French GP FP1: Everything you need to know

Valtteri Bottas led a Mercedes 1-2 in the opening practice session ahead of the French Grand Prix, despite damaging his car over the kerbs early in the session.

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Key moments:

> Bottas leads a Mercedes 1-2, but damages car running wide at Turn 2
> Verstappen runs wide in final sector while on his quickest lap
> Red Bulls third and fourth quickest, Ocon fifth for Alpine
> Spins also for Sainz, Vettel and Schumacher

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Bottas – needing a good weekend after back-to-back non-scores at Monaco and Baku – damaged his car running wide at Turn 2 just over 20 minutes into the session.

The team’s sporting director Ron Meadows aired his frustration to FIA F1 race director Michael Masi, believing running wide at Turn 2 should not be causing that much damage to the car.

Bottas clips his own wings going over the kerbs out of Turn 2, and returns to the pits with damage#FrenchGP 🇫🇷 #F1 pic.twitter.com/I7p4UQWgab

— Formula 1 (@F1) June 18, 2021

Bottas returned to the track to set a 1m33.448s to top the session. It was 0.335s faster than team-mate Lewis Hamilton.

There’s a new suite of Honda power unit components in the back of the Red Bull and AlphaTauri cars this weekend, bringing them level with the Mercedes- and Ferrari-powered cars that changed their engines last time out in Baku.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen lost his chance to displace the Mercedes duo at the top of the timesheets when he ran wide in the final sector while on a flying lap.

He finished the session third-fastest in 0.432s slower than Bottas, while his team-mate Sergio Perez was a further three tenths adrift but set his fastest lap on the hard tyres.

It’s not just the Honda-powered cars with brand new power unit components, as Alpine drivers Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso have new Renault engines.

Ocon was an impressive fifth-fastest, ahead of McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo and his team-mate Alonso.

The top 10 was completed by the lead AlphaTauri of Pierre Gasly, Lando Norris (McLaren) and Yuki Tsunoda.

Carlos Sainz was another to fall victim to Turn 2, as the Ferrari driver spun on the exit of the corner just after halfway through the session.

He got back onto the track, but he couldn’t complete any more running of that set of tyres.

His Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc – like Sainz without the Mission Winnow logos this weekend – reported balance issues and could only manage the 11th-fastest time.

Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel, fresh from earning his maiden podium with the team in Baku, went backwards into the barriers at Turn 11. He continued but ended up down in 15th in the session.

Vettel loses the back end and damages his rear wing 😖

He's now back in the pits for repairs#FrenchGP 🇫🇷 #F1 pic.twitter.com/opxUFl3z3O

— Formula 1 (@F1) June 18, 2021

Mick Schumacher spun his Haas into the Turn 13 barriers on his first out-lap from the pits at the start of the 60-minute session.

He recovered back to the pits and ended FP1 with the 19th-fastest time, one place behind of his team-mate Nikita Mazepin.

Mick gets in a spin as he gets to grips with Circuit Paul Ricard #FrenchGP 🇫🇷 #F1 pic.twitter.com/8LDjT2aaMk

— Formula 1 (@F1) June 18, 2021

F2 driver Roy Nissany made his second practice appearance of the season, deputising for George Russell. He registered the slowest time, over two seconds adrift of Williams team-mate Nicholas Latifi.

Practice 1 Results