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Team Summary:
With Friday practice returning the opening Friday practice in Turkey would
commence with a stream of drivers coming out all on the hard tyre. Vettel
would set a 2m:01.145 but the session would be red flagged when a bollard
would be hit by Leclerc forcing the session to be stopped so it could be
replaced. With the restart the only driver to return was Bottas but he was
told that the temperatures were twenty degrees below target. He would set a
1m:48.426 still on the hard tyre. But his lap time would be deleted as it is
difficult to keep his car in track limits. His next lap was a 1m:44.948
improving with a 1m:43.009. Raikkonen was now second followed by Vettel as a
few more drivers started to take to the track with just under an hour
remaining.
Verstappen was now second followed by Sainz and Raikkonen all on the hard
tyre. As more drivers came out for their first timed laps Verstappen was
able to remain second followed by Vettel, Leclerc, Sainz, Albon, Gasly and
Perez eighth. Verstappen still on the hard tyre would set a 1m:42.753 to go
quickest followed by Bottas, Leclerc and Vettel. Verstappen would improve
with a 1m:41.741. The track would empty as drivers came in after the opening
forty minutes returning their first set of tyres. The Williams drivers were
currently 15th and 17th. Only Bottas and Ricciardo would come back out.
Ricciardo was now 15th and Ocon 17th. But Ricciardo would improve to be
12th.
Bottas would set a 1m:40.114 to go quickest again. Ocon on the medium would
move up to fourth but he would drop to fifth. Times would continue to fall
as Bottas set a 1m:38.915. as Vettel went second followed by Leclerc and
Verstappen. Verstappen would return to second the first with a 1m:38.523.
Leclerc would move ahead with a 1m:38.409 but Verstappen would move ahead
with a 1m:37.151. Sainz would stop his car out on the track seeing a Virtual
Safety Car. With twenty minutes remaining the session would go green. With
fifteen minutes remaining Verstappen was quickest from Vettel, Gasly,
Leclerc, Albon, Bottas, Kvyat, Ocon, Perez, and Grosjean tenth.
Leclerc would go quickest with a 1m:35.507 as the times continued to fall.
Vettel was second now followed by Gasly. Hamilton on his first run was now
14th while the Williams pair weer 19th and 20th. Hamilton would move up to
eighth as Albon went third followed by Kvyat and Gasly. Still on the hard
tyre Albon would go quickest with a 1m:35.318. Such was the massive
difference between the quickest and slowest times it was impossible to gain
an appreciation of what potential times could be. With the end of the
session the order would be Verstappen followed by Albon, Leclerc and Gasly
but Gasly was on the medium tyre. Fifth was Vettel on the hard followed by
Kvyat, Norris, Giovinazzi, Bottas and Ocon in tenth. The Williams drivers
would finish in 11th and 20th in a session where the drivers had to contend
with such an evolving track.
George Russell:
George would also come out for his installation lap but was on the soft
tyre. It was reported that George had to take engine penalties resulting in
a back of the grid start on Sunday. George would return with just under an
hour remaining running on the soft tyre. He would set a 2m:02.106 pitting
after a five lap run. George was down in 16th but had yet to set a
representative time. In his pit he would drop to 20th. With fifteen minutes
remaining he would return this time on the hard tyre. He would set a
1m:57.687 to be 19th. George would pit telling his engineer his view that he
has about 10 turns too much front wing so much that he could not feel the
rear end. They quickly adjusted the wing setting. George was still slowest
with a time well off the pace. He would set a 1m:51.5050 to remain slowest.
George had set a 1m:49.256 to still be slowest as the session ended.
Nichols Latifi:
Nicholas would be first out for his install lap using the hard tyre. He
would return with under an hour remaining again on the hard tyre. He would
set a 2m:09.101 only to improve with a 2m:02.213. His next lap was a
1m:58.090 to be 14th. In the pits he would drop to 19th. With fifteen
minutes remaining he would also return but this time on the medium tyre. He
would set a 1m:47.550 to be 18th. He would improve with a 1m:43,853 to be
16th. A 1m:41.614 would see Nicholas 15th. Nicholas would set a 1m:38.508 to
be tenth but would have a spin being able to continue. With the end of the
session he would drop down to 11th. Nicholas would say to his engineer that
he felt that it was a pretty fun session. |
