Engine blowup stalls Hartley in Sao Paulo
KIWI F1 driver Brendon Hartley has failed to set a time in the opening Brazilian Grand Prix practice yesterday, NZ time, after an engine blowup.
On his 28th birthday, the New Zealander, who also won the world endurance championship for the second time last weekend, got through only two laps.
Hartley’s Toro Rosso teammate Pierre Gasly will also pick up engine penalties after being forced to stop early on.
‘‘I don’t know the track so for me it was really important to get some running,’’ said Frenchman Gasly. ‘‘But there is nothing we can do, we just need to wait.’’
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton, with four world championship stars now painted on his race helmet, smashed the track record as Mercedes dominated the session.
Showing no sign of letting up despite clinching his fourth world title in Mexico at the end of October, Hamilton lapped the anticlockwise track with a best time of one minute 09.202 seconds.
‘‘There are two races to go. It is a better time than ever to apply even more pressure, just because you can,’’ the Briton had told reporters on Friday, NZ time.
Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo, who was fifth fastest, will have a drop of at least 10 grid places due to power unit changes.
Hamilton’s Finnish team-mate Valtteri Bottas, who is bidding to end the season as runner-up to the Briton, was second fastest in 1:09.329. The previous track record of 1:09.822 was set by Brazilian Rubens Barrichello in 2004 qualifying for Ferrari.
Hamilton, who also accused Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg over the radio of dangerous driving in forcing him wide onto the runoff, was half a second faster than Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen. The Finn was the best of the non-Mercedes rest, with Red Bull’s Dutch 20-year-old Max Verstappen fourth on the timesheets on a sunny morning in Sao Paulo. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, who had an early spin, was sixth.
Mercedes have clinched the constructors’ championship for a fourth successive year and have said they will use practice at the last two races to experiment with processes and parts for 2018.
With none of the top four teams able to improve their placings or in any danger of dropping down the order, others were also turning their thoughts to next year.
‘‘Obviously, both cars have got bits that they (the engineers) are GETTY IMAGES having a look at for future events,’’ said Red Bull boss Christian Horner, whose team have won two of the last four races with Verstappen.
‘‘These sessions are so valuable now. They are the last opportunities this year to try a few things out for future car development.’’
‘ There is nothing we can do, we just need to wait.’ PIERRE GASLY, TORO ROSSO