F1 | Portuguese GP | Bottas leads Hamilton and Verstappen in FP1
F1 is a visiting a new track this weekend, but it was normal service at the front of the field.
For the first time in Formula 1 history, the sport visited the Algarve International Circuit as Friday practice kicked off for the Portuguese Grand Prix.
Sebastian Vettel posted the first time of the session with a 1:30.462 in the Ferrari. After having two times deleted, Carlos Sainz eventually got a lap on the board as he logged a 1:22.183; he eventually lowered that to a 1:20.696 before boxing.
The drivers were complaining of low grip and Max Verstappen had the first spin of the session as he went around at T4 in the RB16. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc also spun in turn 14 and was lucky not to get beached in the gravel. Kimi Raikkonen and Daniil Kvyat both had spins late in the session as well, but they continued without any issues.
Max Verstappen gets swapped up at Turn 4 🔃
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 23, 2020
The buttery smooth surface at @AIAPortimao is catching a few drivers out, as they get a feeling for this new venue#PortugueseGP 🇵🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/MywGcqUXhI
Leclerc dips his toes in the gravel, but he's able to get it out again 👀#PortugueseGP 🇵🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/WYJz5s4NHh
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 23, 2020
Something's not quite right here... 🤔#PortugueseGP 🇵🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/VtMyMCwbxH
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 23, 2020
At the halfway point of the session, it was a familiar face in P1 as Lewis Hamilton topped the times on a 1:19.526, a tenth of a second ahead of Leclerc and four-tenths clear of teammate Bottas.
Sainz, Gasly, Vettel, Albon, Perez, Norris and Ricciardo completed the top 10 following everyone’s runs on their first set of tyres.
Sergio Perez was the first driver to make big gains on the second set of tyres as the Mexican vaulted up to P3, 0.381s adrift of Hamilton’s benchmark.
Mercedes flexed their muscles on the medium tyres as Bottas banged in the quickest lap of the session with a 1:18.410 in the W11, 0.339s ahead of teammate Hamilton.
Max Verstappen, who was P20 after the opening runs as he was one of the first out on track, moved up to his customary 3rd position using the hard tyre, 0.781s behind Bottas.
Charles Leclerc had a good session in the SF1000 to finish 4th quickest, just over a tenth behind Verstappen on the same compound. Alex Albon in the second Red Bull rounded out the top 5.
Sainz, Perez, Raikkonen, Ricciardo and Pierre Gasly completed the top 10. Gasly’s session was compromised by an unspecified problem towards the end of it, however.
Vettel, Norris, Kvyat, Magnussen, Stroll, Giovinazzi, Grosjean, Russell, Ocon and Latifi filled positions 11-20.
Smoke billowed from the back of Ocon’s Renault right at the end of FP1 as more reliability gremlins hit the Frenchman’s car.
A smokey end to the session for Esteban Ocon 😱
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 23, 2020
He's instructed not to change gears as he returns to the pits#PortugueseGP 🇵🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/I5wV6hYVz7
