Russian GP

Leclerc leads the way after Kvyat breaks down: Russian GP FP1 Results

Another good start for Ferrari.

Matthew Scott

Friday 27 September 2019 11:30

Charles Leclerc kept up his fine recent form by topping the timesheets in the first practice session for the Russian Grand Prix.

Leclerc requested front wing alterations after setting his quickest lap time of one minute 34.462 seconds but was unable to lower his lap time.

Max Verstappen was less than a tenth adrift of the Ferrari man, while third-placed Sebastian Vettel was more than half a second away from his team-mate, with Valtteri Bottas ahead of Mercedes colleague Lewis Hamilton in fifth.

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The Finn suffered a rear-wing failure towards the end of the session, while Daniel Ricciardo significantly damaged his own rear wing with a spin at TUrn 10 after the chequered flag.

The Silver Arrows have won every race in Sochi since its introduction to the F1 calendar, but Hamilton says the champions will not be favourites at any of the remaining races this year.

There were concerns for Toro Rosso and Honda as Daniil Kvyat pulled over with engine failure early in the session. The Russian has been fitted with an entirely new power unit for this race weekend as Honda look to maximise performance for the Japanese GP in a fortnight's time.

Russian GP FP1 results

1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 1:34.462
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1:34.544
3. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) 1:35.005
4. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) 1:35.198
5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1:35.411
6. Alexander Albon (Red Bull) 1:35.484
7. Nico Hulkenberg (Renault) 1:35.740
8. Daniel Ricciardo (Renault) 1:36.287
9. Sergio Perez (Racing Point) 1:36.321
10. Romain Grosjean (Haas) 1:36.516
11. Carlos Sainz (McLaren) 1:36.523
12. Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso) 1:36.538
13. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) 1:36.596
14. Lance Stroll (Racing Point) 1:36.714
15. Kimi Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo) 1:36.770
16. Lando Norris (McLaren) 1:36.844
17. Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo) 1:37.328
18. George Russell (Williams) 1:38.520
19. Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso) 1:38.550
20. Robert Kubica (Williams) 1:38.670