Sergio Perez was fourth in the other Red Bull, nearly half a second slower than Verstappen, with the Ferrari drivers well down the field after eschewing running the soft tyres throughout FP1.
Verstappen topped the early running on the harder tyres that made up the opening quarter of the one-hour session – the home hero moving to the top of the timesheets with his first flying lap and then regaining the top spot after George Russell and Hamilton had brief spells in front.
