First part of free practice
Mostly cloudy. Dry. Air +17…18С, route +21С
Over the winter, Spa underwent a massive reconstruction and while the track configuration has not changed, the departure zones have been seriously reworked – in the first training session the riders were able to appreciate these changes.
The stands were already packed on Friday – after last year’s fiasco, when the race was canceled due to rain, the organizers organized many interesting events. But again it was not without rain – at the start of the session the track was a bit wet so the riders started on intermediate tires but switched to slicks almost immediately.
A temporary replacement took place in AlphaTauri – Liam Lawson, a member of the Red Bull youth program, got behind the wheel of Pierre Gasly’s car and made his debut in the official Grand Prix session.
Six riders at once – Verstappen, Leclerc, Norris, Okon, Bottas and Schumacher – already knew on Friday morning that they would start from the last rows due to a power plant change, so they focused on race speed to have a chance to recoup.
At the start of the session, Valtteri Bottas’ car hit the bottom of the tarmac several times, leaving noticeable marks – and he was called into the pits to change the suspension settings. More Finn didn’t leave.
Esteban Ocon returned to the pits due to power plant problems and exited the car after just five laps.
In the 36th minute red flags appeared – Kevin Magnussen stopped at the exit of the first corner – the power station lost power. It was not possible to evacuate the car immediately – a flashing red light signaled the danger of an electric shock, so Haas technicians had to be on site. The racers were only able to get back on the track fifteen minutes later.
At the end of the session it started to rain again. Leclerc flew off the track without affecting the car. Ricciardo, Norris and Alonso started on intermediate tyres.
The protocol was led by Carlos Sainz, who had passed the lap in 1:46.538, seven hundredths ahead of his teammate.
Results of the first session
| pilot | Team | Time | Difference | Circles |
| 1. K. Sainz | Ferrari | 1:46.538 | – | 16 |
| 2. Sh. Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:46.607 | 0.069 | 16 |
| 3. Mr Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:46.755 | 0.217 | ten |
| 4. D. Russell | Mercedes | 1:47.396 | 0.858 | 13 |
| 5. L. Walk | Aston Martin | 1:47.437 | 0.899 | 13 |
| 6. A. Albon | Williams | 1:47.835 | 1,297 | fifteen |
| 7. D. Riccardo | McLaren | 1:48.081 | 1,543 | fourteen |
| 8. Y. Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 1:48.310 | 1,772 | fifteen |
| 9. L. Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:48.420 | 1,882 | ten |
| 10. C. Perez | Red Bull | 1:48.474 | 1.936 | 13 |
| 11. N. Latifi | Williams | 1:48.485 | 1.947 | 13 |
| 12. G. Zhou | Alfa Romeo | 1:48.672 | 2.134 | fourteen |
| 13. L. Norris | McLaren | 1:49.470 | 2.932 | fourteen |
| 14. F. Alonso | alpine | 1:49.664 | 3.126 | 16 |
| 15. S. Vettel | Aston Martin | 1:49.813 | 3.275 | 12 |
| 16. E. Okon | alpine | 1:50.315 | 3.777 | 5 |
| 17. K. Magnussen | hare | 1:50.982 | 4.444 | 9 |
| 18. M. Schumacher | hare | 1:51.259 | 4.721 | fourteen |
| 19. L. Lawson | AlphaTauri | 1:52.065 | 5.527 | fourteen |
| 20. V. Bottas | Alfa Romeo | – | 2 |
Source: F1 News
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