		<div class="wpcnt">
			<div class="wpa">
				<span class="wpa-about">Advertisements</span>
				<div class="u top_amp">
							<amp-ad width="300" height="265"
		 type="pubmine"
		 data-siteid="111265417"
		 data-section="2">
		</amp-ad>
				</div>
			</div>
		</div><p>The opening practice session for the Russian Grand Prix was disrupted by a bizarre diesel spillage today.</p>
<p>Organisers of the race, which runs through Sochi’s Olympic Park, will be left deeply embarrassed by the incident which resulted in the session being delayed by 30 minutes.</p>
<p>Track marshals and officials attempted to clean up the spillage – caused by a truck designated to sweep the track – by hosing down the affected areas with water, but it appeared to do little to aid the situation.</p>
<p>Indeed Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel appeared to sum up the farcical mood. “What a mess”, he said as he passed through the scene of the spillage in sectors two and three on intermediate tyres when the session eventually got under way.</p>
<p>McLaren’s Fernando Alonso was the first driver to take to the circuit on slick tyres with 30 minutes of the session remaining.</p>
<p>And with a little over 10 minutes left, Alonso was one of just four drivers who had posted a competitive lap – indeed it was his McLaren team-mate Jenson Button who headed the timesheets in the slippery conditions.</p>
<p>But as the affected areas of the track began to dry out, the rest of the pack emerged from their respective garages.</p>
<p>When the chequered flag fell it was Nico Hulkenberg who led the way in his Force India – but his best time of one minute and 44.355 seconds was the best part of six seconds slower than Lewis Hamilton’s pole lap here last year.</p>
<p>Hamilton, who heads into Sunday’s race with a 48-point lead over Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg in the championship, set his first timed lap with just five minutes remaining.</p>
<p>He spun at turn 17 on his final run but avoided any contact with the barriers. He ended the session 1.4 seconds adrift of Hulkenberg in seventh place.</p>
<p>Hulkenberg was 0.052 sec faster than Rosberg while Vettel, who also spun in the testing track conditions, was third fastest.</p>
<p>Sergio Perez was next up in his Force India with Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo in fifth and Carlos Sainz sixth for Toro Rosso.</p>
<p>Button ended the session in 11th with Alonso, competing in his 250th grand prix weekend, 14th.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, rain is forecast for the second session later today, which could again result in limited track running.</p>
			<div style="padding-bottom:15px;" class="wordads-tag" data-slot-type="belowpost">
				<div id="atatags-dynamic-belowpost-68ed3029a5d94">
					<script type="text/javascript">
						window.getAdSnippetCallback = function () {
							if ( false === ( window.isWatlV1 ?? false ) ) {
								// Use Aditude scripts.
								window.tudeMappings = window.tudeMappings || [];
								window.tudeMappings.push( {
									divId: 'atatags-dynamic-belowpost-68ed3029a5d94',
									format: 'belowpost',
								} );
							}
						}

						if ( document.readyState === 'loading' ) {
							document.addEventListener( 'DOMContentLoaded', window.getAdSnippetCallback );
						} else {
							window.getAdSnippetCallback();
						}
					</script>
				</div>
			</div>
Discover more from London Glossy Post
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
