Hamilton tops first Austrian GP free practice

©Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton set the fastest lap time in this morning's first free practice session of the Austrian GP, edging out Red Bull's Max Verstappen and team mate Valtteri Bottas.

The Mercedes driver's 1:05.975 is also a new track record for the Red Bull Ring, a time clocked on soft tyres and 0.190s clear of Verstappen who cranked up his performance in the closing stages of the session only to spin at the Turn 3 hairpin.

It was an eventful FP1 with many spins and mishaps, mainly induced by tyre issues according to most drivers.

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel was fourth after a spin at Turn 1 early when the German clipped the apex and found himself facing oncoming traffic.

Kimi Raikkonen was also caught out when braking for the troublesome Turn 1, spinning and damaging his first set of Supersoft rubber in the process.

Turn 9 was another source of problems for many drivers, with Romain Grosjean suffering a puncture after running over the kerb on the exit, while Felipe Massa also ran hard on the exit and pitted for a thorough inspection.

McLaren's drivers made good use of their new spec-3 Honda power unit, with both Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne running in the top-ten on Friday morning.

Free Practice 1 results

Pos	Driver	Team	Time	Gap	Laps
1	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:05.975s		38
2	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	1:06.165s	+ 0.190s	23
3	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:06.345s	+ 0.370s	35
4	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:06.424s	+ 0.449s	28
5	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull	1:06.620s	+ 0.645s	32
6	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:06.848s	+ 0.873s	24
7	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	1:07.283s	+ 1.308s	31
8	Daniil Kvyat	Toro Rosso	1:07.437s	+ 1.462s	31
9	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:07.510s	+ 1.535s	28
10	Esteban Ocon	Force India	1:07.511s	+ 1.536s	39
11	Felipe Massa	Williams	1:07.550s	+ 1.575s	29
12	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1:07.594s	+ 1.619s	30
13	Carlos Sainz	Toro Rosso	1:07.633s	+ 1.658s	32
14	Jolyon Palmer	Renault	1:07.649s	+ 1.674s	31
15	Lance Stroll	Williams	1:08.041s	+ 2.066s	35
16	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:08.074s	+ 2.099s	20
17	Sergey Sirotkin	Renault	1:08.586s	+ 2.611s	27
18	Alfonso Celis	Force India	1:09.280s	+ 3.305s	15
19	Pascal Wehrlein	Sauber	1:09.323s	+ 3.348s	29
20	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	1:10.853s	+ 4.878s	12

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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.