EL1: Perez between the drops, Toro Rosso in form

The Mexican posted the best performance of the peloton during the first session on Friday, marked by the arrival of rain and a good pace displayed by the Toro Rosso.

Published on 31/08/2018 à 12:43

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EL1: Perez between the drops, Toro Rosso in form

The highlight of this morning in Monza (Italy) came from the sky, with a heavy downpour which soaked the transalpine circuit shortly before the start of Free Practice 1. Consequently, the hierarchy of this session does not mean much regarding each person's performance.

Contested entirely on a wet road, the session allowed the runners-up to get to the top of the timesheet. Thus, the Toro Rosso de Brendon Hartley et Pierre Gasly (finally fourth and sixth) monopolized the first two places with less than ten minutes remaining, until Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari) decides to restore order in the ranking.

The Finn was notably the first to switch to intermediate tires mid-session. However, he finished the session in second place, ahead of the Frenchman Esteban Ocon (Force India) whose future is still unknown, but beaten by Sergio Pérez (Force India). The Mexican drove half a second faster than Kimi Räikkönen thanks to a very last lap in warm weather conditions.

The favorites for the title have been discreet. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) finishes just outside the top 10 (+2”546) while Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) did not force its mechanics to finish in 17th place (+3”867).

Romain Grosjean (Haas), author of several wheel locks at the second chicane, set the 15th fastest time. Substitute for Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren) next to Fernando Alonso, Lando Norris brings up the rear at more than four seconds.

The pilots Red Bull had a rhythmic start to the day. First to set off with rain tires, Daniel Ricciardo slowed down during its installation lap due to a mechanical problem. Once the problem was repaired, the Australian was able to return to the track.

“I’ve got no power”

Problems already for @danielricciardo!#ItalianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/ssKY9SQcpH

— Formula 1 (@F1) August 31, 2018

His teammate Max Verstappen was noted by a nice slide when leaving the Parabolic. “Everything is fine, just a little drift.”, he commented on the radio!