Hockenheim,
26
July
2019
|
18:30
Europe/Amsterdam

2019 German Grand Prix - Practice Sessions

Hockenheim, July 26, 2019

WHAT WE LEARNED FROM FP1 AND FP2

  • During a heatwave throughout Europe, temperatures at Hockenheim were among the highest ever seen, peaking at 58 degrees centigrade track temperature, with more than 40 degrees ambient.
  • These very high temperatures enhanced thermal degradation on the tyres: however the fastest times were still set on the soft compound in FP2.
  • As usual, there was a high degree of track evolution, but the situation improved in FP2 with more rubber laid down. The afternoon session was interrupted by a red flag with 15 minutes to go.
  • Ferrari was fastest in both sessions today, but it’s unclear how representative today’s conditions will be – as the weather for the rest of the weekend is expected to be cooler, with a risk of rain.
  • Despite the punishing conditions, even the softest compounds stood up well to the extreme temperatures, combining both performance and durability during all the qualifying and race simulations.
  • All three compounds were used extensively today and all are likely to figure prominently in the race. There’s currently a performance gap of around 0.6 seconds between soft and medium, with a slightly smaller gap between medium and hard.

MARIO ISOLA - HEAD OF F1 AND CAR RACING

“There’s currently a performance gap of around 0.6 seconds between soft and medium, with a slightly smaller gap between medium and hard. The overriding characteristic of today was intense heat, with track temperatures well in excess of 55 degrees centigrade, which were among the highest we have ever seen in Formula 1. This meant that the drivers had to look after the rear tyres in particular, but in spite of the extreme heat, all three compounds coped well with the conditions: even the soft, which set fastest time today. All three compounds look well-suited to the track and the current conditions, but it’s hard to know exactly how the weather will evolve over the rest of the weekend – with some rain expected from tomorrow. If that’s the case, as happened last year too, then it will lend yet another interesting element to a weekend that’s already proving quite hard to predict, with close gaps among the frontrunners”.

FREE PRACTICE 1 – TOP 3 TIMES

DRIVER TIME COMPOUND
Vettel 1m14.013s SOFT C4 NEW
Leclerc 1m14.268s SOFT C4 NEW
Hamilton 1m14.315s MEDIUM C3 NEW

FREE PRACTICE 2 – TOP 3 TIMES

DRIVER TIME COMPOUND
Leclerc 1m13.449s SOFT C4 NEW
Vettel 1m13.573s SOFT C4 NEW
Hamilton 1m13.595s SOFT C4 NEW

FP1 - BEST TIME BY COMPOUND

COMPOUND DRIVER TIME
HARD C2 Sainz 1m16.611s
MEDIUM C3 Hamilton 1m14.315s
SOFT C4 Vettel 1m14.013s

FP2 - BEST TIME BY COMPOUND

COMPOUND DRIVER TIME
HARD C2 Bottas 1m14.467s
MEDIUM C3 Hamilton 1m14.074s
SOFT C4 Leclerc 1m13.449s

MOST LAPS BY COMPOUND SO FAR

COMPOUND DRIVER LAPS
HARD C2 Kvyat, Norris 22
MEDIUM C3 Hamilton 20
SOFT C4 Grosjean 20

TYRE STATISTICS OF THE DAY

  HARD MEDIUM SOFT
Kms driven* 805 1445 2909
Sets used overall** 11 23 46

* The above number gives the total amount of kilometres driven in FP1 and FP2 today, all drivers combined.
** Per compound, all drivers combined.

MIN. STARTING PRESSURES (slicks) EOS CAMBER LIMIT
PRESSURE 23.5 psi (front) | 19.5 psi (rear) -3.50° (front) | -2.00° (rear) CAMBER