauber, finished in 9th with a 1:10.346.

    Lando Norris was also in the session, in place of Fernando Alonso. The young F1 driver finished in 16th with a 1:11.013. Latifi was the last Friday driver to be in the session, taking over for Sergio Perez at Force India. Latifi was last with a 1:11.493.

    Bottas, Grosjean, Magnussen and Ocon were the other four to finish in the top 10.

TIMES:

1. Max Verstappen - 1:09.011 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands

2. Sebastian Vettel - 1:09.060 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

3. Lewis Hamilton - 1:09.107 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

4. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:09.395 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia

5. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:09.573 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

6. Valtteri Bottas - 1:09.679 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland

7. Romain Grosjean - 1:09.922 / Haas-Ferrari / France

8. Kevin Magnussen - 1:10.236 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

9. Charles Leclerc - 1:10.346 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco

10. Esteban Ocon - 1:10.361 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / France

11. Carlos Sainz - 1:10.662 / Renault-Renault / Spain

12. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:10.679 / Renault-Renault / Germany

13. Antonio Giovinazzi - 1:10.685 / Sauber-Ferrari / Italy*

14. Lance Stroll - 1:10.799 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

15. Pierre Gasly - 1:10.934 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France

16. Lando Norris - 1:11.013 / McLaren-Renault / Great Britain*

17. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:11.037 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia

18. Brendon Hartley - 1:11.176 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand

19. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:11.452 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium

20. Nicholas Latifi - 1:11.493 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / Canada*

* - Notes drivers participating in FP1 only

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Mexican GP: Free Practice #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

MEXICAN GP - FREE PRACTICE #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Max Verstappen topped the third practice session in a row, setting a quickest time of 1:16.284 in his Red Bull. 

    Lewis Hamilton had a better session after a tough Friday. He was able to get himself up into second with a 1:16.538. Bottas finished much further down in 19th after suffering from a hydraulics problem during the session. His quickest time was a 1:18.839.

    Sebastian Vettel was third, ahead of Ricciardo who endured mechanical troubles. Kimi Raikkonen rounded up the top 5 with a 1:17.045.

    The Sauber duo had a good session with soon-to-be Ferrari driver, Leclerc, finishing in 6th with a 1:17.059 and Ericsson, finishing in 9th with a 1:17.565.

    Kevin Magnussen was the only driver to not set a time due to his intercooler needing to be replaced.

TIMES:

1. Max Verstappen - 1:16.284 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands
2. Lewis Hamilton - 1:16.538 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
3. Sebastian Vettel - 1:16.566 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
4. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:17.028 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia
5. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:17.045 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
6. Charles Leclerc - 1:17.059 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco
7. Carlos Sainz - 1:17.336 / Renault-Renault / Spain
8. Pierre Gasly - 1:17.525 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France
9. Marcus Ericsson - 1:17.565 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
10. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:17.623 / Renault-Renault / Germany
11. Esteban Ocon - 1:17.731 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / France
12. Sergio Perez - 1:17.819 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
13. Romain Grosjean - 1:18.145 / Haas-Ferrari / France
14. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:18.445 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium
15. Fernando Alonso - 1:18.548 / McLaren-Renault / Spain
16. Brendon Hartley - 1:18.637 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand
17. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:18.669 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia
18. Lance Stroll - 1:18.698 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
19. Valtteri Bottas - 1:18.839 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Bottas
20. Kevin Magnussen - NO TIME SET / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark 

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Mexican GP: Free Practice #2 - RE-CAP & TIMES

MEXICAN GP - FREE PRACTICE #2 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Max Verstappen once again led the pack, taking the top time in the second practice session of the Mexican GP weekend. This time it was a 1:16.720 that placed him in first, ahead of his team-mate. Despite this, he was unable to finish the session as his car lost power in the remaining minutes, due to a hydraulics problem.

    Ricciardo was close behind with a 1:16.873, ahead of Carlos Sainz who once again took third place as he had in the earlier session. His quickest time was a 1:17.953, putting him ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Nico Hulkenberg, who rounded up the top 5.

    Mercedes once again struggled with the pace. Lewis Hamilton finished the session in 7th with a 1:18.100, while Bottas was a couple places further down in 9th with a 1:18.140.

    Pierre Gasly had a better running in this session than in FP1 where he was limited to just 2 non-timed laps due to power unit issues. This time around he finished in 14th with a 1:19.047. Team-mate, Hartley, finished up in 6th with a 1:18.061. Toro Rosso has yet to announce if Hartley will continue with the team in 2019 or not.

    Raikkonen, Bottas and Perez were the other drivers to finish within the top 10.

TIMES:

1. Max Verstappen - 1:16.720 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands
2. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:16.873 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia
3. Carlos Sainz - 1:17.953 / Renault-Renault / Spain
4. Sebastian Vettel - 1:17.954 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
5. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:18.046 / Renault-Renault / Germany
6. Brendon Hartley - 1:18.061 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand
7. Lewis Hamilton - 1:18.100 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
8. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:18.133 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
9. Valtteri Bottas - 1:18.140 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland
10. Sergio Perez - 1:18.167 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
11. Esteban Ocon - 1:18.485 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / France
12. Romain Grosjean - 1:18.733 / Haas-Ferrari / France
13. Charles Leclerc - 1:19.024 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco
14. Pierre Gasly - 1:19.047 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France
15. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:19.096 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium
16. Lance Stroll - 1:19.219 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
17. Marcus Ericsson - 1:19.322 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
18. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:19.335 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia
19. Fernando Alonso - 1:19.543 / McLaren-Renault / Spain
20. Kevin Magnussen - 1:19.670 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

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Mexican GP: Free Practice #1 - RE-CAP & TIMES

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

    Max Verstappen topped the time-sheets in the first practice session of the Mexican GP weekend. 

    The young Dutch driver set a fastest time of 1:16.656, ahead of his Australian team-mate, Ricciardo, who set a 1:17.139.

    In a twist of results, Mercedes, nor Ferrari were next on the list. Instead it was the Renault duo with Carlos Sainz taking the third spot with a 1:17.926.

    Hulkenberg was fourth with a 1:18.028, ahead of Lewis Hamilton who completed the top 5 with a 1:18.075.

    Antonio Giovinazzi, who will have a full-time race seat in 2019 with Sauber, stepped into the drivers seat in place of Leclerc for the session. The Italian driver set a 1:19.34, putting him in 12th, just 2 spaces ahead of Ericsson in the other Sauber.

    Lando Norris took part in the session as well, replacing Fernando Alonso for the hour and a half. The young F2 driver was 15th fastest with a 1:19.646.

    Also competing in the session was Nicholas Latifi, current DAMS driver in F2. He replaced Esteban Ocon and finished in 10th with a 1:19.078, just ahead of home town hero, Sergio Perez, who was 11th with a 1:19.124.

    The only driver to not get a decent amount of running was Pierre Gasly, who ended up stuck in the garage while the team switched out his power unit. The Frenchman only managed 2 laps and was unable to set a time.

TIMES:

1. Max Verstappen - 1:16.656 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands
2. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:17.139 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia
3. Carlos Sainz - 1:17.926 / Renault-Renault / Spain
4. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:18.028 / Renault-Renault / Germany
5. Lewis Hamilton - 1:18.075 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
6. Valtteri Bottas - 1:18.322 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland
7. Sebastian Vettel - 1:18.746 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
8. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:18.936 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
9. Brendon Hartley - 1:19.024 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand
10. Nicholas Latifi - 1:19.078 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / Canada*
11. Sergio Perez - 1:19.124 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
12. Antonio Giovinazzi - 1:19.134 / Sauber-Ferrari / Italy*
13. Romain Grosjean - 1:19.276 / Haas-Ferrari / France
14. Marcus Ericsson - 1:19.312 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
15. Lando Norris - 1:19.646 / McLaren-Renault / Great Britain*
16. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:19.716 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium
17. Kevin Magnussen - 1:19.853 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark
18. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:19.899 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia
19. Lance Stroll - 1:20.142 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
20. Pierre Gasly - NO TIME SET / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France

* - Participating in FP1 only

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US GP: Free Practice #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

US GP - FREE PRACTICE #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Sebastian Vettel topped the final practice session of the weekend as the rain finally seemed to give the drivers a break.

    Vettel's quickest time was a 1:33.797. He was followed by team-mate, Raikkonen, who was second with a 1:33.843.

    Hamilton was next in 3rd, with Bottas close behind in 4th, while the top 5 was completed by Max Verstappen with a 1:34.703.

    Charles Leclerc, who is just a few races away from being a Ferrari driver, finished in 7th with a quickest time of 1:35.365. Team-mate, Ericsson, who was unable to secure a drive but will stay on at Sauber as a third driver, finished further down in 15th with a 1:36.000.

    It was a rough session for McLaren with Alonso finishing all the way down in 20th with a 1:36.332, and Vandoorne finishing only 2 spots ahead in 18th with a 1:36.302.

    Sergio Perez helped stick Force India in the top 10 with a 1:35.411, placing him in 8th, while Ocon was unable to do the same with his car, stuck down in 11th.

    Ricciardo, Sainz and Grosjean also finished in the top 10.

TIMES:

1. Sebastian Vettel - 1:33.797 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
2. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:33.843 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
3. Lewis Hamilton - 1:33.870 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
4. Valtteri Bottas - 1:34.556 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland
5. Max Verstappen - 1:34.703 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands
6. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:34.910 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia
7. Charles Leclerc - 1:35.365 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco
8. Sergio Perez - 1:35.411 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
9. Carlos Sainz - 1:35.450 / Renault-Renault / Spain
10. Romain Grosjean - 1:35.468 / Haas-Ferrari / France
11. Esteban Ocon - 1:35.562 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / France
12. Pierre Gasly - 1:35.713 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France
13. Kevin Magnussen - 1:35.770 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark
14. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:35.882 / Renault-Renault / Germany
15. Marcus Ericsson - 1:36.000 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
16. Lance Stroll - 1:36.188 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
17. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:36.193 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia
18. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:36.302 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium
19. Brendon Hartley - 1:36.330 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand
20. Fernando Alonso - 1:36.332 / McLaren-Renault / Spain 

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US GP: Free Practice #1 - RE-CAP & TIMES

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

    Lewis Hamilton topped the first free practice session of the weekend in the wet conditions at COTA.

    Hamilton's quickest lap was a 1:47.502. He has the possibility of claiming the Championship title on Sunday, although things could go Vettel's way this time around.

    Bottas was close behind with a 1:48.806, while the Red Bull duo of Verstappen and Ricciardo were 3rd and 4th respectively.

    Sebastian Vettel came 5th with a 1:49.489.

    Lando Norris filled in for Stoffel Vandoorne and finished the session in 12th with a 1:51.232.

    Sean Gelael was also in the session, driving in place of Hartley at Toro Rosso. Gelael was last on the charts with a 1:52.625

    Nicholas Latifi was supposed to run for Force India but the team opted to run Ocon instead and decided to give Latifi the wheel in Abu Dhabi.

    Red Flags came out after Charles Leclerc lost his Sauber in the grass and then drove through the gravel to rejoin the track. Bits of the gravel ended up spread out on the circuit, causing the session to be stopped.

    Sebastian Vettel ended up with a 3-Place-Grid-Penalty for not slowing sufficiently under the red flag conditions.

TIMES:

1. Lewis Hamilton - 1:47.502 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
2. Valtteri Bottas - 1:48.806 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland
3. Max Verstappen - 1:48.847 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands
4. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:49.326 / Red Bull-TAG-Heuer / Australia
5. Sebastian Vettel - 1:49.489 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
6. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:49.928 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
7. Carlos Sainz - 1:50.665 / Renault-Renault / Spain
8. Romain Grosjean - 1:50.821 / Haas-Ferrari / France
9. Charles Leclerc - 1:50.961 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco
10. Marcus Ericsson - 1:51.016 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
11. Fernando Alonso - 1:51.036 / McLaren-Renault / Spain
12. Lando Norris - 1:51.232 / McLaren-Renault / Great Britain*
13. Pierre Gasly - 1:51.234 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France
14. Sergio Perez - 1:51.459 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
15. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:51.589 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia
16. Kevin Magnussen - 1:51.614 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark
17. Esteban Ocon - 1:51.655 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / France
18. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:51.717 / Renault-Renault / Germany
19. Lance Stroll - 1:51.896 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
20. Sean Gelael - 1:52.625 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / Indonesia*

* - Notes driving in FP1 only

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Japanese GP: Free Practice #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

JAPANESE GP - FREE PRACTICE #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Lewis Hamilton topped the final practice session of the weekend, despite rainy conditions.

    The rain kept most drivers confined to their garages for most of the session, but Hamilton didn't waste any time when it was clear enough for running. His quickest time was a 1:29.599.

    Sebastian Vettel was second fastest with a 1:29.715, while team-mate, Raikkonen, finished in 3rd. Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas completed the top five.

    Nico Hulkenberg crashed near the end of the session, his Renault slamming into the barriers just past the Esses. He was able to emerge from the accident without injury, but his car was in need of multiple repairs ahead of Qualifying.

    After dealing with Fuel Pump issues in FP2, Pierre Gasly had another uneasy session, finishing down in 20th with a 1:33.105. It was not a good start to the weekend for the French Driver. Meanwhile, Hartley, in the other Toro Rosso, managed 13th with a 1:32.030.

    Daniel Ricciardo, the Force India duo of Ocon and Perez, Carlos Sainz in the other Renault and Kevin Magnussen in the Haas, all finished in the top 10.

TIMES:

1. Lewis Hamilton - 1:29.599 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

2. Sebastian Vettel - 1:29.715 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

3. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:30.054 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

4. Max Verstappen - 1:30.304 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands

5. Valtteri Bottas - 1:30.422 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland

6. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:30.474 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia

7. Esteban Ocon - 1:31.088 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / France

8. Sergio Perez - 1:31.483 / Racing Point Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

9. Carlos Sainz - 1:31.513 / Renault-Renault / Spain

10. Kevin Magnussen - 1:31.521 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

11. Romain Grosjean - 1:31.636 / Haas-Ferrari / France

12. Charles Leclerc - 1:31.760 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco

13. Brendon Hartley - 1:32.030 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand

14. Lance Stroll - 1:32.201 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

15. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:32.224 / Renault-Renault / Germany

16. Marcus Ericsson - 1:32.442 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

17. Fernando Alonso - 1:32.608 / McLaren-Renault / Spain

18. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:32.631 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia

19. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:33.034 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium

20. Pierre Gasly - 1:33.105 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France

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