Summary of Friday in Portimao: Mercedes performs well

At the end of the first racing day Mercedes can be satisfied with the performance of the team. Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton both took first place, while Max Verstappen had to settle for second twice. However, it could still be exciting enough this weekend.

A number of Formula 1 teams had a very positive experience on Friday. Ferrari performed above expectation with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc and might just surprise this weekend at the circuit of Portimao. Both drivers were very close to Mercedes and Red Bull on two occasions, but fell just short of actually surprising them.

Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso did the same with their Alpine. During the second free practice they drove very strong and managed to get a fifth and sixth place, exactly between the two Ferraris. With only a small distance to number three Bottas, a lot seems possible for the Alpine team this weekend.

The Red Bull team did an excellent job with Verstappen again, and with his speed even seems to have a slight advantage over Mercedes. For the time being, however, Toto Wolff's team remained ahead of Verstappen, although this obviously says little about Saturday's qualifying session.