Author: Barkha Roy
Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen showed his dominance during the first practice session of the Spanish Grand Prix, leaving his teammate Sergio Perez trailing in his wake. Red Bull’s remarkable performance at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was an ominous indication of their continued strength this season.
Verstappen recorded an impressive lap time of 1:14.606, finishing more than 0.7 seconds ahead of Pérez. With this lead, the Dutchman solidified his 39-point advantage over Pérez in the world championship standings.
Although Ferrari and Mercedes introduced significant upgrades to their cars, they struggled to match the pace set by Red Bull. Surprisingly, it was Alpine that outperformed both teams, with Esteban Ocon posting the third fastest time and Pierre Gasly taking fifth place.
Rookie driver Nyck de Vries put in an impressive performance for AlphaTauri, taking fourth place. Meanwhile, local hero Fernando Alonso secured sixth place for Aston Martin in his home race, delighting the Spanish fans.
The Spanish Grand Prix, known for its traditional circuit, offered an opportunity to establish the qualifying order at the start of the European leg of the season. Ferrari opted for an unconventional strategy, equipping one car with new sidepods and keeping the existing iteration for the other. Charles Leclerc, using the older bodywork, finished ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz in eighth place.
Mercedes, after introducing several updates in Monaco, faced a unique challenge in Barcelona. The team adopted an alternative race plan during the opening session, which meant that their cars were at the bottom of the timing screens. Only in the final 10 minutes did they switch to the soft tires, but the result was not satisfactory. George Russell took 10th place, while Lewis Hamilton was 12th, more than a second behind Verstappen.
The first free practice session saw no significant drama, with the only incident occurring when Pierre Gasly made contact with Logan Sargeant’s Williams at turn 10 due to a misunderstanding.
The new version of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has introduced several changes, including the removal of the tricky chicane in the final sector. The circuit now features two fast right-hand corners to complete the lap, reminiscent of its original layout from 1991 to 2006. However, the drivers, including the Red Bull duo, complained that their cars “jumped” in the last corner, reviving the aerodynamic problem known as “porpoising” from the previous season.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso showed off the team’s revisions focused on the front and rear wings, securing a respectable sixth place. Kevin Magnussen of Haas was seventh, while the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished eighth and ninth respectively.
Ferrari’s revised sidepod and floorboard were intended to solve the handling inconsistency that has plagued the season so far. The two drivers had the opportunity to compare the effects, with Sainz using the new design and Leclerc keeping the old one.
As the Spanish Grand Prix progresses, the teams will be eager to overcome the challenges posed by the updated circuit and adjust their settings to maximize performance for the rest of the weekend.