Sebastian Vettel achieved the best first race series (FP1), after a minute of 14.013 seconds. His teammate – Charles Leclerc – is second with a 14,268 second minute. Both Ferrari drivers use only soft tires (soft) at FP1.
Mercedes – Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas racing pair – respectively ranked third and fifth at FP1. Hamilton’s best achievement is a 14.315 second minute, made on the medium tire. The medium tire is most often used by drivers in the main circuit. That shows that Ferrari’s achievement cannot guarantee them a high position on Sunday.
To FP2, Hamilton and Bottas quickly get high results. But after replacing hard tires (hard) into soft tires, Leclerc had the best results with a minute of 13,449 seconds, slightly higher than Vettel 0.124 seconds. Hamilton finished third with a 13,595 second second and Bottas in fourth place. The air temperature at Hockenheim at FP1 and FP2 is 39 degrees C. But Mercedes leader said that it was not the reason for them to have speed problems, after applying the new chassis with many improvements to cool the machine.
“Machine cooling is no longer a problem for Mercedes,” team leader Toto Wolff told Sky Sports. “The problem lies in the grip of the tires. Ferrari drivers do well every corner, while we are affected by very high pavement temperatures. The heat makes the W10 difficult to produce pressure. downforce “.
Causing disappointment on the first day is Red Bull. If Max Verstappen had to leave the pit 25 minutes early at FP2 due to technical problems, Pierre Gasly had an accident at Turn 17 – the final corner. Verstappen’s best performance is a minute of 14.133 seconds and Gasly is a minute 14.813 seconds.
“It is frustrating that Gasly cannot continue to race when FP2 has just started,” told Red Bull team Christian Horner – to Sky Sports. “After a good result in England, we started disappointing. But this is just a test run and Gasly’s RB15 will be repaired for tomorrow 27 July. We will have to work tonight.”