Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain steers his auto during the first practice session at the Belgian Formula One Grand Prix circuit in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016.
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He was ahead of the Ferrari duo Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, with Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo fifth in front of Force India’s Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg.
Formula 1 awakens from the annual summer slumber this weekend and its off to, arguably, the world’s most exciting race track – the undulating Spa-Francorchamps circuit set in the heart of the Ardennes mountains in Belgium.
Hamilton comes into the event with a 19-point lead over Mercedes teammate and championship rival Nico Rosberg, but he will need to call on all of his talent to get a result and limit the damage to his campaign.
“Of course I’m aware of Lewis’ misfortune having to get the grid penalty, and that’s going to make the weekend less hard for me because he’s my biggest rival”, Rosberg said.
Rosberg believes his runs with the Halo were a success as he managed to set the best time of the session.
“They have done a great job because it doesn’t disturb me at all”, he said.
Pirelli, the Italian tire manufacturer, is testing tires to try and add more protection for drivers from impacts with kerbs and track debris. He finished the session in 20th, two tenths of a second slower than team-mate Kevin Magnussen.
Vettel, a four-time F1 champion, has not won a race since the Singapore GP last September, and this might explain his somewhat brittle mood.
At just 18 years of age, Verstappen, cheered on by legions of his orange-clad supporters, also becomes the youngest driver to start from the front row. He is also attracting interest from local fans because his mother is Belgian.
Governing body the FIA had meant to introduce the “halo” next year but the strategy group of leading bosses voted last month to delay it by a year so further research could be conducted.
Briton Hamilton, who has 49 career victories, has won six of the past seven races, while Rosberg took the opening four races as Hamilton struggled with mechanical problems. He will be joined there by McLaren’s Fernando Alonso, who so far has a total of 35 grid places in terms of engine penalties and may yet be hit with more.
The FIA is looking at ways to improve cockpit protection and limit the risk of head injuries, after French F1 driver Jules Bianchi died in July previous year, and British IndyCar driver Justin Wilson died a month later.
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French teenager Esteban Ocon will make his Formula One race debut this weekend, replacing Indonesian Rio Haryanto at backmarkers Manor.
