Lando Norris Dominates First Practice in Barcelona: Verstappen and Sainz Left Chasing
The Spanish Grand Prix weekend kicked off in style as Lando Norris blazed the track during the opening practice session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The McLaren driver set a blistering pace, leading the pack from Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz, promising an electrifying triple-header of races over the next three weeks.
A Perfect Day at the Track
The contrast from the unpredictable weather of Canada's race weekend could not have been sharper. The drivers were greeted by dry and sunny conditions, and the excitement was palpable as the lights turned green for FP1. Cars queued in the pit lane, ready to hit the track and push the limits of their finely tuned machines.
Oliver Bearman made an early appearance, taking over Nico Hulkenberg’s Haas for his second of six scheduled practice sessions with the team this season. Many teams used this session to test new upgrades brought specifically for Barcelona, while others aimed to maximize their existing setups.
Top Performers
| Position | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:14.228 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | +0.024s |
| 3 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | +0.344s |
| 4 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.386s |
| 5 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Racing | +0.464s |
Despite being hampered by a three-place grid penalty for Saturday, Sergio Perez showed solid performance. However, he did report issues with his throttle pedal, a matter to be discussed further in the garage.
Charles Leclerc's session was more troublesome as he described his Ferrari as “horrendous” while Verstappen briefly topped the charts with a lap time of 1m 15.424s.
Drama on Track
As the session hit its midpoint, Verstappen led the board, but times quickly started falling as drivers pushed harder. A piece of debris from Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin brought out the red flags, leading to a brief halt in the action. Once the track was cleared and the session resumed, traffic issues became a new challenge. Leclerc voiced his frustration with Lance Stroll’s positioning on the track, hinting at brewing tensions as the weekend progressed.
In the end, it was Norris who reigned supreme, clocking the fastest time of 1m 14.228s. Verstappen, despite some clutch issues, was a close second, just 0.024s behind. Sainz secured third, putting Ferrari in a promising position for the weekend.
Midfield Battles
George Russell, fresh from his podium in Montreal, was the quickest Mercedes in fourth, while Perez rounded out the top five. Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren secured sixth, followed by Lewis Hamilton in seventh. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon was eighth, with Alonso and William’s Alex Albon completing the top ten.
Leclerc had to settle for eleventh, acknowledging the challenge his team faces. Valtteri Bottas placed twelfth as Sauber continues to chase their elusive first points of the season. Pierre Gasly came in P13 for Alpine, and Stroll finished in fourteenth. Daniel Ricciardo, carrying significant upgrades for the weekend, was fifteenth.
Chasing the Pack
Zhou Guanyu represented Kick Sauber in sixteenth, while Kevin Magnussen in the Haas and Logan Sargeant for Williams took seventeenth and eighteenth, respectively. Oliver Bearman and Yuki Tsunoda for RB concluded the standings in nineteenth and twentieth.
With the first practice session complete, teams and drivers will now delve into data analysis and strategize for the second practice, slated to kick off at 17:00 local time. The stage is set for a thrilling race weekend in Spain, where the battle for F1 supremacy continues.