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FP1: Hamilton heads the field in Melbourne

Published on 23 Mar 2018 03:30
2
By: Fergal Walsh

Lewis Hamilton topped the first practice session of the 2018 Formula 1 season, setting a best lap time of 1:25.026. The Briton had a trouble-free session, leading the pack by just under half a second.

Hamilton's teammate Valtteri Bottas ended up in second place, ahead of the Red Bull of Max Verstappen. The Dutchman's fastest time was seven-tenths of a second down on session leader Hamilton's. Behind Verstappen was the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen.

Raikkonen's teammate Sebastian Vettel was fifth, heading the second Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo. Early indications from practice suggest that the top three teams are indeed far ahead of the rest of the pack once again, with Romain Grosjean finishing the session in seventh, seven-tenths down on Ricciardo.

Fernando Alonso was next on the timesheets, but it wasn't a smooth morning for the Spaniard. An exhaust issue meant that the double-world champion didn't set a lap time until there were just twenty minutes left in the session.

Carlos Sainz, who enters his first full season with the Renault team, was ninth, followed by the second McLaren of Stoffel Vandoorne, who rounded out the top ten.

Pierre Gasly in the Toro Rosso was displaced by Vandoorne in the dying moments of the session and ended up in eleventh. The Red Bull junior team start the year equipped with a Honda engine, which has provided them with a steady 2018 so far.

Debutant Sergey Sirotkin was twelfth, ahead of Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Ocon. While it was believed that Force India would change its name for the season ahead, the team has since confirmed that no such deal will happen.

The second Force India car of Sergio Perez was sixteenth, with Lance Stroll sandwiched in between the two Pink Panthers. Kevin Magnussen had a minor off at the penultimate corner but got away without any trouble and ended up in seventeenth.

Brendon Hartley was eighteenth, ahead of the Sauber duo. The Swiss team enter 2018 in partnership with Alfa Romeo, who is its title sponsor for the year. Marcus Ericsson, who commences his fourth year with the team, led teammate Charles Leclerc, who begins his F1 career this weekend.

Fergal Walsh

F1Grand Prix Australia - Free practice 1

Albert Park - 23 March 2018

Driver

Team

Time

Difference

#
1

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

1:24.026

27
2

Valtteri Bottas

Mercedes

1:24.577

+0.551

29
3

Max Verstappen

Red Bull Racing

1:24.771

+0.745

26
4

Kimi Räikkönen

Ferrari

1:24.875

+0.849

23
5

Sebastian Vettel

Ferrari

1:24.995

+0.969

22
6

Daniel Ricciardo

Red Bull Racing

1:25.063

+1.037

25
7

Romain Grosjean

Haas F1

1:25.730

+1.704

24
8

Fernando Alonso

McLaren

1:25.896

+1.870

16
9

Carlos Sainz jr

Renault

1:25.922

+1.896

23
10

Stoffel Vandoorne

McLaren

1:26.482

+2.456

15
11

Pierre Gasly

Toro Rosso

1:26.494

+2.468

25
12

Sergey Sirotkin

Williams

1:26.536

+2.510

25
13

Nico Hülkenberg

Renault

1:26.583

+2.557

25
14

Esteban Ocon

Force India

1:26.605

+2.579

30
15

Lance Stroll

Williams

1:26.636

+2.610

30
16

Sergio Perez

Force India

1:26.767

+2.741

26
17

Kevin Magnussen

Haas F1

1:27.035

+3.009

13
18

Brendon Hartley

Toro Rosso

1:27.745

+3.719

16
19

Marcus Ericsson

Sauber

1:27.964

+3.938

28
20

Charles Leclerc

Sauber

1:28.853

+4.827

28

Photos Australia 2018

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F1 News Max Verstappen Fernando Alonso Valtteri Bottas Romain Grosjean Daniel Ricciardo Lewis Hamilton Sebastian Vettel Kimi Räikkönen Pierre Gasly Ferrari Renault Honda

Replies (2)

mcbhargav

Posts: 1,332
Haas's pace is real?
- + 0
- Mar 23 2018 - 03:53
krommenaas

Posts: 155
Ffs why don't you put the tires used in the table? It's crucial information.
- + 0
- Mar 23 2018 - 09:42