Friday Insights from Spanish GP: Insider Reveals What’s Happening with Mercedes, Red Bull, and More
The Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix weekend kicked off with some intriguing developments from all the teams. Let's dive into the Friday practice sessions, as top F1 teams geared up for what promises to be a thrilling race. Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull, and others had different experiences, each bringing unique stories from the hot tarmac of Barcelona.
Mercedes
For Mercedes, Friday was a mixed bag of results. Lewis Hamilton's performance in FP2 was a showcase of precision, putting him at the top of the leaderboard. Hamilton remarked on the progress made with the car and the hard work done by the team for incremental gains. On the other hand, George Russell’s day was less smooth, although he still found reasons to be optimistic about the weekend.
“FP1 wasn’t the best session for us but we still learned quite a lot. FP2 was a lot better though and the car was feeling great,” said Hamilton.
Russell added, “Our long run pace in FP1 was competitive. In FP2, it seemed that our single lap pace was slightly stronger than our long run speed but overall, the car is feeling strong.”
McLaren
McLaren had a promising start with Lando Norris topping the charts in FP1. His performance continued to shine through into FP2, indicating that McLaren might be a real contender this weekend. Oscar Piastri, though slightly off Norris’s pace, showed signs of potential.
“A positive day in hot conditions. It was difficult to get the perfect balance, which I think is the same for everyone, but overall, I felt comfortable with the car today,” Norris commented.
Piastri chimed in, “I found a few things in FP2 with my driving and the set-up, so it’s about dialling everything in a bit more overnight.”
Ferrari
At Ferrari, Carlos Sainz experienced an early scare with a power loss but recovered well, ending FP2 just behind Hamilton. Charles Leclerc, however, faced balance issues and traffic, preventing him from showing his true pace.
“Overall, a tricky day on my side. We struggled quite a bit with the balance of the car, so setup work will be our main focus ahead of tomorrow,” Leclerc admitted.
Sainz remarked, “We struggled a bit in both sessions to get the right balance on the car, but I think everyone had similar issues today.”
Red Bull
Red Bull's Max Verstappen had a relatively quiet day, experimenting with setups and not dominating the timing sheets as usual. Sergio Perez faced more struggles, impacted by spending a considerable amount of time in the garage during FP2.
“Today we just tried a few set-ups out there in FP1 and FP2 and we have been trying to fine tune the car a little bit,” Verstappen shared.
Perez noted, “I started the day well but then going into FP2 we made quite a few changes on set-up and I think we lost track somewhere.”
Alpine
Alpine showed signs of a resurgence. Gasly and Ocon both secured top 10 finishes in FP2, hinting that their latest upgrades could be making a significant difference.
“To end the day with both cars in the top 10 is a little bit unexpected from where we thought we would be entering the weekend on this particular track,” noted Ocon.
Gasly added, “The end result, finishing in fourth place, probably flatters us and it was certainly a surprise, but a pleasant surprise.”
Aston Martin
For Aston Martin, Fernando Alonso had a momentary red flag incident but otherwise had a quiet session. The team’s numerous setup changes did not yield the desired results, putting them on the back foot.
“It was quite a challenging day with low levels of grip out on track,” Alonso remarked.
Lance Stroll echoed the sentiment, “It was a challenging day on track for us. We don’t have the pace we need, so there’s a lot of work to do ahead of tomorrow.”
Haas
Haas’s FP1 saw an impressive performance from Oliver Bearman, who stood in for Nico Hulkenberg. The usual drivers returned for FP2 with promising results, although questions remain about their high-speed track capabilities.
“I think today has gone okay, but most importantly the long runs looked decent for me,” said Kevin Magnussen.
Nico Hulkenberg commented, “In the long runs, I think we have some work to do as we need to find some harmony and balance somehow.”
Williams
It was a challenging day for Williams, facing pace issues throughout the sessions. Both Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant struggled, and despite a promising FP1, the team’s performance dipped in FP2.
“FP1 was pretty good. We haven’t gone well in Barcelona historically, but we've made some good steps forward compared to last year,” Albon said.
Sargeant observed, “This track has always been difficult for us and it’s proving to be so this weekend.”
Wrap Up
The first practice sessions at the Spanish GP were a revealing glimpse into each team's strengths and challenges. With more tweaks and setup changes expected before the final showdown, Saturday promises an electrifying qualifying session. Stay tuned to see how the battle for pole position unfolds!