Red Bull no doubt could pull an upset, but Verstappen’s grid penalty will be a factor come Sunday. If it does, that’s likely to mean another stout battle between Ferrari and Mercedes.
SOCHI, Russia—September 27th—Max Verstappen set the best Friday practice times in preparation for Sunday’s Russian Grand Prix. The Dutchman had the fastest time of the day in the afternoon session with a 1:33:162 at the Sochi Autodrom.
There’s a proviso, though. Even if Verstappen improves on his time at the third practice and during qualifying on Saturday, he’ll have to begin the race with a five-place grid penalty. That’s because his Honda manufacturer made changes to his engine.
That means Sunday’s race could be another two-way fight between Ferrari and Mercedes. Ferarri’s Leclerc finished second in Friday’s practice, as teammate Sebastian Vettel took fifth. Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton finished the day third and fourth, respectively.
But to win, Mercedes will have to resolve an issue. The Silver Arrows have run into serious trouble with their setups for race weekend by running on their softest tire
Besides, Hamilton nearly ran into Red Bull’s Alex Albon in the second session at the Horseshoe corner. Hamilton took evasive action to swerve around the Thai driver, who was on his cool-down lap. Daniel Ricciardo’s spin into the barriers (morning session) was the only other mishap of the day.
Following the top five finishers was Pierre Gasly in sixth. Gasly wants to finish well, hoping that he’ll be reinstated at Red Bull for next season following his recent demotion to Toro Rosso.
Lance Stroll took ninth, while Albon finished tenth. The American Haas F1 drivers finished with fair results–Kevin Magnussen in 13th and Romain Grosjean in 16th.
Red Bull no doubt could pull an upset, but Verstappen’s grid penalty will be a factor come Sunday. If the top teams–Ferrari and Mercedes–contend as expected for the top position, that would mean a battle among McLaren, Renault, Toro Rosso, and Racing Point for midfield positions.
