F1 FP1 Results of the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix have gone in favor of the Mercedes, with Valtteri Bottas the fastest, and his teammate Lewis Hamilton in P2.
The Formula One 2020 fifth race weekend is underway with the first Free Practice session at Silverstone for the special 70th Anniversary Grand Prix. And as expected, Mercedes have yet gain dominated the lap timings this season.
Valtteri Bottas did the quickest lap timing of the session, with his star teammate Lewis Hamilton finishing right behind him. This comes a day after Bottas was confirmed as the Mercedes driver for the 2021 season.
But the talking point has been the points and money penalty imposed on Racing Point by the FIA. This verdict is the result of triple protests by Renault on the legality of designs on Racing Point’s RP20.
The issue was with the the brake ducts, which have been classified as a ‘listed part’ this season and hence has to be designed from scratch by every team.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen had a solid session, and finished third fastest. Right behind was the Racing Point driver Nico Hulkenberg, who is racing in place of Sergio Perez, who is still covid-19 positive, and in quarantine.
Ferrari’s had a much better session, as both Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc finished in the Top 10 timings. However, that still is way off where Ferrari would want to be. Leclerc would be hoping to put up a strong performance this weekend as well, after getting a surprise podium last weekend.
Max’s Red Bull team-mate Alex Albon was sandwiched between the two Ferrari drivers in P6.
F1 FP1 Results
- Valtteri Bottas – Mercedes 1:26.166
- Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes +0.138
- Max Verstappen – Red Bull Racing +0.727
- Nico Hulkenburg – Racing Point +0.776
- Charles Leclerc – Ferrari +0.896
- Alex Albon – Red Bull Racing +1.114
- Sebastian Vettel – Ferrari +1.332
- Lance Stroll – Racing Point +1.373
- Daniil Kvyat – Alpha Tauri +1.487
- Esteban Ocon – Renault +1.535
What to look forward to this weekend at 70th Anniversary GP?
There is a ‘67% chance of rain’ on Sunday, with overcast conditions likely. This will come as a relief to the teams, who are currently racing in hot conditions here at Silverstone.
Mercedes will be really pleased with this information, as cooler track temperatures should favor their black cars the most. Except a miracle, expect yet another win from one of the Mercedes drivers. Moreover, Lewis loves to race in wet weather and he’ll be licking his lips watching that weather forecast.
Elsewhere, it would be intriguing to see who between Racing Point, McLaren, Ferrari and Renault come out best, as the battle for the 3rd position heats up. Racing Point will have to put in strong, consistent performances, after a deduction of 15 points from the Constructors Standings. The qualifying sessions take place tomorrow, with the Final Race on Sunday at the 70th anniversary Grand Prix.
