Valtteri Bottas set the quickest time as the 2021 Formula 1 season resumed at an overcast and chilly Spa-Francorchamps on Friday.
Cool and unsettled conditions are expected throughout the weekend in Belgium and the one-hour session began on a damp track.
The surface dried sufficiently for slicks to be used for the majority of running and Bottas, running a low-downforce set-up, clocked a time of 1:45.199s to finish on top.
Bottas nonetheless enters the weekend facing a five-place grid penalty due to causing the first corner pile-up in Hungary.
Max Verstappen finished 0.164s behind Bottas for Red Bull while title leader Lewis Hamilton was only 18th, having not set a representative hot lap.
Hamilton was on a quick lap but was involved in a close high-speed moment with Williams’ Nicholas Latifi on the run to the Bus Stop chicane and had to back off.
Strong start for Gasly, Ferrari
Pierre Gasly built on his strong first half of 2021 by classifying third for AlphaTauri, half a second behind Bottas.
Ferrari endured a miserable time at Spa-Francorchamps in 2020, failing to break into the top 10, but already showed greater promise in FP1, with Charles Leclerc fourth and Carlos Sainz fifth.
Sergio Perez was sixth for Red Bull while Sebastian Vettel was seventh as Aston Martin captured the attention with a jagged design on its front wing.
McLaren’s Lando Norris was eighth while Alpine rounded out the top 10, with Hungary victor Esteban Ocon in front of the newly retained Fernando Alonso.
Unusual incident for Raikkonen
Kimi Räikkönen, facing an uncertain future with Alfa Romeo, has won at Spa-Francorchamps on four occasions but had an atypically clumsy session.
Räikkönen spun at La Source early on and later on clipped the inside wall as he entered the pit lane.
Räikkönen finished down in 17th, ahead only of the out-of-place Hamilton, and Haas duo Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher.
Second practice is scheduled for 15:00 local time
[motorsport_result id='71464']
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