Verstappen’s 1m18.790s led the way ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who jumped up the order late on after initially struggling with the handling of his W14, and running adrift of his team-mate George Russell during the early exploratory laps on the harder tyres.
Sergio Perez took third in the second Red Bull ahead of Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso, although the former’s best time was set on the mediums.
