Verstappen seven tenths ahead of Ricciardo; Alonso third but over 1.5 secs down; Vettel fifth ahead of Hamilton
Friday 29 September 2017 09:57, UK
Max Verstappen set the early pace at the Malaysia GP as he led a dominant Red Bull one-two in a rain-disrupted Practice One.
Heavy morning showers saw the session delayed by 30 minutes but once cars took to the track, Red Bull showed their strength in the wet with Verstappen topping the timesheet with a 1:48.962.
Daniel Ricciardo was seven tenths slower than his team-mate, with Fernando Alonso a surprising third for McLaren-Honda but 1.6 seconds down on Verstappen.
Sebastian Vettel was fifth, a place behind Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, but half a second up on title rival and championship leader Lewis Hamilton.
"Red Bull look in a league of their own," said Sky F1's Paul di Resta.
Pierre Gasly made an encouraging start on his debut in the Toro Rosso by posting the ninth-fastest time and was over two seconds quicker than Sean Gelael in the sister car.
Charles Leclerc, the Formula 2 championship leader, also impressed on his first run in the Sauber as he finished 16th and ahead of regular driver Pascal Wehrlein, who spun.
Valtteri Bottas was seventh ahead of Williams' Lance Stroll, while the top 10 was completed by Sergey Sirotkin, driving the Renault in place of Nico Hulkenberg in the session.
But there was disappointment for Felipe Massa in the other Williams car as he was the only driver not to set a time.
The Brazilian was limited to just three laps, with his mechanics investigating a hydraulics problem on his car.
Can Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari bounce back from their Singapore nightmare? Watch the Malaysia GP weekend live on Sky Sports F1. The race begins at 8am on Sunday October 1.
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