Verstappen tops both slippery practice sessions
Hamilton can win record-equalling seventh world title this weekend
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Jolyon Palmer
Former Renault driver on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra
The drivers would've learned very little earlier on. It will all change when the track gets better and better.
Anyone who missed early running will not be too hampered. It was a good session to miss.
Session two. More slipping and sliding to come. Ninety minutes.
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We then didn't hear much from the Renault man. When we did, he kept it brief.
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At the last race, not only did Mercedes win the constructors' championship for the seventh time, it was also a return for the podium tradition of a shoey - when Daniel Ricciardo unleashes his inner student by downing some champagne straight out of the race boot that he has been wearing for the previous four hours.
Ricciardo claimed his second podium in a month for Renault but after the first of those he forgot to do the 'shoey' on the podium, but later did it back stage.
He even managed to convince Lewis Hamilton to do one from his other boot. Wrong, so, so wrong.
Well, what chance of another Ricciardo podium? He's currently in fourth in the drivers' championship and a man in form in the last few races of his Renault career.
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Confirmation of what we told you earlier that George Russell will be getting a grip penalty for using new power unit elements this weekend.
He came so close to getting his first points as an F1 driver at Imola, but he's going to have to weave his way through the field to get in the top 10 this weekend.
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Alexander Albon and Pierre Gasly took part in a superb Red Bull / Alpha Tauri PR event earlier this week as they drove around the streets of Istanbul and then crossed the Bosphorus Bridge, which connects Europe and Asia.
The results are these stunning images...
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Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has made a joke of the grip-less conditions during first practice, saying on his Twitter account: “First drifting session done this morning. It was fun.” And posting a gif of some drift cars.
The lack of grip was caused by the fact that the Istanbul Park track was resurfaced only a couple of weeks ago, and the surface is still shedding its oily contents.
“A lot of bitumen is coming out and we just need to run and run and run,” said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. Things will improve in the second session, but not suddenly.
The slippery conditions are likely to continue all weekend and Pirelli F1 boss Mario Isola said he was concerned about what might happen if it rained, and water joined the oil on the track surface.
Welcome back.
That's all for the first session. We're taking a breather and will be back at 11:30 GMT before the second session gets going at 12:00 GMT.
Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer
Image source, ReutersMax Verstappen led a Red Bull one-two in an unrepresentative first practice session at the Turkish Grand Prix on a very low grip track.
Verstappen's team-mate Alexander Albon was second, ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly's Alpha Tauri.
The Istanbul Park circuit, holding its first race since 2011, was resurfaced two weeks ago and drivers were more than 10 seconds off the pace expected.
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton was 15th and team-mate Valtteri Bottas ninth. Hamilton will be champion as long as he does not lose more than seven points to Bottas.
With Mercedes expected to lead the way, that effectively means he will clinch the title if he wins the race, or if he finishes second to Bottas as long as the Finn does not also set fastest lap.
Imagine if this was repeated in qualifying tomorrow.
Image source, F1Jolyon Palmer
Former Renault driver on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra
We're at 2011 GP2 pace right now.
On a slippery circuit, with a number of spinners, it is a Red Bull one-two with Max Verstappen taking the honours with a 1:35.077 and that was two tenths quicker than Alexander Albon.
The Ferraris are third and fifth - with Leclerc third and Vettel fifth - with Pierre Gasly in fourth.
Valtteri Bottas is the best of the Mercedes two but down in ninth. Lewis Hamilton, after not being on track for most of the first hour, ends 15th.
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It would've been a nice boost for Alexander Albon to top the session, but he gets pipped by his team-mate in the very last minute.
Next spinner - Nicholas Latifi. It's tough out there.
Spin watch.
Next one - Daniil Kvyat.
Alexander Albon, needing a good weekend to potentially save his Formula 1 career, is now top dog with a 1:35.318.
The top 10 is a bit jumbled up at the moment - Albon, Leclerc, Vettel, Gasly, Kvyat, Verstappen, Norris, Giovinazzi, Bottas, Perez.