Australian GP: Positive start for Williams Martini in FP1

Team Summary:
With the start of the opening practice for the 2018 season the Williams drivers were amongst the last to come out for their installation laps. There was a mixture of tyres been used with the drivers having the soft, supersoft and ultrasoft tyres to choose from. The first drivers to return would be the Williams pair with both on the ultrasoft tyre. After the first runs the quickest time was a 1m:25.694 set on the ultrasoft tyre. This would improve with a 1m:24.959 while for Williams their drivers were currently seventh and tenth. Both Williams drivers were on longer runs having completed ten laps with just under an hour remaining. The quickest time would drop to a 1m:24.914

After their first runs the Williams drivers were in tenth and eleventh. Lance was 0.6 ahead of his team-mate. After a short stop both Williams drivers would return for their second runs. The new quickest time was a 1m:24.531. Thirty minutes remaining and the quickest time would come down again with a 1m:24.147. In 2017 the quickest time in this session was a 1m:24.2. A 1m:24.026 would again see the quickest time come down. With their second runs complete the Williams drivers were tenth and thirteenth. Back out again both Williams drivers would continue their runs on used ultrasoft tyres having dropped to twelfth and fifteenth. This is where they would end the session. A positive start to the season for both Williams drivers. Sergey would finish ahead of team-mate Lance but it did appear that Lance had some issues with his car that may have hampered his session.

Lance Stroll:
Lance would complete his installation lap using the soft tyre. Lance would join his team-mate out on the track also on the ultrasoft tyre. He would set a 1m:29.403 followed by a 1m:28.246 to move ahead of Sergey. Again he would improve with a 1m:27.726 to currently be sixth. Lance would improve with a 1m:26.882 currently eighth but when he pitted after his first run he was tenth. After his stop the front wing would come off and we would see his mechanics working under the front of his chassis while Lance remained in his car. Lance would return on a new set of ultrasoft tyres.

Lance would set a 1m:26.636 to be seventh dropping to ninth then tenth. As Lance continued his run he would drop to thirteenth and would pit after a nine lap run. This would become fourteenth. Lance was back out on the used ultrasoft tyres and would continue his long run ending the session in fifteenth.

Sergey Sirotkin:
Sergey would come out using the supersoft tyre for his installation lap. Sergey would return running on the ultrasoft tyre and would set a 1m:32.057 on his first flying lap. He would improve with a 1m:29.342. A 1m:28.125 would see Sergey improve currently eighth. Like his team-mate Sergey would continue to find time setting a 1m:27.820 to be tenth. He would drop to twelfth but he was able to improve with a 1m:27.501. He would pit after his first run currently eleventh. Sergey would make a mistake coming into the pits hitting the wall with his rear left. Sergey would follow his team-mate out also on new ultrasoft tyres. He would set a 1m:27.319 to remain eleventh.

Despite an further improvement with a 1m:27.035 Sergey would drop to thirteenth. But Sergey would find a big amount of time setting a1m:26.536 to move up to tenth. He would pit after just a six lap run. While in the pits Sergey would drop to eleventh. He was out of his car with his mechanics making some small adjustments in the cockpit. Sergey would also return still on used ultrasoft tyres. He would finish the session in twelfth, a great start to the season.