Australia – FP1: Between rain and wind, Lewis Hamilton leads the way

It was about time! After a winter break lasting more than three months, punctuated by two winter testing sessions, the world of Formula 1 was seriously chomping at the bit. As every year, French night owl enthusiasts gathered in front of their screens to watch the very first laps on the other side of the world, specifically at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia.

Initial information at the time of the start of these trials: rain had fallen on the city in the Victoria region in the morning. The track was therefore particularly treacherous in places when Sebastian Vettel completed his installation lap, equipped with wet tires.

GREEN LIGHT

15 weeks after 2015 finished in Abu Dhabi, 2016 begins in Melbourne…#F1IsBack #AusGP #FP1 pic.twitter.com/YhwUCGUnIS

— Formula 1 (@F1) 18 mars 2016

The wind was also present, which complicated the first laps for the various teams, equipped with intermediate or wet tires for the occasion. In fact, this strong wind was the main difficulty of this session: with such imbalances on the cars, the drivers remained very cautious on the track, which unfortunately provided us with very few laps.

The start of the session was naturally devoted to the initial checks of the cars.

First scare for Jolyon Palmer who almost hit the pit wall while leaving the garage. It must be said that the pit lane is one of the narrowest of the season… No negative consequences nonetheless, and the new Renault R.S 16 “Sirius Yellow” could continue with the scheduled program.

JP & KM back, instalappery done. Chattering currently underway. #FP1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/PfyFvZ9qTZ

— Renault Sport F1 (@RenaultSportF1) 18 mars 2016

The very first benchmark times in this session were set by Mercedes, the team to beat this season. Nico Rosberg clocked a 1:44:037, which will symbolically remain the initial reference time this season.

The beginning of the session was relatively calm: after 30 minutes, apart from the two Mercedes, only Kimi Räikkönen had also set a time. It took reaching this point before Daniel Ricciardo or Jenson Button would equip slick tires. However, the intermittent showers somewhat dampened the enthusiasm of the drivers and especially the team engineers, who were reluctant to see their new creations damaged on the track…

At mid-session, eight drivers had set a reference time. Daniel Ricciardo had risen to the top after setting a time of 1:32.394.

Despite the low number of laps by the drivers, it was particularly interesting to see the first laps of the Haas F1 Team. In this regard, Esteban Gutierrez was complaining to his radio engineer about an engine still inconsistent in its power.

Both Haas drivers are now on the track and Gutierrez is the first of the pair to set a time (1:45.771) #AusGP #FP1 pic.twitter.com/CU78yuY4vQ

— Formula 1 (@F1) 18 mars 2016

The drivers were entering the final quarter of an hour and traffic was beginning (finally!) to somewhat thicken. Max Verstappen treated us to his first piece of showmanship with a half spin at the exit of the sixth corner.

Verstappen hits a damp patch between Turns 6 and 7 losing the rear – he’s quickly back on track though #AusGP #FP1 pic.twitter.com/ZAGMalH4vy

— Formula 1 (@F1) 18 mars 2016

Regarding performances, the Mercedes were particularly in action. Equipped with soft tires, Lewis Hamilton successively improved the track time. 1:29:725 for the triple World Champion, who would remain symbolically the best time of the session. The Red Bulls also distinguished themselves with the second and third best times from Daniil Kyvat and Daniel Ricciardo.

That being said, the Australian was the main victim of the last-minute downpour. Arriving at high speed in the eleventh-twelfth corner sequence, he left his unlucky RB12 in the gravel trap. Which at least had the merit of bringing some joy to the Aussie supporters!

But first, let me take a selfie #Ricciardo #F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/195Uhb98Tn

— Mattzel89 (@Mattzel89) 18 mars 2016

But it must be reminded, the drivers are far from having revealed all of their cards as shown by the Ranking…

Only one watchword: stay tuned to Motors Inside for the rest of this Australian weekend!