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Team Summary:
The opening Friday practice for the 2021 Austrian GP would see all the
drivers get down to business very quickly with a rush of drivers including
both Williams out running. Quite a few drivers were running Pirelli's new
rear tyres that the teams were required to test. The times would come
quickly with Verstappen going quickest with a 1m:06.640 on the soft tyre.
Already times were been deleted as we has Perez second followed by Leclerc
and Sainz. Both Ferrari's were on the hard tyre. Gasly on the medium would
set a 1m:06.054 to be quickest with Perez now second. On the soft tyre
Verstappen would set a 1m:06.007 to again be quickest. The Williams drivers
were currently 13th and 15th with ten minutes completed.
Quite a few drivers had completed their initial runs and had changed to the
Pirelli test tyre including both Red Bull cars. Perez was second followed by
Gasly, Tsunoda, Raikkonen, Ocon, Stroll, Leclerc, Ricciardo, and Sainz
tenth. Using the test tyre Verstappen would set a 1m:05.558 to remain
quickest. Other drivers would find pace on the test tyres including Gasly
who was now second followed by Tsunoda, and Perez. On the same test tyre
Sainz would move up to be third. The Williams drivers were now 13th and
17th. Both Mercedes had been using the test tyres but weer currently
slowest. But Hamilton on the soft tyre would move up to third behind Gasly.
The top ten was Verstappen from Gasly, Hamilton, Sainz, Tsunoda, Perez,
Leclerc, Bottas, Stroll, and Ocon tenth. Tsunoda had gone quickest only to
see Verstappen set a 1m:095.143 to again be quickest. With soft tyre runs
completed the Williams drivers were currently 15th and 19th. More drivers
were running on the soft tyre which seemed to support the view that most
drivers will try to get through Q2 in qualifying on the medium tyre. On the
soft tyre Leclerc was now second followed by Sainz and Tsunoda. With fifteen
minutes remaining there were only two cars running including one of the
Williams. But the track would again get busy and with the end of the session
Verstappen would remain quickest from Leclerc, Sainz, Bottas, Tsunoda,
Raikkonen, Hamilton, Perez, Gasly, and Norris tenth.
With the end of the session the drivers would again be allowed to complete
practice starts on the grid. This would include both Williams drivers. With
the end of the session they were 18th and 19th with Roy leading Nicholas.
Overall it was a session where it was hard to draw conclusions over the
Williams performance given the change in tyres and the fact that the team
was also required to complete the Pirelli test.
Roy Nissany:
Roy would follow his team-mate out also on the medium tyre. A 1m:11.049
would see Roy 18th. He would improve to be 16th with a 1m:09.656, dropping
to 17th. A 1m:07.917 would see Roy 15th. Roy was now 16th and would pit
after a twelve lap run. Roy would return this time using the soft tyre with
thirty minutes remaining been currently 18th. He would set a 1m:06.772 to be
13th dropping to 14th. A 1m:16.06.683 from Roy as he continued his run. He
would drop to 15th and he would pit after a eight lap run on the soft. As
the session drew to a close Roy would return this time on used medium tyres
having dropped to 18th. But would pit briefly returning to complete a
practice start.
Nicholas Latifi:
Nicholas would be first out in the opening Friday practice. He was running
on the medium tyre. Nicholas would set a 1m:08.414 to currently be 11th. A
1m:07.233 would see Nicholas 7th dropping to 8th. He would pit after a seven
lap run currently 13th. With forty five minutes remaining Nicholas would
return on used medium tyres. But this would only be a for a short run
switching to the soft tyre. He would improve with a 1m:07.018 to be 13th. A
1m:06.978 was an improvement but remained 13th. He would pit after a five
lap run. He would return with twenty five minutes remaining back on used
medium tyres. He was down in 19th as he continued to lap on the medium. He
would pit switching to the Pirelli test tyres. He would pit after a ten lap
run. Nicholas would return with the end of the session to complete a
practice start. |
