Verstappen wins the only free practice at the Austrian GP; Checo was 12th

Sergio Perez did not achieve the expected improvement in the only trial of the Austrian Grand Prix. He pilot from Guadalajara He did not get a good race pace, the setup problems with his Red Bull They are maintained and had to settle for twelfth position. He current Formula 1 champion, Max Verstappenwas the fastest pilot and with time of 1:05.685 was the leader.

The practice, held at the Red Bull Ring, was initially dominated by Mercedes y Red Bull. The British Lewis Hamilton He took risks, was aggressive in his driving and took the top of the classification with a time of 1:06.254, followed by his teammate George Russel at 132 thousandths.

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Meanwhile, the RB20 of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez They were setting good times, the one born in the Netherlands and the Mexican were in third and fourth position, respectively.

Things seemed to be looking up for Czechwho in the last races he has suffered with his car. Since she hit the court he fought for the first positions; His pit stops were limited to adjusting the front wing, as part of his strategy to get everything ready for qualifying for the sprint race, but It wasn’t enough for Checo.

FP1 CLASSIFICATION

Next up… #F1Sprint qualifying #F1 #AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/s9RkkzdqYq

— Formula 1 (@F1) June 28, 2024

MAX VERSTAPPEN’S RB20 FAILURE; RED FLAG

After 32 minutes, the difficulties began in the day, as a Red flag stopped training, Max Verstappen was left halfway on the track. In the second corner, the Dutchman lost power and his car stopped, so he was taken to his team’s garage. The Alarms went off at Red Bullalthough mechanics did a great job and they immediately turned on the car’s power unit, resolving the mishap.

It only took five minutes for the action to resume, as the incident did not escalate further.

The first four places did not move during practically the entire rehearsal and in the last 10 minutes Hamilton, Russell, Verstappen and Pérez were still fighting for the lead. However, the places began to move, the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz They waited until the end to apply pressure, placing themselves in the third and fourth place.

Verstappen stormed into first place with a time of 1:05.685 and he never let go. McLaren Australian Oscar Piastriwas the second best driver of the day, his time was 276 thousandths of a second behind Max. Charles Leclerc completed the places of honor.

SPRINT RACE QUALIFICATION

Today, at 8:30 am, Central Mexico time, the sprint shootout in it Red Bull Ringin which the local team looks to be the protagonist thanks to the supremacy of the monarch, Max Verstappen. Czech He is forced to perform better, since the first places in the drivers’ world championship are slipping away from him.

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