Leclerc sets the best time in training
Vettel threatens trouble after hands-free scooter ride
04/08/2022 09:47 am
After missing two races due to a corona infection, former world champion Sebastian Vettel is celebrating his comeback in Formula 1 in Melbourne. But he cannot finish the session in his Aston Martin. No problem for him. Nevertheless, he does an acclaimed lap of honor.
Sebastian Vettel roared hands-free from one mess to the next. The German Formula 1 driver had just worked his smoking Aston Martin with a fire extinguisher when he got into trouble from the race stewards. Vettel was threatened with a fine for “unauthorized use of a scooter on the track” in Melbourne. After the end of the first practice session, the four-time world champion raced back to the pit lane on a scooter. He waved to the audience, sometimes driving hands-free, wearing his helmet loosely on his head.
“I asked the marshal how I was coming back. Then the scooter came. I asked if I could drive. He said: ‘No problem, you can drive.’ Then I’m off,” said Vettel on Sky: “I drove slowly, I ride my bike faster.”
The second training session was canceled for him due to the need to change the engine on his racing car. Vettel had to cope with the next setback after missing the first two races of the season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due to a corona infection. Before the first race on Sunday (7 a.m. CEST/Sky and in the live ticker on ntv.de), he was hardly able to gain any routine in his new car. “Of course I would have liked to drive more. It was good to be back in the car, I got back in relatively quickly,” said Vettel. He completed his best lap in 1:21.661 minutes.
Ferrari strong, Mercedes not, Schumacher far behind
At the top there are many indications of another duel between Ferrari and Red Bull. “On the straight, the Ferrari is a rocket,” said world champion Max Verstappen before training. The Red Bull star’s impression was confirmed on the retreaded track in Australia.
The Reds made a strong impression at Albert Park. World championship leader Charles Leclerc set the best time of the day with 1:18.978 minutes. Verstappen (1:19.223) was second. Mercedes still has a large gap to the top. Record champion Lewis Hamilton (1:20.521) was 13th more than a second and a half behind Leclerc and was slower than teammate George Russell (1:20.212). Haas driver Mick Schumacher (1:21.974), who missed the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix due to a serious accident in qualifying, finished 18th.
Sunday’s race will be Australia’s first since 2019. In the past two years, the traditional GP had been canceled due to the corona pandemic. Various changes have been made to the route in the meantime: more full-throttle passages,