Valtteri Bottas led a Mercedes 1-2 in opening practice for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix of Formula 1 in an FP1 practice that was interrupted by a collision between Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon.
Bottas shot to the top of the timesheets after a break in the red flag during a hectic 60-minute training session with a time of 1: 16.564 seconds when the F1 was back in action after a three-week break in Imola.
The Finn surpassed Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton by just 0.041 seconds, with Red Bulls Max Verstappen third-fastest and just 0.058 seconds behind him.
The FP1 was stopped about 25 minutes after the apparent contact between Perez and Ocon in the Villeneuve variant from front right to back left.
The incident was overlooked by the cameras due to technical issues that hampered F1’s worldwide broadcast feed throughout practice, but Perez’s left butt was completely destroyed while Ocon continued down the street with his front-right underdog. Both drivers were called to the stewards after the first RP about their invisible incident.
Behind the top three were Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly, who, along with sixth-placed Carlos Sainz, had a spell at the top of the FP1 order before the pair finished the session with exactly the same time in a time of 1: 16.888 minutes finished.
On the subject of matching items
Returning two-time world champion Fernando Alonso finished seventh for Alpine, while Lance Stroll, Nicholas Latifi and Daniel Ricciardo completed the top 10 for Aston Martin, Williams and McLaren.
A number of riders experienced twists and turns and bumps throughout the session, which came to an end when Haas rookie Nikita Mazepin spun against the wall on the final corner after stepping on the gravel.
COMPLETE RESULTS FROM THE OPENING PRACTICE FOR F1 EMILIA ROMAGNA GRAND PRIX AT IMOLA.
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