With 24 laps, the Spaniard was one of the most active drivers of the opening session
Melbourne, March 24th 2017.- The 2017 Australian Grand Prix of Formula 1 started earlier today with its first Free Practice session, in which Carlos Sainz managed to finish in eleventh place thanks to a 1'26"450 lap. He completed 24 laps in total without any major technical glitches in his Toro Rosso STR12.
It was a sunny morning at the Albert Park circuit, with low wind speeds and temperatures rising to 22ºC (air) and 31ºC (asphalt). It was in these conditions that the first session of the weekend took place.
Initially, Carlos completed an installation lap on soft tyres, the hardest option Pirelli has made available for this event. Shortly after, he returned to the track on the same set to clock a 12-lap run. It was the longest stint of the morning, although two other drivers managed to do similar runs. In the end, Carlos drove through the Pit-Lane to practice a race-start before returning to the pits.
After a few minutes and some last minute adjustments to his car, the Spaniard hit the track once again on brand new supersoft tyres. He began with a 6-lap stint and set his fastest lap of the session. Later, he went out again on the same option and added another six laps before finishing his work at 03:30 CET as the chequered flag fell.
Free Practice 2 for the Australian GP will commence at 16:00 local time, 06:00 CET. We will follow it closely via www.carlosainz.es and our Twitter account @carlosainzinfo.