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Team Summary:
Drivers would start coming out for the opening Friday practice session for
the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix. thee would be a mix of soft, medium and hard
tyres been used. The first lap time would come from Leclerc with a 1m:46.180
running on the medium tyre. Vettel would move into second but was well of
Leclerc's pace. The Ferrari pair were on long runs both on the medium tyre.
Leclerc would improve with a 1m:43.618. More drivers started to join them
with a Williams third. As more times were set Bottas would go quickest with
a 1m:43.041 on the soft tyre. He was followed by Verstappen, Hulkenberg,
Leclerc and Vettel. Both Ferrari's had pitted as Albon went fifth. Hamilton
would go quickest with a 1m:42.412 making it a Mercedes 1-2.
After the initial runs the Williams drivers were slowest as the track
emptied with forty minutes completed as drivers pitted to return their first
set of tyres. Hamilton was fastest with a 1m:41.469 followed by Verstappen,
Stroll, Bottas, Kvyat, Hulkenberg, Gasly, Perez, Leclerc and Albon in tenth.
The first driver to return was Bottas on the hard tyre. He would improve to
be second. He would improve again with a 1m:41.336 to be quickest. On their
next runs Vettel would set a 1m:40.426 to be quickest using the soft tyre.
Leclerc would pit with an gearbox issue with his car. Both Williams drivers
would improve with Robert ahead of George by 0.6 with the pair dropping to
be 13th and 16th. The session would be red flagged with Bottas crashing
heavily into the barrier at Turn 19. The track would empty with twenty three
minutes remaining.
At the front Verstappen had gone quickest with a 1m:40.259 running on the
soft tyre. Hamilton was third followed by Bottas, Albon, Hulkenberg, Kvyat,
Gasly, Ricciardo, and Grosjean tenth with all times set on the soft tyre.
Neither Williams driver had used the soft tyre but their next runs were
again on the medium tyre. Ten minutes remaining and the Williams pair were
now 15th and 18th. Sainz and Norris were now 7th and 8th. The Williams
drivers dropped down the times to be 16th and 19th but yet to take on the
soft tyre, as they continued their runs on the medium tyre. The Williams
drivers would finish in 17th and 20th positions while the top ten would be
Verstappen, Vettel, Hamilton, Bottas, Albon, Hulkenberg, Sainz, Norris,
Kvyat and Gasly. Neither Williams driver had taken the soft tyre during the
session so this was encouraging as there prepare for the next practice
session.
Robert Kubica:
Robert would finally come out with fifteen minutes completed running on the
medium tyre. Robert's car would a huge amount of sparks coming from
underneath as he completed his first lap. Robert would set a 1m:49.163 to be
third but he would drop down the order. He would improve with a 1m:47.728 as
he continued to lap the circuit. He would improve with a 1m:47.466. Robert
had completed nine laps with an improved lap time of 1m:46.143. His tenth
lap would see a 1m:45.873. He would pit with eleven laps completed. Robert
would join his team-mate back out on the track. Robert would set a 1m:43.336
to be sixth. He would drop to eleventh. Robert was now 0.6 ahead of his
team-mate. Robert was also back out on a new set of medium tyres. Robert
would complete nine lap as the session ended.
George Russell:
George would be first out in the opening Friday practice running on the hard
tyre. He would pit after a single installation lap. George would return this
time on the medium tyre. He would set a 1m:49.046 complaining about a weird
vibration under braking from the front axle. he would improve with a
1m:48.179. George would see his pace improve on this new circuit setting a
1m:47.438. This would be followed by a 1m:46.197. George would improve to
move ahead of Robert with a 1m:45.379. George would return with forty
minutes completed. He was back out on the medium tyre and would set a
1m:43.993 to move up to twelfth. He would drop to 16th. With the session
restart George would return on a new set of medium tyres. He would complete
eleven laps with the end of the session. |