F1 Austrian GP: Verstappen tops FP1 from Leclerc
Max Verstappen led the two Ferrari drivers in first practice for Formula 1’s 2021 Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, with Lewis Hamilton seventh for Mercedes.
The first one-hour practice session got underway in overcast conditions, with all the cars heading out in the opening minutes – the majority immediately running the prototype tyre compound Pirelli has brought to be tested this weekend, which features a stiffer rear sidewall.
Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel led the pack around to establish the first place benchmark at 1m12.697s on the unmarked test tyres, but that was soon beaten by the drivers running his wake.
Carlos Sainz Jr and Sergio Perez put a 1m06.941s and a 1m06.752s on the regular hard and soft tyres respectively – although those compounds are a step softer (C3 and C5 tyres compared to those used in last weekend’s Styrian GP at the same venue).
Pierre Gasly then popped in a 1m06.375s on the mediums tyres (now the C4), but this was deleted because the AlphaTauri driver had run too wide exiting the final corner and so Verstappen’s 1m06.640s was elevated to the top spit.
At the end of the opening 10 minutes, with the Mercedes drivers languishing at the rear of the field, their times three seconds off the pace as they completed their running on the prototype tyres on high fuel runs, Verstappen then set a new fastest time at 1m06.007s as he continued to lap on the softs.
The Red Bull driver then came in to switch to the test tyres, which he used to go quicker on a 1m05.558s just before the first quarter of the session was completed.
The test tyres were largely swapped out for the rest of the session – they can be used again in FP2 later on Friday afternoon, with the drivers required to complete a minimum of 12 laps each on that new construction, which is expected to make its race debut at the British GP next time out – and the Mercedes drivers returned to the track just before the half-way point on the softs.
Hamilton jumped up the order to go third, but caught a slower car at the final corners and lost time, as traffic also impacted his subsequent laps.
Esteban Ocon, Alpine A521, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
The world champion and Nikita Mazepin came close together at the uphill tight right of Turn 3 when Hamilton went for another run on the softs, which meant he backed off and attempted another flying lap immediately afterwards, during which he locked up by himself at Turn 3 and therefore abandoned that lap as well.
Hamilton did set a personal best during the later running, but ended up down in seventh and 0.566s off the top spot, while Verstappen used his flying run on the softs just past the halfway point to improve the fastest time to a 1m05.143s.
The Red Bull driver was followed in the timesheets by the Ferrari pair, who had both had moments at Turn 1 during the early running.
Sainz locked his left-front briefly on the approach to the uphill 90-degree right hander just before team-mate Charles Leclerc had a bigger lock-up with his right-front and went deep into the runoff – the Monegasque later having a near identical incident at the same spot.
Leclerc, who also locked his right-front and went into the runoff at Turn 3 late in the session, took the soft tyres to a 1m05.409s, which put him 0.266s behind Verstappen and just 0.022s ahead of his team-mate.
Valtteri Bottas had also risen up the order when he switched to the softs mid-way through the session, but he put in a personal best lap – again on the softs – with just over 10 minutes of the session remaining to take fourth on a 1m05.445s.
Yuki Tsunoda, who went off in the gravel behind Turn 5 during the early laps after dipping his left-side wheels in the gravel exiting the long Turn 4 right-hander, ended up fifth for AlphaTauri.
Kimi Raikkonen took sixth for Alfa, while Sergio Perez, Gasly and Lando Norris rounded out the top 10.
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL35M, Mick Schumacher, Haas VF-21
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Norris was one of several drivers to take to the runoff at Turn 1, including Mazepin and the Mercedes drivers on a couple of occasions in the closing stages – with Hamilton suggesting he was struggling for tyre warm-up.
Lance Stroll had two high-speed spins – the first at Turn 6 after dipping his right-side wheels into the gravel trap that has been moved closer to the exit kerbs at that point for the 2021 Austrian races.
He speared off to the inside of the track and recovered from the grass, which was at the end of the opening 10 minutes of running, before losing the rear of his car at the final corner as he began a flying lap on the softs at the halfway point.
In the second incident, Stroll spun around after running over the Turn 10 apex kerbs and then lighting up his rear tyres as he put the power down – the Canadian later suggesting the tyres were not at the right temperature as he got on the accelerator.
Stroll was able to turn around and recover, later ending up 13th and two spots ahead of his Aston Martin team-mate Sebastian Vettel.
The Astons were split by Guanyu Zhou – running in place of Fernando Alonso at Alpine – while Callum Ilott and Roy Nissany took 16th and 18th for Alfa and Williams, the duo driving in place of Antonio Giovinazzi and George Russell respectively.
F1 Austrian Grand Prix - FP1 results
| Cla | Driver | Chassis | Laps | Time | Gap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Max Verstappen |  | Red Bull | 37 | 1'05.143 | |
| 2 |  Charles Leclerc |  | Ferrari | 33 | 1'05.409 | 0.266 |
| 3 |  Carlos Sainz Jr. |  | Ferrari | 33 | 1'05.431 | 0.288 |
| 4 |  Valtteri Bottas |  | Mercedes | 31 | 1'05.445 | 0.302 |
| 5 |  Yuki Tsunoda |  | AlphaTauri | 35 | 1'05.474 | 0.331 |
| 6 | Kimi Raikkonen |  | Alfa Romeo | 28 | 1'05.586 | 0.443 |
| 7 |  Lewis Hamilton |  | Mercedes | 32 | 1'05.709 | 0.566 |
| 8 |  Sergio Perez |  | Red Bull | 31 | 1'05.726 | 0.583 |
| 9 |  Pierre Gasly |  | AlphaTauri | 36 | 1'05.726 | 0.583 |
| 10 | Lando Norris |  | McLaren | 28 | 1'05.880 | 0.737 |
| 11 | Esteban Ocon |  | Alpine | 30 | 1'05.980 | 0.837 |
| 12 |  Daniel Ricciardo |  | McLaren | 31 | 1'06.181 | 1.038 |
| 13 |  Lance Stroll |  | Aston Martin | 30 | 1'06.203 | 1.060 |
| 14 |  Guanyu Zhou |  | Alpine | 29 | 1'06.414 | 1.271 |
| 15 |  Sebastian Vettel | | Aston Martin | 28 | 1'06.444 | 1.301 |
| 16 | Callum Ilott |  | Alfa Romeo | 23 | 1'06.564 | 1.421 |
| 17 | Mick Schumacher |  | Haas | 29 | 1'06.583 | 1.440 |
| 18 |  Roy Nissany |  | Williams | 34 | 1'06.683 | 1.540 |
| 19 | Nicholas Latifi |  | Williams | 36 | 1'06.978 | 1.835 |
| 20 |  Nikita Mazepin |  | Haas | 30 | 1'07.316 | 2.173 |
| View full results | ||||||
Related video
Previous article
F1 Austrian GP Live commentary and updates - FP1 & FP2
Next article
Why '5/10' Ricciardo isn't giving up on his McLaren quest
Why '5/10' Ricciardo isn't giving up on his McLaren quest
Daniel Ricciardo has endured a tough start to his McLaren career. He's been comprehensively outscored by his team-mate so far, and with each passing race the explanations of his struggles can increasingly be seen as excuses. But while admitting that his on-track performances don’t merit a particularly flattering mark, Ricciardo is convinced that he will make a success of the move
Why F1’s secret rulebook is causing angst among the ranks
With competition on the track increasing as the 2021 Formula 1 season intensifies, any possible advantage is being aggressively fought over. This includes off the track, as F1's rules and regulations come under scrutiny which, for multiple reasons, is causing unease up and down the grid
The crucial improvements Russell needs to reproduce to soothe Styrian GP DNF "hurt"
Having been cruelly denied a long-awaited first points finish as a Williams driver at the Styrian GP, George Russell gets another crack at it this weekend at the Red Bull Ring. While his impressive pace remains unquestioned, a few other vital gains shown at recent races will be needed again to finally deliver
How the Rumble in the Jungle can inspire Mercedes to beat Red Bull
After a bruising Styrian Grand Prix, Mercedes announced that while it would limit the development of its W12 Formula 1 car, it was not willing to give up fighting Red Bull for the 2021 title. Although the team's development stream is slowing with a focus on 2022, Mercedes still has lots of options available to keep it in the fight
Styrian Grand Prix Driver Ratings
The Styrian GP was a weekend dominated by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, as others showed resurgence after key mistakes, while a couple of drivers were denied the chance to demonstrate their full potential. Here’s the driver ratings from the first race of the Red Bull Ring double-header which features two maximum scores
How Red Bull reversed an old Mercedes advantage in the Styrian GP
With Red Bull toppling Mercedes at another one of the Black Arrows strongholds, momentum is truly with it and Max Verstappen in the 2021 Formula 1 world title fight. But what became clear at the Styrian Grand Prix is Red Bull now also holds a key strength once possessed by its rival that could be pivotal in the championship chase
How Chapman obsessions lifted and limited Lotus post-Clark
Gifted, driven, obsessive – Colin Chapman’s ambition drove Lotus to soaring heights, but also into baffling technological cul-de-sacs as his business empire grew and his focus slipped. In the third part of our history of Lotus, DAMIEN SMITH considers the peaks and troughs of the 1970s
How reliance on car control can hinder F1 drivers
Balancing a car on the ragged edge for lap after lap entertains the fans, says BEN EDWARDS, but in the record books the drivers who work more subtly tend to be higher achievers
