Lewis Hamilton set the pace in Friday practice at the Spanish Grand Prix, with Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull showing closely matched performance levels.
Hamilton, the seven-time champion, was just 0.022 seconds faster than Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, with McLaren’s Lando Norris trailing by only 0.055 seconds. However, the variability of Friday practice results was highlighted by Pierre Gasly’s Alpine clocking the fourth-fastest time.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who struggled with front grip, was fifth, followed by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, and Mercedes’ George Russell. In the first session, Norris led the timesheets ahead of Verstappen.
Race-simulation times from the second session indicated a tight competition among the top teams, with Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren setting similar paces. However, while these teams conducted their race runs predominantly on soft tyres, Red Bull opted for mediums for Verstappen, making direct comparisons difficult.
Both Red Bull and Ferrari introduced significant upgrades to their cars for the start of the European segment of the Formula 1 season.
Spain is the first of three consecutive race weekends, followed by Austria and Silverstone. After a week’s break, the season continues with back-to-back races in Hungary and Belgium before the August break.
Reported By BBC Sports.
