McLaren’s Lando Norris led the first practice session at the Spanish Grand Prix, narrowly edging out Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by just 0.024 seconds. Both drivers set their fastest times on the soft tyres, showcasing their early pace for the weekend.
Ferrari's Carlos Sainz secured the third fastest time, clocking in 0.344 seconds behind Norris, but he achieved this on the medium tyre, as did Mercedes' George Russell, who was fourth fastest. Following them were Red Bull's Sergio Perez, McLaren's Oscar Piastri, and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton in the standings.
Both Red Bull and Ferrari introduced significant upgrades to their cars for this leg of the European races. However, Charles Leclerc was dissatisfied with his Ferrari, describing it as "horrendous for now" during the session. While Sainz had the complete upgrade package, Leclerc only had a new rear wing and some bodywork adjustments, but not the new floor, diffuser, or engine cover.
The session was mostly uneventful, with a brief red-flag interruption when a part flew off Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin at Turn Nine. Alonso, whose last F1 victory was at this circuit 11 years ago, ended the session in ninth place, trailing Esteban Ocon's Alpine and ahead of Alex Albon's Williams. Spain marks the beginning of a busy stretch of races, with Austria and Silverstone coming up next, followed by Hungary and Belgium before the August break.
ADD A COMMENT :