Reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton led a Mercedes 1-2 during the opening practice session at Formula 1’s French Grand Prix.
Hamilton clocked a time of 1:32.738s to finish 0.069s clear of team-mate Valtteri Bottas as drivers employed Soft rubber for their quickest laps in the 90-minute session.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was the fastest non-Mercedes driver, finishing 0.373s down on Hamilton, while team-mate Sebastian Vettel was fifth, a second in arrears.
They were split by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who recovered from a spin through the Chicane Nord to place fourth overall.
Pierre Gasly was sixth, 1.3s behind Hamilton, having also had a spin, with his RB15 rotating through the exit of Turn 4, stopping just short of the barriers.
Gasly classified just 0.015s ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris, who in turn led team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr.
Daniel Ricciardo’s Renault was equipped with the team’s updated Internal Combustion Engine and he finished ninth, while Toro Rosso’s Alexander Albon rounded out the top 10.
Racing Point’s Sergio Perez was 11th, with Nico Hulkenberg 12th, the German driver using the old ICE due to Renault not wanting to take a penalty at its home event.
Lance Stroll took 13th, ahead of Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat, who will start from the rear of the grid after taking on new engine components.
Haas and Alfa Romeo finished towards the rear of the field, with Kevin Magnussen 15th, ahead of Alfa Romeo pair Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi, while Romain Grosjean amassed only nine laps due to a small oil leak.
Williams tester Nicholas Latifi had another outing in the FW42 and edged regular racer Robert Kubica by just 0.025s, albeit the duo over a second down on Giovinazzi.
Second practice is scheduled for 15:00 local time
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