Max Watch: how did the first free training? [updated]
Posted on 13-05-2016 at 11:41 am by jaapiyo – 50 Comments”
All eyes at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this weekend focused on Max in his new RB12. How he did it in the first free training?
Normally, we pay not so much attention to the F1 sessions on Friday. The drivers have two times 1,5 hour time for the job again in real life to explore instead of in the simulator. Together with their engineers, they are trying the ideal setup for qualifying and the race. At the end of the day they give on every question of journalists on how it went the answer, ” it’s only friday.” But today there is more ‘buzz’ in the pit lane. After the Kansas-City-Shuffle of STR and RBR was the question of for whom it is a golden bill of exchange turns out to be and, for those who exchange the cry comes.
After a relatively quiet session seems to be the tentative and preliminary answer to that Max, despite the lock-up that can be seen above, works fine. He ends the session, while behind Ricciardo, but the difference is less than two tenths of a second. The RBR’s are actually good on P5 and P6, although the difference with the men before them were much greater than with the group behind them.
Kvyat now not so top. He gives me a half second to Carlos Sainz. That is, however, immediately again be a big boost for the Spaniard. Esteban Ocon, Formula 3 is still the main competitor of Max, had bad luck. He was allowed the free practice driving for Renault, but due to technical problems he could not have timed lap to travel. Merde chez! The full results can be found below:
01 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:23.951 19
02 Kimi Were Times Ferrari 1:24:089 18
03 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:24:454 32
04 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:24:611 31
05 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:25:416 24
06 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:25:585 22
07 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:25:672 34
08 Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso 1:26:078 21
09 Felipe Massa Williams 1:26:186 14
10 Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:26:243 18
11 Kevin Magnussen Renault 1:26:576 24
12 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:26:583 26
13 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:26:938 23
14 Felipe Nasr Sauber 1:27:253 21
15 Romain Grosjean Haas 1:27:258 20
16 Esteban Gutierrez Haas 1:27:283 18
17 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:27:392 22
18 Sergio Perez Force India 1:27:497 22
19 Jenson Button McLaren 1:27:610 19
20 Pascal Wehrlein Manor 1:28:084 21
21 Rio Haryanto Manor 1:29:052 8
22 Esteban Octon Renault — 25
UPDATE: During the second free practice ended Max on a decent eighth position. The margin over team-mate Ricciardo was again small, was that Carlos Sainz with his Toro Rosso in FP2 pretty crisp. He put his car in P5. On the other hand: it’s still a free training, so the times say actually nothing.
Image credit: Formula1 via Twitter