Russell found himself in a bit of a bind during the session when he lost control of his Williams after clipping the grass. Fortunately, he managed to steer clear of any damage. Not far behind him, Fernando Alonso, driving for Aston Martin, clocked in at eighth place. He was sandwiched between his teammate Lance Stroll and the young French rookie Isack Hadjar, who was marking his presence in the Racing Bull.
The session saw a temporary pause caused by Bearman’s crash, bringing out the red flag. This halt lasted about 10 minutes as the officials worked to clear his damaged vehicle from the track. This wasn’t the first stop of the day; an earlier red flag had been waved to remove gravel from the circuit at Turn Six. The gravel was brought onto the track by Australian rookie Jack Doohan, piloting the Alpine.
Once everything was back in motion, Piastri had a slight misstep at what many consider the track’s trickiest corner, dragging some fresh gravel onto the tarmac. Unlike before, the session continued despite the spillage.
This particular corner has undergone a redesign this year. The adjustments to the wall and curb aimed to prevent the kind of accidents Russell and Albon faced last year, where both drivers had significant crashes that saw their cars rebounding into the middle of the track. However, these changes might not have been enough. The FIA might need to revisit this section to minimize ongoing interruptions from gravel spills.
In a notable off-track revelation, all 10 racing teams have now signed their commercial agreements with F1. This commitment binds them to Formula 1 through to 2030. However, before the current deals expire at the season’s end, they still face the task of negotiating new contracts with the FIA, a process that could take some time.
