Formula 1 returned for the first time in 2017 since the end of pre-season testing with the first practice session ahead of the Australian Grand Prix. First practice on the first race weekend of a new season is always an important and interesting session, revealing the true pace of the teams on the grid after the unrealistic times set by teams during pre-season testing.
Lewis Hamilton Fastest in Australian Grand Prix First Practice
The first practice session of the 2017 Formula 1 Season was relatively quiet, with teams getting up to speed on track and drivers familiarizing themselves with the circuit, as well as saving their power units ahead of the long season ahead.
The session saw Lewis Hamilton start the season where he left of in 2016, with the Mercedes driver setting the fastest lap of first practice, setting a 1:24.220 on the ultrasoft tyre. Following Hamilton was his new team mate, Valtteri Bottas, who set a lap time which was 0.583 seconds slower on the same tyre, with a 1:24.803.
Red Bull Racing filled out the second row in the session, with Daniel Ricciardo third fastest and Max Verstappen in fourth, with both drivers using the supersoft tyres.
Ferrari were the next best team, with Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel being fifth and sixth fastest, setting lap times in the 1:25.00 range. After completing little mileage in this first practice session, many will be watching Ferrari in the second practice session with eager eyes, with there being more to come from the Italian team.
Felipe Massa was seventh fastest for Williams followed by Romain Grosjean who was eighth for Haas F1. Closely following Grosjean by 0.015 seconds was Nico Hulkenberg in the Renault. Sergio Perez rounded out the top ten in the Force India.
The two Toro Rosso cars of Carlos Sainz Jr and Daniil Kvyat were 11th and 12th fastest, followed by Lance Stroll in the Williams and Fernando Alonso in the McLaren.
Marcus Ericsson was the fastest Sauber of the day, being 15th fastest, 0.3 seconds ahead of Esteban Ocon in the second Force India. Ocon experienced a difficult start to the session and had limited running following issues with his brakes in the early stages of practice.
Kevin Magnussen was 17th fastest in his first outing for Haas and was faster than Pascal Wehrlein who was in the second Sauber, almost a second slower than Magnussen in 18th place.
Jolyon Palmer finished the session in 19th fastest for Renault after having limited running throughout the 90 minute long practice, ending the session early to allow Renault to resolve the issues on the car ahead of the second practice session of the race weekend.
Stoffel Vandoorne ended the session in 20th and last place for McLaren in what was his first time out on track at Albert Park.
Following this first practice session of the 2017 Formula 1 Season, Mercedes are once again looking very strong after topping the session in first and second place. However, Red Bull and Ferrari should be hot on their heels for the remainder of the race weekend, with track evolution being key at Albert Park and there being more performance in the vehicles of both outfits.
In the midfield, things are also looking very close, with Williams, Toro Rosso, and Force India looking quite competitive in the battle outside of the top three teams. Renault are also looking faster despite experiencing issues on Palmer’s car, with Hulkenberg’s lap time which worthy of finishing the session inside the top ten being encouraging.
Towards the back of the grid, 2017 is looking like it will be a difficult year once again for McLaren and Sauber, with both teams struggling to find pace on the circuit. Despite Alonso and Ericsson setting impressive times which allowed them to finish the session in 14th and 15th, both teams are not looking particularly strong at the moment.
Results from Practice 1 of the Australian Grand Prix:
- Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:24.220
- Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, 1:24.803
- Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing, 1:24.886
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 1:25.246
- Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 1:25.372
- Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 1:25.464
- Felipe Massa, Williams, 1:26.142
- Romain Grosjean, Haas F1, 1:26.168
- Nico Hulkenberg, Renault, 1:26.183
- Sergio Perez, Force India, 1:26.276
- Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso, 1:26.450
- Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso, 1:26.514
- Lance Stroll, Williams, 1:26.734
- Fernando Alonso, McLaren, 1:27.116
- Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, 1:27.348
- Esteban Ocon, Force India, 1:27.656
- Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1, 1:27.667
- Pascal Wehrlein, Sauber, 1:28.539
- Jolyon Palmer, Renault, 1:28.585
- Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren, 1:28.695
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