Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen proved Friday (July 20) that their Red Bulls could match the top two teams by leading the two practice sessions in preparation for Sunday’s German Grand Prix at Hockenheim.
Ricciardo had to make an engine change before the opening session. Verstappen also had to deal with a slight problem with the same situation, but continued on in the afternoon, recording a 1:13:085 best lap, despite having to fix his issue with an oil leak.
Lewis Hamilton, suffering from disappointments in the last two races in Austria and Great Britain, had his confidence return by finishing second to both Red Bull drivers. His teammate, Valtteri Bottas, was also consistent by taking fifth and third, respectively, in the two sessions.
Ferrari, considering its success recently, was far from the mark all day on Friday. Kimi Raikkonen finished sixth in the morning and only improved one position in the afternoon to fifth. For Sebastian Vettel, who is racing in his home grand prix, it was not any better as fourth place in both sessions.
The American Haas F1 Team drivers of Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen were nearby each other all day, with Grosjean taking seventh and Magnussen in eighth. In the afternoon, they both moved up one position each to sixth and seventh.
Charles LeClerc continued to impress in his Sauber by taking the eighth best time of the day, while Nico Hulkenberg was ninth in his Renault. Esteban Ocon rounded out the top 10 in his Force India car.
Despite leading practice, Ricciardo will start race day from the back of the grid due to an engine change.
The weather could also be a factor on Saturday as heavy rain is predicted. However, on Sunday, the weather is expected to improve.
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