Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel opened the Belgian Grand Prix weekend atop the timesheets as Formula 1 returned from its summer break.
Vettel posted a time of 1:44.358 on the Soft tyres – the middle of the three available compounds – to lead the way in the first 90-minute session at a cool and cloudy Spa-Francorchamps.
Vettel’s time was 0.151s clear of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, while points leader Lewis Hamilton was third.
Finns Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas were fourth and fifth for Ferrari and Mercedes respectively, the latter clocking his best time on Mediums, as opposed to the Softs employed by his rivals.
Bottas enters the weekend knowing that he will start from the back row of the grid owing to exceeding his engine allocation.
Eighth-placed Nico Hulkenberg also faces the same fate – he finished the opening session sandwiched between Force India duo Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez.
Force India returned to action after a tumultuous few weeks that resulted in the creation of a new entry, meaning the re-born team is last in the standings, with no points to its name.
Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo spent most of the session in the garage amid a suspected technical problem and re-emerged only in the final four minutes.
Ricciardo’s sole lap lifted him up to sixth place, above the midfield gaggle, spearheaded by the aforementioned Ocon.
Carlos Sainz Jr. completed the top 10 for Renault, ahead of Pierre Gasly. Romain Grosjean and the Sauber pair of Charles Leclerc and Marcus Ericsson, the duo split by just 0.003s.
Brendon Hartley was 15th, in front of Lance Stroll and Kevin Magnussen, who complained of an unstable rear end in his Haas VF-18.
McLaren handed a first Grand Prix weekend outing to reserve driver and 2019 seat contender Lando Norris, who finished 18th, three seconds off the pace.
Norris’ best lap was 0.088s up on the quickest achieved by Stoffel Vandoorne, whose home Grand Prix weekend got off to a subdued start as he finished at the rear of the pack.
Vandoorne complained of his brake pedal going long during the opening stages and spent the latter part of the session in the garage, as a possible leak was investigated.
Vandoorne, under pressure to retain his seat, completed half of Norris’ mileage.
Friday's second 90-minute session will begin at 15:00 local time.
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