31/08/2024
NEWS STORY
Ahead of today's sole practice session the air temperature is 31 degrees C, while the track temperature is 44 degrees. It is bright and sunny.
Lewis Hamilton set the pace yesterday afternoon, edging out Lando Norris, Carlos Sainz and Oscar Piastri.
The Bulls were down in 14th and 15th, neither having run the softs, but Max Verstappen insists that all is OK.
Showing some surprising speed was Valtteri Bottas, could Stake be in line for a points finish?
The lights go green and Bottas leads the way, followed by his teammate.
While slipstreaming has always been a major factor here, yesterday, judging by Hamilton's comments, it is even more of an issue therefore we can expect to see drivers practicing the art of the tow.
Alonso, Stroll and Ricciardo are next out, like their predecessors they are on hards. Tsunoda was the only white-banded rubber on Friday.
As the Stakes pit and swap to mediums, Magnussen heads out on softs while the Bulls are straight out on the yellow-banded rubber.
Quickest in all three sectors, Magnussen posts the first time of the day, a 21.774.
Verstappen responds with a 21.560.
The TV cameras cut to the Stake garage where the legendary Kimi Raikkonen is watching the activity.
On the softs, Piastri goes quickest with a 20.887 - just off yesterday afternoon's best from Hamilton - as Verstappen improves to 20.950. Russell goes third and Hamilton fourth.
Yet to post a time, the RBs head out on hards as Sainz (soft) goes eighth with a 22.107.
Leclerc splits the Mercedes pair with a 21.171 on the softs.
On the red-banded rubber, Norris goes quickest by 0.100s, the McLaren driver in the final two sectors.
No sooner has Russell gone quickest with a 20.742 than Russell responds with a 20.706.
In quick succession, Russell and Colapinto get out of shape in the second Lesmo.
Leclerc (soft) goes top with a 20.614 as the cameras cut to Raikkonen talking to his old boss Stefano Domenicali, back in the days when the Italian was an F1 purist.
Behind the big guns, Albon is eighth, ahead of Hulkenberg, Perez - who should be up with the big guns - Tsunoda and Ricciardo.
At the back of the Alpine garage, Renault CEO Luca de Meo is in conversation with Flavio Briatore.
Quickest in the first sector, Albon goes quickest overall with a 20.596.
Currently 8th, and still to try the softs, Verstappen is told to do another four laps.
"The Mercedes is driving on the normal, old racing line," reports Verstappen. "That's fairly standard, Max," Gianpiero dryly replies.
Sainz stops the clock at 20.463 as Perez locks-up and fails to improve on tenth.
Having run its old floor yesterday, McLaren is running the version introduced at Spa on both of its cars today.
Quickest in the final two sectors, Leclerc crosses the line at 20.226 on 13-lap old softs, as the McLaren and Williams drivers head out on fresh rubber.
Having failed to get a tow from his teammate, Norris can only manage second (20.262).
"My seat is very hot again," complains Russell, no such complaints from his teammate.
Piastri goes second, 0.026s down on Leclerc and 0.010 up on his McLaren teammate. Which begs the question why is it that the McLarens - on fresh rubber - cannot match the pace of the Ferraris on old rubber.
Replay shows Leclerc almost tripping up over Piastri who appeared to be focussed on what countryman Ricciardo was doing. "Gosh," says the RB driver in reaction to the near-miss just ahead.
PBs in all three sectors see Russell go top (2.210), only to be demoted by his teammate who stops the clock at 20.117.
Verstappen - finally on the softs - can only manage sixth (20.368).
"That was pretty rubbish," says Russell, "balance is a long way off."
"The car doesn't speed low speed or medium speed," reports Verstappen.
Hulkenberg goes tenth with a 20.943, the German having gone quickest in the first sector.
Perez finally heads out on softs. However, the Mexican aborts his first flyer after making a mistake at the second chicane, as the Ferrari pair also abort their first runs.
On his next flyer, Russell fails to improve on his previous best.
Verstappen begins another flyer. He posts a PB in the opening sector, but loses time in the next clearly suffering understeer. At the line he remains sixth, having failed to improve his overall time, despite going quickest in S3.
Replay shows a mistake at the second chicane on that final flyer is what cost Verstappen.
"Stop, stop on the track. Stop now!" Magnussen is told. He duly obliges.
Intriguingly, it's another of those sessions that poses more questions than answers, as we still don't know the true pecking order.
While the Mercedes appears to have the edge, there is a feeling that McLaren is holding back, while Ferrari on its old rubber not only has something in reserve but has shown us a glimpse of its potential race pace.
And then there's Red Bull.
Hamilton is quickest, ahead of Russell, Leclerc, Piastri, Norris, Verstappen, Sainz, Albon, Colapinto and Hulkenberg.
Alonso is eleventh, ahead of Ricciardo, Tsunoda, Gasly, Stroll, Magnussen, Ocon, Perez, Bottas and Zhou.