Sainz and Alonso start in the ‘Top 10’
MADRID, 12 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The British driver Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) dominated the first free practice session of the Brazilian Grand Prix this Friday, a result blurred by his penalty of five positions on the starting grid for an engine change, while the Spanish Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) and Fernando Alonso (Alpine) finished sixth and ninth in contact with the Brazilian track.
In Interlagos, where the American ‘triptych’ of the Formula 1 World Championship will close, things did not start in the best way for the seven-time world champion, 19 points behind the Dutch in the general classification. With only three minutes played, the stewards confirmed that the Englishman will have a five-place penalty on the grid for changing the combustion engine.
Meanwhile, his main rival for the championship and leader of the overall drivers, the Dutch Max Verstappen (Red Bull), managed to lead the times table with a time of 1: 11.482, which later left Hamilton at 849 thousandths before Mexican Sergio Pérez (Red Bull) snatched second place after pairing up with him on the straight.
With the appearance of the first drops, neither Sainz nor Alonso seemed to respond, and it was with the medium rubber, in the middle of the session, when they began to offer better performance. The Madrilenian managed to climb to third place, and the Asturian placed fourth among the Ferraris on his first lap on the new compound.
With only eight minutes to go to the checkered flag, Hamilton stormed the timesheets and no one could discuss his mark anymore, with two cars from the energy brand, those of Verstappen and ‘Checo’, closing the ‘podium’ of the session. Meanwhile, the Finn Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) was fourth before the sprint classification.
For his part, Sainz could finish ahead of his teammate, the Monegasque Charles Leclerc -seventh-, but not Alonso, who was ninth just after the Frenchman Esteban Ocon (Alpine).