There were no surprises at the start of the Russian GP weekend, with Valtteri Bottas as the fastest pilot. The Finn, who achieved his first victory here in 2017, successfully surpassed by two tenths Lewis hamilton, the great candidate for Sunday’s victory.
With practically the same time it ended Max verstappen, the only one to be able to follow them behind. The fourth time was for Charles Leclerc, who dedicated the session to fine-tune the new engine that has caused him a penalty for Sunday that will make him start last. His first feelings, optimistic and positive.
The progression of track conditions made many riders improve in the final stretch of the session, although there were no major surprises. The high pianos gave some scare, and in fact there was a Virtual Safety Car moment because a commissioner went out to the track to remove a piece of broken aileron that had been left in the middle of the track.
As for the Spanish, discreet: Carlos Sainz set the 7th time and Fernando Alonso, the 10th. Predictably, they will be two of those who fight this Saturday to enter Q3 … if the expected rain allows the classification to take place.
Free times table 1 Russian Grand Prix
The second free practice sessions of the Russian GP will be held at 2:00 p.m.