@RedBullRacing’s @Alex_Albon tops dampened #BrazilianGP FP1 session despite crashing. #F1 #BrazilGP

Red Bull Racing’s Alexander Albon topped a dampened Brazilian Grand Prix FP1 session despite crashing at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

 

 

 

Albon was the fastest after the intermediate running but shunted with less than three minutes remaining while preparing for a late flyer on red side-walled soft rubber.

 

The session was not restarted, meaning Albon lead from Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.

 

Heavy downpours hit Interlagos on Thursday evening and on Friday morning, but conditions calmed down as the hour and a half long session began.

 

By the end of practice drivers were able to attempt a small run on slicks.

 

Ferrari’s Vettel was the first to hit the rain-soaked Interlagos, using full-wets a few minutes into the session, but it took another twenty minutes before times were set.

 

McLaren’s Carlos Sainz posted a 1:22.149 that stood as the only time for another ten minutes before Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc lowered the benchmark to a 1:21.259.

 

Leclerc was the first to switch onto the intermediates, which he used to go four seconds quicker than before and remained on top initially even as others got off the full wets.

 

Vettel later jumped his Ferrari team-mate at the top with a 1:17.041 before Bottas put his Mercedes number one on the time-sheets with a 1:16.693.

 

Albon then moved from the bottom of the time-sheets to first with a 1:16.399 benchmark while Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen waited until five minutes were left to head out on slicks for his first hot lap.

 

The circuit’s slippery surface was very evident though for the slicks as Verstappen spun in the middle of the Senna S shortly after Leclerc ran wide at the same location.

 

Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat also suffered a spin at the top of the first complex of corners, but Albon was not so lucky like his colleagues.

 

The mid-week 2020 confirmed Red Bull driver was on his out-lap when he slipped off the road at Juncao.

 

Albon crashed the barriers heavily, with the front-right of his Honda-powered RB15 racer taking the most of the impact with the session red flagged and not restarted.

 

It meant no drivers improved on their slick tyre runs leaving Albon ahead of Bottas, Vettel, Leclerc and Sainz.

 

The two Renault R.S.19’s of Nico Hulkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo finished opening practice in sixth and seventh respectively.

 

Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly and Kvyat were eighth and ninth with McLaren’s Lando Norris completing the top ten and 2.417 seconds adrift of Albon’s Brazilian GP FP1 benchmark.

 

ROKiT Williams Racing’s George Russell finished outside the top ten in 11th and ahead of 12th-placed Haas of Kevin Magnussen and Racing Point’s Lance Stroll who was 13th.

 

Alfa Romeo Racing pairing of Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi ended opening practice in 14th and 15th respectively with ROKiT Williams Racing’s Nicholas Latifi (subbing in FP1 for Robert Kubica) taking 16th and 3.868 seconds adrift of Albon’s Brazilian GP FP1 benchmark.

 

Haas F1 Team’s Romain Grosjean, Racing Point’s Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing’s Verstappen and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton were 17th-the rear respectively and were unable to post a lap time due to the aforementioned crash of Albon.

 

You can read the full Formula 1 Heineken Grande Premio Dos Brasil 2019 Free Practice 1 Results Classification at the link: https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2019/races/1019/brazil/practice-1.html

 

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You can catch up on this weekend’s race preview, F1 Newsbites – Brazilian GP Edition along with Red Bull and Toro Rosso’s 2020 driver confirmations at the following links:

 

#F1 @Heineken #BrazilianGP 2019 Preview. – @F1 #BrazilGP

 

#F1 Newsbites – #BrazilianGP Edition. @F1 #BrazilGP

 

@RedBullRacing confirm @alex_albon for 2020 and @ToroRosso retain @PierreGASLY & @kvyatofficial. #F1