Verstappen, the fastest in the first free practice of Styria, with Alonso sixth
The dutch Max verstappen (Red Bull), World Cup leader Formula 1, set the best time this Friday in the first free practice for the Styrian Grand Prix, the eighth of the championship, at the Austrian Red Bull Ring, where the Spanish Fernando Alonso (Alpine) and Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) set the sixth and eleventh time, respectively.
In the best of his 34 laps, Verstappen covered the 4,318 meters of the Styrian track with a soft tire in one minute, five seconds and 910 thousandths, 256 less than the Frenchman Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri).
The English sevenfold world champion Lewis hamilton (Mercedes) - second in the World Cup, twelve points behind the Dutch - set the third time, four tenths; and the Mexican Sergio Pérez (Red Bull), the thirteenth.
Alonso spun 35 times and in his best attempt he stopped the clock at one minute, six seconds and 519 thousandths, six tenths behind Verstappen. On a very fast lap track in which, for that reason, many times were canceled, among others, the Asturian double world champion himself, Hamilton and his Finnish teammate Valtteri Bottas, for exceeding the limits of the track.
In the session, in which everyone set their best times on the soft tire, no other incidents were recorded except the occasional spin, like Sainz's, at the exit of the first eight curves.
The talented Madrid driver did 33 laps. In the best of them, he stopped the clock at 1: 06.630 and registered eleventh, at seven tenths, in the time table of a session that ended with 24 degrees Celsius ambient and 49 on the asphalt; threatened by a rain that finally did not fall.
'Checo', third in the World Cup, with 84 points, who also spun Between turns 4 and 5, the thirteenth session ended. In the best of his 33 laps, he stopped the clock at 1: 06.696 and was seven tenths behind his teammate, the World Cup leader.
In this first free the Polish participated Robert Kubica, who got into the Alfa Romeo of the Finn Kimi Raikkonen. His best time, the penultimate, was almost two seconds behind Verstappen.
