F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Bottas breaks track record and heads FP1 at Silverstone

Mercedes Valtteri Bottas picked up where he left off in Austria last week, clocking in Friday morning at Silverstone with the fastest lap in FP1.

With a 1:29.106, the Finn beat the track's lap record, set by team mate Lewis Hamilton in Q2 last year.

The Brit was right on the heels of Bottas however, ending the session just 0.078 behind. Both drivers relied on Pirelli's Soft compound to set their fastest times.

The German squad's performance was rather ominous given that Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo were about half a second adrift but on the theoretically faster Supersoft tyres.

It was a rather scrappy session for Ferrari, with both Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel  appearing to struggle for grip, the latter spinning and forcing him into the pits for a tyre change.

Toro Rosso's Dany Kvyat was P7, just in front of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa. Both McLaren drivers made it into the top ten, with Stoffel Vandoorne rounding out the group.

Ferrari reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi slotted in for Kevin Magnussen at Haas and ended the session P16, four-tenths of a second off team mate Romain Grosjean.

British Grand Prix - Free Practice 1 results

Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps
1 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:29.106s 29
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:29.184s + 0.078s 29
3 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:29.604s + 0.498s 26
4 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:29.942s + 0.836s 19
5 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:30.137s + 1.031s 19
6 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:30.517s + 1.411s 19
7 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:30.895s + 1.789s 21
8 Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:30.993s + 1.887s 20
9 Felipe Massa Williams 1:30.999s + 1.893s 26
10 Stoffel Vandoorne McLaren 1:31.041s + 1.935s 27
11 Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso 1:31.200s + 2.094s 24
12 Esteban Ocon Force India 1:31.210s + 2.104s 32
13 Sergio Pérez Force India 1:31.297s + 2.191s 34
14 Romain Grosjean Haas 1:31.610s + 2.504s 24
15 Lance Stroll Williams 1:31.684s + 2.578s 24
16 Antonio Giovinazzi Haas 1:32.031s + 2.925s 24
17 Nico Hülkenberg Renault 1:32.171s + 3.065s 19
18 Jolyon Palmer Renault 1:32.450s + 3.344s 16
19 Pascal Wehrlein Sauber 1:33.029s + 3.923s 23
20 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:33.399s + 4.293s 26

 

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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.

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