Formula 1: Sebastien Vettel does not make it into the top ten in free practice before Barcelona. Valerien Bottas almost catches a bird. The live ticker.
- Formula 1 starts the sixth race of the season in a corona risk area .
- In Catalonia, Sebastian Vettel could get back on track due to an innovation.
- During free practice, Valerien Bottas almost had a strange crash .
Update from August 15, 1:55 p.m .: What a dramatic end to the third free practice! Estaban Ocon was on the track with his Renault and drove at top speed against an extremely slow driving Kevin Magnussen in the Haas. The Frenchman could not evade in time and hit the wall on the right. Ocon lost his front wing in the collision and caused red flags with his crash in the remaining minutes. Now the mechanics have to get down to work to get the car back into shape for qualifying at 3 p.m.
Drama between Esteban Ocon and Kevin Magnussen at the end of FP3 💥 👀 # SpanishGP 🇪🇸 # F1 pic.twitter.com/auSA7RtD2A
- Formula 1 (@ F1) August 15, 2020Lewis Hamilton once again conjured up the fastest lap on the asphalt in front of Valtteri Bottas , while Sebastian Vettel does not seem to see any improvement - twelfth place is the sobering result.
Update from August 14th, 4:54 pm: “F ***, that was close”, Valtteri Bottas grumbled over the team radio, “ I almost hit a bird. “But can the Mercedes driver be sure that it was really close? In slow motion you can see the car shoot out of the Campsa curve, behind him feathers are puffing into the air .
While the day could not have gone any worse for poor bird, Bottas and especially his racing team should be completely satisfied after the free practice. The Mercedes duo say hello with best times of first and second place. Lewis Hamilton is in the lead with a lap of 1.16.8 minutes.
That's a wrap on our Friday running - and it's a familiar top three # SpanishGP 🇪🇸 # F1 pic.twitter.com/Ylk2Oj7f95
- Formula 1 (@ F1) August 14, 2020Sebastian Vettel , however, did not make it into the top ten . A good one and a half seconds behind Hamilton, the German is only twelfth . Ferrari colleague Leclerc moved up to sixth place. In the first free practice it looked even better: Vettel was fifth, Leclerc fourth. Bottas, Hamilton and Verstappen were at the top.
Formula 1 in the live ticker: New hope for Sebastian Vettel - bad news for Nico HĂĽlkenberg
First report from August 13th: Barcelona - The sixth race weekend of the current Formula 1 season * starts on Friday at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya . Ironically, in the corona risk area, in which German vacationers are warned about a stay, the pilots go to the start.
Formula 1 in the live ticker: Surprise winner in Spain too? Vettel with a new attempt
One of the favorites for the Spanish Grand Prix * is the current track winner, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton . But there was already a surprise last week at the 70th anniversary Grand Prix in Silverstone * when Max Verstappenfrom the Red Bull Team * left its competitors behind and secured first place. So there could be surprises again. In the drivers' standings * Hamilton is still 30 points ahead of Verstappen, but the lead could continue to melt.
Anyone who has absolutely nothing to do with the top is Sebastian Vettel * this season. The Heppenheimer is in a real epidemic season and attracted attention less with his driving style than with his ongoing conflict with the Ferrari * managers over Mattia Binotto and disputes with his team. But a positive trend could begin in Spain .
Formula 1 in the live ticker: New chassis could open up opportunities for Vettel - bad news for HĂĽlkenberg
In view of Vettel's lap times, it was assumed that barely visible damage to the chassis was the main reason for his poor performance. Now the Italian racing team reacted and provided the four-time world champion * with a new frame for the race near Barcelona. The 33-year-old is now under particularly close observation . Should he end up far behind his team-mate Charles Leclerc again , a fault in the chassis can be ruled out.
A "small fault" to his car saw Sebastian Vettel struggle in comparison to his Ferrari teammate at Silverstone.
He'll have a new chassis for the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend.
Latest: https://t.co/0z0fNb7gkA pic.twitter.com/Ln0SWwcnwH
Another German pilot, who maneuvered himself in the foreground with strong times, is no longer in Barcelona . Nico HĂĽlkenberg made his short-term comeback for the Racing Point * team and was in the cockpit of both races at Silverstone, UK.
He represented the Mexican driver Sergio Perez , who was infected with the corona virus and was therefore unable to participate in the two races. For HĂĽlkenberg, however, the brief assignment was a blessing: he is already in talks with two teams. There were also rumors of a Ferrari commitment.
CONFIRMED: We're pleased to share the news that @SChecoPerez has tested negative for COVID-19 đź’Ş
The @fia have confirmed that Checo can return to the @ F1 paddock and he will compete for the team in this weekend's #SpanishGP 🙌 pic. twitter.com/adYfWW5jWU
Formula 1 weekend in the live ticker: three days of caution in the corona risk area - 25,000 tests already carried out
But why does Formula 1 *a trip to Spain, where even a pilot was infected with the novel virus? Apparently you feel safe. The Foreign Office warns against traveling to the Catalonia region again, but the race weekend will take place as planned. “Corona doesn't only exist in Spain. We just have to be careful, ”said Max Verstappen. As part of Formula 1, 25,000 tests have been carried out since the start , three of which were positive. (ajr) * tz.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.