Russian GP 2019

SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

Practice 1 Report - The first indication

Charles Leclerc
© RV Press

By Dan Knutson

After Ferrari defeated Mercedes in the three previous races there were questions how the two teams would stack up against each other on Russia's Sochi circuit. Free Practice 1 gave the first indications to the balance of speed, and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc was the fastest. However, it was not an entirely clear picture as the Ferrari drivers used Pirelli's soft compound tires while the Mercedes drivers ran the medium compound slicks. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen wound up second best, indicating that Red Bull could be in the mix.

The line-up for the weekend was: Mercedes – Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas; Ferrari – Sebastian Vettel and Leclerc; Red Bull TAG Heuer – Verstappen and Alexander Albon; Renault – Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg; Haas Ferrari – Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen; McLaren Renault – Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris; Racing Point Mercedes – Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll; Alfa Romeo Ferrari – Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi; Toro Rosso Honda – Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly; Williams Mercedes – George Russell and Robert Kubica.

Norris and Verstappen were the first out on the circuit.

"A lot of the corners are similar to one another," Vettel said of the 3634-mile (5.848 km) 18-turn track, "but they're all very technical and finding the entry point can be quite tricky, as is getting the braking point right and finding the best way of rotating the car in order to be fast, while also looking after the tires."

The ambient temperature at the start of the 90-minute session was 73 degrees Fahrenheit (23 degrees Centigrade) and the track temperature was 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 degrees Centigrade).

Stroll posted the first time – a 1:43.328 – but most of the rest of the drivers were concentrating on install laps. Perez was not one of them as he turned a 1:39.844 using Pirelli's soft compound tires.

Ricciardo took the lead at 1:37.605 as, 25 minutes into the session, more drivers started setting times. At this stage 10 of them had set a time.

Kvyat would not be turning any more laps as his Toro Rosso stopped out on track at Turn 15, which triggered the VSC until the marshals could push the car behind the wall.

Now, after 30 minutes, the order was Leclerc, Ricciardo, Albon, Hulkenberg, Kvyat and Sainz.

Leclerc extended his lead by getting down to a 1:36.655 while Vettel slid into second, 0.086 of a second slower. But then Bottas did a 1:36.174.

Hamilton's first timed lap was a 1:36.031 using the Pirelli's soft compound tires.

At the 40-minute break, when the drivers must return a set of tires to Pirelli, the order was: Hamilton, Bottas, Leclerc, Vettel, Hulkenberg, Gasly, Albon, Sainz, Ricciardo and Grosjean.

"Nico returns. Quick debrief over the radio from both drivers. Daniel making positive noises regarding car balance; it feels reasonable and a good starting point for the weekend," Renault tweeted.

Meanwhile Kvyat's car had been returned to the Toro Rosso garage where the first indications were that it had been a fuel system problem.

Back in action, Bottas took over first with a 1:35.551 followed by a 1:35.198 on a new set of the medium compound slicks.

But then, just before the one-hour mark, Vettel used the soft Pirellis to slice in a 1:35.005. Then Leclerc, also on the softs, blasted around in 1:34.462.

Verstappen, on used soft compound tires, popped up out of nowhere to grab second place with a time just 0.082 of a second slower than Leclerc.

In the final 30 minutes the drivers concentrated on doing long runs on their now worn tires.

Kubica provided a bit of entertainment with a harmless spin at Turn 5.

The top 10 at the end of FP1 were: Leclerc, Verstappen, Vettel, Bottas, Hamilton, Albon, Hulkenberg, Ricciardo, Perez and Grosjean.