McLaren driver Lando Norris emerged as the fastest in the FP1 session for the Spanish Gran Prix, leading the way from the Red Bull of Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
After days of rain, the sun was finally shining on Montmelò. The first free practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona saw some intriguing developments, especially for the Ferrari team. Meanwhile, Oliver Bearman is the only rookie of the session, replacing Nico Hülkenberg.
Ferrari introduced an anticipated upgrade package, albeit a reduced one for Charles Leclerc and a complete set for Carlos Sainz. Leclerc’s car featured a revised rear wing and side pods, while Sainz received additional updates including a new floor, diffuser, and micro-aerodynamic elements.
This is the first weekend of the triple header, which will continue in Baku and conclude in England.
First part of the session
Most drivers started the session testing the hard compound tires, with George Russell leading the timesheets ahead of Carlos Sainz, who had earlier reported power issues that were resolved with some adjustments.
Leclerc had a moment where he nearly lost control of his car and subsequently complained about the car’s balance, while Sergio Perez faced issues with his throttle pedal. The Alpine team, following Briatore’s recent announcement, continues to struggle financially, with only one spare chassis available for this event in case of an accident.
As the session progressed, Verstappen lowered the fastest time to 1:15.424, with Russell improving to be just 268 milliseconds behind. Leclerc made a pit stop for a front wing adjustment, and Hamilton climbed to fourth position, placing Red Bull, Mercedes, and Ferrari drivers in the top six, while McLaren had yet to set a timed lap.
Verstappen then pitted for a second time to change the front wing, Norris secured the fifth-fastest time, albeit a second slower than Verstappen on the same tire compound, and Piastri began his run on medium tires. However, Lando Norris ran into the gravel at Turn 12, complaining about the grip with the medium tires.
At the halfway mark, Carlos Sainz and George Russell exited the pits. Perez also returned to the track on soft tires as Verstappen, while Russell and Sainz chose medium tires for their qualifying simulations. Verstappen set the pace with a blistering lap of 1:14.252 on soft tires, just three-tenths ahead of Sainz’s time on mediums.
Red Flag deployed
20 minutes to the end, the session was briefly halted when Fernando Alonso pushed too hard over the curbs at Turn 9, damaging his front wing and necessitating checks on the car’s underfloor. The debris from Alonso’s incident prompted a red flag to allow for track cleanup.
Towards the end, Lando Norris topped the timesheets with 1:14.228, the fastest time on soft tires, before transitioning to long-run simulations alongside the rest of the field.
Charles Leclerc was forced to end his session prematurely due to a clutch issue, curtailing his running toward the end of the practice, while Williams also encountered issues with Sargeant’s car.
Toward the end of the session, the race pace simulations showed Verstappen and Perez lapping in the high 1:19s to low 1:20s range, while Lando Norris managed an impressive 1:18.4. Carlos Sainz posted a time in the high 1:19s on medium tires.
FP2 starts at 5 PM CET.