Formula 1: Hamilton with the best time at the start, Ferrari cautious

The 33-year-old Mercedes driver was the fastest driver at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet in the south of France on Friday afternoon in 1:32,231 minutes. His teammate Valtteri Bottas confirmed the Silver Arrows' good first impression in second place (+0,140 minutes). Australian Daniel Ricciardo came third in a Red Bull (+0,296).

World Championship leader Sebastian Vettel (+0,941) was fifth slower than Ferrari colleague Kimi Räikkönen (+0,772). The drivers primarily used the first training laps to familiarize themselves with the largely unknown course. The track in Le Castellet has recently been used primarily for testing; the last of 14 Formula 1 races to date took place in 1990 with winner Alain Prost.

Several drivers with some difficulties Turn six proved to be treacherous, with several cars making contact with the run-off zone. The McLaren box reported changing winds in front of the Mistral straight as the cause of many pilots' problems. Among other things, Räikkönen and McLaren's Stoffel Vandoorne spun, both vehicles remained undamaged.

The Belgian Vandoorne attracted negative attention again shortly afterwards when he dawdled on the racing line and forced Hamilton to make a delicate evasive maneuver at high speed. Marcus Ericsson's crash was more dangerous, as his Sauber crashed into the barrier shortly before the end of the session and caught fire. The Swede got out on his own. No clear favorite for Sunday's race Vettel leads the championship standings by one point over Hamilton. It is still unclear which engine the Brit will use to hunt for points. The Silver Arrows want to provide detailed information about the drive system used after the second training session on Friday (16 p.m.). Mercedes had to do without the hoped-for update at the previous race in Canada.

Formula 1 is making its comeback in France this weekend after a ten-year absence. Unlike in the 90s and 2000s, the race will not take place in Magny-Cours.

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Formula 1: Hamilton with the best time at the start, Ferrari cautious

World champion Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) set the fastest time in the first free practice session for the Formula 1 Grand Prix in France.

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