Albon in the wall but best time in FP1 at Interlagos

São Paulo woke up to a very low ceiling this Friday morning and the journey leading to the Interlagos circuit sometimes resembled the Route du Rhum as the roads of the Brazilian megalopolis were dotted with enormous puddles. 

Fortunately the water evacuation system of the Autodromo José Carlos Pace works much better than that of the Paulista arteries and Free Practice 1 of the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix was able to take place. We even saw quite a bit of action on the track for a competitive session on a wet track. 

While it was unthinkable to venture with any rubber other than Maxi-Rain at the start of the session, the teams gradually moved to Intermediates as the laps progressed and the weather conditions improved, then to slicks.

At the end of the first 90 minutes of action, it's finally Alexander albon which sets the best time in EL1, a hardly representative reference since the rest of the weekend should be more lenient in terms of weather. 

The Thai, who was recently confirmed at Red Bull in 2020, however, was surprised at the end of the session after having fitted red soft tires. Having made a mistake on the climb of the last sector, Albon hit the tire wall and damaged his right-front suspension. The accident resulted in a red flag and shortened the session by a few minutes. 

First on the timesheets, but last back to the pits for Albon #BrazilGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/NSilJ1bsfQ

— Formula 1 (@F1) November 15, 2019

A few moments earlier, it was his teammate Max Verstappen who had suffered a spin in the Senna Esses, a sign that the track was probably still too wet for the slick tires. 

Despite this setback, Albon finished with a time of 1’16”142 and preceded the Mercedes Valtteri Bottas more than half a second. Sebastian Vettel completes the Top 3 and is ahead of his teammate Ferrari Charles Leclerc. Carlos Sainz finished 5th for McLaren and takes in its wake the Renault de Nico Hulkenberg et Daniel Ricciardo. 

Follow the Toro Rosso de Pierre Gasly and Daniil Kvyat, while Lando Norris completes the Top 10 of EL1 with his McLaren. 

Even if the times of the morning are not worth much, let's salute the 11th place of George Russell on Williams. Only 16 drivers completed at least one flying lap. Nicholas latifi, who took part in his third free session in a row for the Grove team, brought up the rear, almost 4 seconds behind Albon's benchmark. 

Free Practice 2 should take place on a less wet track. It remains to be seen whether the Red Bull of the lead man will be repaired in time. 

FP1 CLASSIFICATION

Mixed conditions, and a mixed morning for Alex Albon, as he ends up at the top of the page, but in the barrier#BrazilGP  #F1 pic.twitter.com/A2joxcwemn

- Formula 1 (@ F1) November 15, 2019