As news of his engine penalty broke, Lewis Hamilton out-paced his title rival Max Verstappen in the opening practice for the Turkish Grand Prix.

The drivers took to the Istanbul track on Friday morning with fingers crossed that this year, after the track had been treated, they’d have some grip. They did.

“Grip is a lot, lot better than last year,” said Lando Norris on his out-lap with Verstappen, in his white liveried Red Bull-Honda, telling Red Bull that it “feels like it” is grippier.

As all 20 drivers put a time on the board, Fernando Alonso the last to do so, Hamilton was sitting P1 with a 1:24.511, the FIA confirming that Mercedes had fitted the Brit’s W12 with a new ICE, one that comes with a 10-place grid drop.