Portuguese GP: Mixed FP1 for Williams Racing

Team Summary:
The first practice session for the 2021 Portuguese GP would get underway with a mix of drivers coming out on mix of tyres. This would include both Williams. Bottas would seta 1m:28.778 but as more times were set he would improve with a 1m:22.938 followed by Hamilton and Alonso. The Williams were currently 7th and 12th. They would drop down the order as quicker times were set with Sainz how fastest with a 1m:22.256 only to see Bottas move ahead with a 1m:21.829. Sainz was second followed by Gasly, Hamilton, Alonso, and Ricciardo sixth. The Williams drivers were now 10th and 15th with Nicholas having a lap deleted no doubt due to track limits. Leclerc was now third with Ricciardo and Norris 7th and 9th.

Ricciardo would improve to be fourth becoming fifth as Vettel moved into third. With fifteen minutes completed the order was Bottas, Vettel, Sainz, Leclerc, Ricciardo, Gasly, Alonso, Hamilton, Raikkonen and Illot who was in FP1 for Alfa Romeo. It would change as Ricciardo went quickest with a 1m:21.821 with Bottas second and Verstappen now third. The Williams drivers were currently 14th and 17th. Everyone was using the hard tyre except for the Haas cars running on the medium. Verstappen was now quickest with a 1m:21.058 followed by Ricciardo and Bottas. Both Mercedes cars were back out for second runs again on the hard tyre.

Bottas would recover with a 1m:20.506 to again be quickest. Hamilton was now third behind Verstappen. Ocon would move up to sixth then fourth. Team-mate Alonso was in tenth. Verstappen would return to the top of the times with a 1m:20.500 followed by Bottas and Hamilton. On the soft tyre the Williams drivers were currently 10th and 20th. On the soft tyre Bottas was now quickest with a 1m:20.221. On the soft tyre the Williams drivers were currently 9th and 14th but with a very quick lap from George this would become fourth and 17th with George the quicker.

As Leclerc went third the Williams drivers were now fifth and 18th. this would become seventh as we had Perez move into third followed by Leclerc, Hamilton, Gasly, and George in seventh. Norris was now eighth followed by Sainz and Ocon tenth. This is how the top ten would remain with the Williams drivers finishing in 7th and 19th. To say George Russell is good is so much of an understatement. May have made a mistake at Imola but to come back with this type of performance in FP1 is stunning.

George Russell:
George would be the first out in FP1 using the hard tyre. He would et a 1m:33.125 on his first timed lap. He would improve with a 1m:25.481 to be fifth dropping to sixth. He would drop down the order but a 1m:24.125 would see him tenth. He would improve with a 1m:23.446 to remain tenth. He would dropt o 15th as the session progressed. With thirty minutes remaining George would return for a soft tyre run. He would use this tyre to good effect with a 1m:21.857 to be 7th. He would drop to ninth as more soft tyre runs were completed. This would become tenth but would improve with a 1m:21.505 to be eighth then ninth despite having set a 1m:21.137. He would improve with a 1m:20.529 to be third dropping to fourth. He would pit with under fifteen minutes remaining. With under ten minutes remaining he would return now back on the hard tyre. He would drop to seventh as others also completed soft tyre runs. He complete ten laps on the hard tyre as the session ended.

Nicholas Latifi:
Nicholas was also out for FP1 also using the hard tyre. His first time was a 1m:28.983 dropping to 11th. He would improve with a 1m:25.983 but was now 16th. But this klap was deleted seeing him now slowest with his previous time. A 1m:25.547 would see Nicholas remaining 15th. He would follow this with a 1m:24.579 but still was 15th. This would become 19th and slowest. Nicholas would follow his team-mate out also for a soft tyre run. But he would remain slowest but after a few laps would set a 1m:22.293 to be 14th. This would become 17th and wth eleven minutes remaining he would return again on the soft tyre. He was currently 18th behind Schumacher. This would become 19th as the session ended with Nicholas having completed nine laps on the soft tyre.