Raikkonen leaves rivals behind in FP1 at Sochi

40

Kimi Raikkonen responded to his doubters by kicking off his Russian GP weekend with the fastest time in Friday morning's first free practice session.

The Ferrari driver, who has come under pressure lately given his under-performance since the season got underway compared to team mate Sebastian Vettel, clocked in with a 1:36.074, edging out Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas by 0.045s.

Lewis Hamilton was third fastest, looking a bit uneasy all morning compared to his team mate, just in front of Red Bull racing's Max Verstappen.

Championship leader Sebastian Vettel was fifth after a spin late in the session while Daniel Ricciardo took sixth after a suspension change.

Renault reserve driver Sergey Sirotkin was hoping to make a good impression in front of his home crowd but was denied the opportunity when an engine issue halted his first lap out.

The session was briefly red-flagged when the engine cover blew off of Esteban Ocon's Force India.

Free Practice 1 results

Pos	Driver	Team	Time	Gap	Laps
1	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:36.074s		19
2	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:36.119s	+ 0.045s	24
3	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:36.681s	+ 0.607s	23
4	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	1:37.174s	+ 1.100s	19
5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:37.230s	+ 1.156s	19
6	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull	1:37.290s	+ 1.216s	19
7	Sergio Pérez	Force India	1:37.457s	+ 1.383s	29
8	Felipe Massa	Williams	1:37.900s	+ 1.826s	29
9	Lance Stroll	Williams	1:37.944s	+ 1.870s	30
10	Esteban Ocon	Force India	1:38.065s	+ 1.991s	28
11	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	1:38.496s	+ 2.422s	17
12	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1:38.747s	+ 2.673s	23
13	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:38.813s	+ 2.739s	16
14	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	1:38.976s	+ 2.902s	17
15	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	1:39.158s	+ 3.084s	16
16	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:39.533s	+ 3.459s	17
17	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	1:39.541s	+ 3.467s	19
18	Pascal Wehrlein	Sauber	1:39.731s	+ 3.657s	21
19	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	1:40.079s	+ 4.005s	20
20	Sergey Sirotkin	Renault			2

GALLERY: All the pictures from Thursday in Sochi

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.