Belgian GP FP1 Roundup: Bottas On Top, Ferraris Focus on Race Pace
Valtteri Bottas has topped the timing sheet in Free Practice 1 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on Saturday morning after marginally outpacing teammate Lewis Hamilton during their runs on the soft tyre.
However, Bottas’ FP1 was cut short as he suffered a puncture after driving over a curb in the dying minutes of the session.
READ: Vettel Won’t Sign $15mn Contract With Aston Martin At Belgian GP
Max Verstappen was less than a tenth of a second off Bottas’ pace, suggesting he could challenge the Silver Arrows on race day.
The two Mercedes-powered Racing Point cars also showed good pace. Sergio Perez put in a faster time than Canadian youngster Lance Stroll, with the pair ending up fourth and fifth in the session.
Meanwhile, Ferrari focussed on long-run pace and seemed to be struggling, with Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel ending the session 14 th and 15 th , respectively.
Leclerc was around 1.25 seconds off the pace, while Vettel trailed Bottas’ best time by almost 1.7 seconds.
Three Ferrari-powered cars – the two Haas cars and Antonio Giovinazzi’s Alfa Romeo – had engine issues and didn’t complete a single lap in the session.
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