Turkish Grand Prix – Free Practice 1: Verstappen Leads on an Ice Rink
The two Red Bulls recorded the two best times in a session marked by a large number of spins due to a very tricky track.
Some drivers started directly on a greasy track, which had been sprayed with water the day before for cleaning. It was Vettel who first set a timed lap, at 2:01.145. Then the yellow flag was waved to pick up the cone marking the entrance to the pits. The green flag was waved again at 11:13 a.m. (local time).
Due to the cool temperatures, the track struggled to dry. After 20 minutes, Bottas improved Vettel’s time by more than 16 seconds with a 1:44.948.
After half an hour, the track still hadn’t dried and remained just as slippery, so no one was able to come close to the Finnish driver’s time. Then all the drivers eventually left their garages around mid-session when the track finally began to improve.
It was then that Pierre Gasly spun in the first corner. Verstappen set the fastest time with 1:41.741.
35 minutes before the end of the session, Valtteri Bottas set the fastest time with 1:40.806. He improved shortly after to 1:40.114 and then to 1:39.204, still on hard tires. Then he improved once more to 1:38.915 before returning to the pits. Verstappen set the second-fastest time behind the Mercedes driver, followed by the two Ferraris, with only half an hour remaining in the session. Verstappen then took the fastest time with 1:38.523 before a yellow flag was waved in the second sector, as Carlos Sainz’s McLaren was stopped on the track due to a hydraulic issue.
The flag color turned green again 22 minutes into the session and the drivers took the opportunity to switch to medium tires, which allowed Verstappen to improve the time, clocking in at 1:37.151, before Vettel snatched the first place with a 1:36.085, with both Ferraris even holding the top two spots for a while. Leclerc then took Vettel’s place at the top of the time sheet with a 1:35.507.
Less than 10 minutes before the end of the session, Albon set the fastest time at 1:35.318 while Bottas spun. Kvyat also spun at the very end of the session as did Latifi, while Verstappen set the fastest time at 1:35.077.
The two Red Bulls set the fastest time ahead of Leclerc’s Ferrari and Gasly on medium tires. The Mercedes were more discreet and secured the 9th (Bottas) and 15th times (Hamilton). Esteban Ocon, for his part, managed to take a place in the top 10, while Verstappen spun during his in-lap.
Ranking
| N° | Driver | Team | Times | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Verstappen | Aston Martin Red Bull Racing | 1:35.077 | 29 | |
| 2 | Albon | Aston Martin Red Bull Racing | 1:35.318 | +0.241 | 27 |
| 3 | Leclerc | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:35.507 | +0.430 | 26 |
| 4 | Gasly | Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda | 1:35.543 | +0.466 | 26 |
| 5 | Vettel | Scuderia Ferrari | 1:35.620 | +0.543 | 29 |
| 6 | Kvyat | Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda | 1:36.738 | +1.661 | 27 |
| 7 | Norris | McLaren F1 Team | 1:37.216 | +2.139 | 21 |
| 8 | Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN | 1:37.503 | +2.426 | 21 |
| 9 | Bottas | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport | 1:37.629 | +2.552 | 23 |
| 10 | Ocon | Renault DP World F1 Team | 1:38.428 | +3.351 | 23 |
| 11 | Latifi | Williams Racing | 1:38.508 | +3.431 | 18 |
| 12 | Perez | BWT Racing Point F1 Team | 1:38.612 | +3.535 | 22 |
| 13 | Stroll | BWT Racing Point F1 Team | 1:39.484 | +4.407 | 21 |
| 14 | Grosjean | Haas F1 Team | 1:40.025 | +4.948 | 25 |
| 15 | Hamilton | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport | 1:40.225 | +5.148 | 12 |
| 16 | Räikkönen | Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN | 1:41.035 | +5.958 | 23 |
| 17 | Magnussen | Haas F1 Team | 1:41.854 | +6.777 | 21 |
| 18 | Ricciardo | Renault DP World F1 Team | 1:45.156 | +10.079 | 20 |
| 19 | Sainz Jr. | McLaren F1 Team | 1:46.462 | +11.385 | 11 |
| 20 | Russell | Williams Racing | 1:49.256 | +14.179 | 17 |
