𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚 𝟏 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠

With all the hustle and bustle, ready to go.

.....

"Nico Hulkenberg is back yet again, after a late call up for Aston Martin".

"The German is driving in place of Sebastian Vettel, who has tested positive for Covid-19. It is going to be an incredibly steep learning curve though for Hulkenberg, with brand new cars and only three hours of practice between him and qualifying under the lights tomorrow".

15:00
FP1 is a go!
"Here comes Charles Leclerc for Ferrari, sporting aero rakes on his rear wing. Ferrari are still testing things then, and why not - that's the perfect use of this opening practice session".

"Ferrari had two trouble-free tests, and were the pick of the paddock so far for many people. Leclerc and Sainz do seem relaxed - but the true pecking order remains a slight unknown, with sandbagging a well known tactic in testing."

15:05
There are some yellow flags out - and replays show some debris on the main straight. Further replays show a big lock up for Hulkenberg, but those two don't necessarily look connected...

SESSION STOPPED
The red flags are out
There is a piece of bodywork on the main straight which can't be easily collected under double waved yellows, so the session is suspended. It should be relatively swift - ah, and it looks like the Alpine of Ocon shed some crucial bodywork there.

The clock continues to tick down in practice - and there is a restart time of 15:20 so not too much longer to wait.

15:20
Green light
The session is back under way

Gasly and Tsunoda head out first, pretty much side by side down the main straight before the Frenchman nips in ahead. How those two fares will be fascinating this year - can Gasly kick on and score more podiums? And can Tsunoda make it into the points more consistently?

Verstappen has popped to the top of the timing screens with a 1m 34.742s. That is some way off the times from testing here last week, but it is early days, and the teams won't be going flat out just yet. FP2 is more representative for soft tyre quick laps...

15:33
The drivers aren't being too careful out there today - Russell is the latest to lose a chunk of bodywork...

Meanwhile, Leclerc has had a spin down at Turn 11, dropping the rear wheel onto the kerb on corner exit just as he stepped on the gas. That won't have done his brand new mediums any good...

15:48
"What a lap," smiles Gasly as he picks up where he left off in testing. He was quick last week here in Bahrain, but there was a suspicion that the car was running low on fuel with the engine more turned up than many - and tomorrow will be the proof as to how quick that AT03 is.

Last year it was better over one lap than on race day too, which is something to keep in mind across the weekend.

15:52
Leclerc didn't flat spot his tyres too badly with that earlier spin, as he has just popped into second on the same set of rubber. Sainz in P3 was also on the yellow-marked mediums, while Gasly out front was running softs.

CHEQUERED FLAG

Gasly tops FP1
So it is advantage to the AlphaTauri man, who finishes P1 with a 1m 34.193s. He winds up a few tenths ahead of the Ferrari boys, with Verstappen down in fifth and Hamilton seventh.

FP1 Results

1. Pierre Gasly
2. Charles Leclerc
3. Carlos Sainz
4. George Russell
5. Max Verstappen
6. Lance Stroll
7. Lewis Hamilton
8. Fernando Alonso
9. Yuki Tsunoda
10. Sergio (Checo) Perez
11. Zhou Guanyu
12. Esteban Ocon
13. Nicholas Latifi
14. Nico Hulkenberg
15. Alexander Albon
16. Lando Norris
17. Daniel Ricciardo
18. Mick Schumacher
19. Kevin Magnussen
20. Valtteri Bottas