At the Spanish Grand Prix, Lando Norris of McLaren led Max Verstappen of Red Bull in the opening practice.
In a thrilling kickoff to the Spanish Grand Prix, Lando Norris managed to outpace reigning world champion Max Verstappen by a razor-thin margin of 0.024 seconds in the first practice session, with both drivers setting their fastest laps on soft tyres. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz showed strong performance, securing third place despite using medium tyres, 0.344 seconds off the lead. Mercedes’ George Russell followed closely in fourth, also on medium tyres.
The session saw Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton rounding out the top order. This practice session marked the debut of significant upgrades for both Red Bull and Ferrari, kicking off a critical series of races in Formula 1’s European circuit. Charles Leclerc, however, expressed dissatisfaction with his Ferrari, describing it as “horrendous” during the session. While Sainz had the full suite of upgrades, Leclerc’s car was missing some key components such as the new floor, diffuser, and engine cover.
This weekend begins a challenging sequence of three consecutive races, with Austria and Silverstone to follow, then a brief break before heading to Hungary and Belgium back-to-back, leading up to the August recess. The practice session was mostly smooth, though a brief red-flag period occurred when a part flew off Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin at high-speed Turn Nine. Alonso, who last won at this event 11 years ago, finished the session in ninth place, behind Esteban Ocon’s Alpine and just ahead of Alex Albon’s Williams.
As teams and drivers gear up for the main event, the competitive tension is palpable, setting the stage for an exhilarating weekend of racing at the Spanish Grand Prix.
