(Jeddah, Saudi Arabia) Briton Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time on Friday in the first free practice session ahead of the first-ever Saudi Arabian Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Driving his Mercedes, Hamilton clocked 1 minute 29,786 seconds, ahead of Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull) by 56 thousandths of a second.
Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) finished third, 223 thousandths of a second behind his teammate.
Quebecer Lance Stroll, on Aston-Martin, clocked 1: 31.044, which left him in 14th place. His teammate Sebastian Vettel (1: 30.886) achieved the 10e time.
Torontonian Nicholas Latifi (Williams) completed this stage in 19e square.
A second session will take place later in the day.
In the Drivers’ Championship, Verstappen holds an eight-point lead over Hamilton – thanks to nine wins against seven – in a heated battle the outcome of which will be known next weekend in Abu Dhabi.