Unsurprisingly the first practice session was more of a learning session for everyone, with the 20 drivers using it to learn a new circuit. But some things never change, and Valtteri Bottas topped an FP1 once again on a 1.18.410, 3 tenths ahead of his team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
It was an adventurous session for both Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc who both had spins during the session,but they ended the session third and fourth respectively, with Charles Leclerc demonstrating improvements in that tricky Ferrari. Verstappen and Leclerc weren’t the only ones to have offs, unsurprisingly many did, including Kimi Raikkonen and Daniil Kvyat.
Alexander Albon was fifth fastest ahead of Carlos Sainz who was sixth, Sergio Perez in seventh and Kimi Raikkonen who ended the session eighth with a late lap time. Daniel Ricciardo was ninth, however it wasn’t plain sailing for Renault as Esteban Ocon had smoke pouring from his car at the end of the session. Pierre Gasly was garage bound for a part of the session but rounded out the top 10.
Here is the result of the first practice session in Portimao!
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