Hamilton leads opening training in Turkey, but will receive a grid penalty after changing the engine

Lewis Hamilton crowned the first free practice for the Turkey Grand Prix on Friday morning, but the Briton goes into qualifying on Saturday knowing that he will lose ten starting positions after an engine change.

the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team Driver broke that Intercity Istanbul Park Lap record in the first session, with times that were significantly faster than twelve months ago, when the track conditions were much more slippery than on Friday.

The track had been blasted with water prior to the 2021 event, and it seemed like times had dropped compared to the 2020 race, with Hamilton’s best of 1: 24.178 breaking the track record of 1: 24.770 that came from the 2005 event from Juan Pablo Montoya.

However, Hamilton will lose ten places on the grid for Sunday’s race after Mercedes decided to assemble its fourth engine for the event. There will be title rivals Max Verstappen some self-confidence, and the Red Bull Racing Driver finished the session second fastest, albeit 0.425 seconds behind Hamilton’s time.

Was third fastest Scuderia Ferrari‘S Charles Leclerc, with the Monegasque driver successfully using his updated engine to get Hamilton’s best within half a second, while teammate Carlos Sainz Jr., who will start from the end of the grid on Sunday after his engine change, was fifth fastest, just behind the second Mercedes from Valtteri Bottas.

Esteban Ocon was the busiest driver of the session, with the Alpine F1 team Ace, who completed thirty rounds and was sixth fastest, was just ahead McLaren F1 team‘S Lando Norris who attended his first session since he heartbreakingly lost victory in Russia two weeks ago because of a late weather change after being in the lead for much of the race.

Pierre Gasly was eighth for Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda (and did thirty laps like Ocon) while Alpines Fernando Alonso and Red Bulls Sergio Perez completed the top ten. Pérez finished second in the 2020 race while competing with the BWT Racing Point Formula 1 teamand he will have to improve his pace this weekend to have a chance for another podium on Sunday.

Just outside the top ten, it was always impressive George Russell from Williams races, with the British McLaren just ousted Daniel Ricciardo and Aston Martin Cognizant Formula 1 team‘S Sebastian Vettel, while the leading Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN from Antonio Giovinazzi was fourteenth.

The second Williams from Nicholas Latifi Fifteenth place ahead of the second Alfa Romeo from Kimi Raikkonen, while Lance walk, the pole sitter for the 2020 Turkey Grand Prix, was in seventeenth place, just ahead of AlphaTauris Yuki Tsunoda and the two Uralkali Haas F1 Team Driver, Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin. It was no surprise that the three drivers who had not yet raced on the track were at the back of the row.

Intercity Istanbul Park Free Practice 1 result