Mercedes leads FP1 ahead of Spanish Grand Prix weekend ahead of Ferrari, while Red Bull has mixed session
Valtteri Bottas set the fastest time in first practice for the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix, leading a Mercedes 1-2 ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton finished more than eight tenths off the Finn’s pace
Sebastian Vettel ended the session in third – 0.950sec off Bottas and a tenth behind Hamilton.
The development race for 2018 has kicked off, with numerous teams sporting new aero parts – but the results were mixed.
Daniel Ricciardo, who ran as high as third, crashed at Turn 4 in his newly upgraded Red Bull RB14 early in the session. Lance Stroll (20th) then crashed at Turn 5. Brendon Hartley’s (17th) session was also cut short after 30 minutes with a trip through the Turn 4 gravel. But numerous drivers had offs through the opening practice.
Max Verstappen spun just before Ricciardo, but he recovered to set the fourth fastest time – 1.039sec off the pace. Kimi Räikkönen was knocked down to fifth late in the session.
Fernando Alonso, his McLaren sporting a new nose, finished sixth fastest ahead of Ricciardo. Romain Grosjean finished eighth ahead of McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne, with Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly rounding out the top 10.
Kevin Magnussen managed 11th ahead of Charles Leclerc, while midfield rivals Renault and Force India occupied 13th to 17th place, with Marcus Ericsson splitting them in 14th.
Robert Kubica finished 19th, 3.362sec off the pace as the Williams pair rounded out the standings.
| 1 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1min 18.148sec | |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1min 18.997sec | +0.849sec |
| 3 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1min 19.098sec | +0.950sec |
| 4 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1min 19.187sec | +1.039sec |
| 5 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 1min 19.499sec | +1.351sec |
| 6 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren | 1min 19.858sec | +1.710sec |
| 7 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | 1min 19.871sec | +1.723sec |
| 8 | Romain Grosjean | Haas | 1min 19.906sec | +1.758sec |
| 9 | Stoffel Vandoorne | McLaren | 1min 20.083sec | +1.935sec |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | Toro Rosso | 1min 20.508sec | +2.360sec |
| 11 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1min 20.637sec | +2.489sec |
| 12 | Charles Leclerc | Sauber | 1min 20.665sec | +2.517sec |
| 13 | Sergio Pérez | Force India | 1min 20.924sec | +2.776sec |
| 14 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber | 1min 20.984sec | +2.836sec |
| 15 | Carlos Sainz | Renault | 1min 21.053sec | +2.905sec |
| 16 | Esteban Ocon | Force India | 1min 21.144sec | +2.996sec |
| 17 | Nico Hülkenberg | Renault | 1min 21.159sec | +3.011sec |
| 18 | Brendon Hartley | Toro Rosso | 1min 21.373sec | +3.225sec |
| 19 | Robert Kubica | Williams | 1min 21.510sec | +3.362sec |
| 20 | Lance Stroll | Williams | 1min 22.756sec | +4.608sec |
Max Verstappen could secure his fourth F1 drivers' crown at this weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix. Motor Sport looks back on the key races which could put the Dutchman's name among F1's greatest
The Formula 1 drivers' title might be as good as won, but the race towards the constructors' championship could find new traction in Las Vegas — with a new series and the cold desert air possibly throwing a spanner in the works
An "aggressive" Las Vegas GP schedule last year saw F1 drivers ill and exhausted after a week in the dark, juggling "showbiz" commitments before travelling on the longest flight in the world. It's part of the job, they say
He won GP titles with Benetton, Ferrari and his own Brawn team, then helped steer F1 to unprecedented popularity. As Ross Brawn turns 70, Matt Bishop looks back at a remarkable career — plus the multiple times he antagonised the engineer