Lando Norris led the opening practice session of the Spanish Grand Prix, outpacing Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz for the first of three consecutive race weekends.
The teams were met with sunny conditions at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for FP1, following a mixed weather weekend in Canada. The session began with cars lining up in the pit lane, ready for the green light.
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Oliver Bearman was among the early drivers on track, filling in for Nico Hulkenberg in the Haas for his second of six planned practice sessions in 2024.
At the start of the session, several teams tested new upgrades, with many aiming to optimise existing improvements. However, not all drivers had a smooth session. Sergio Perez, facing a three-place grid penalty, reported throttle issues, while Charles Leclerc described his Ferrari’s performance as “horrendous.”
Mid-session, Verstappen topped the leaderboard with a lap time of 1m 15.424s, but Norris reclaimed the lead with a lap of 1m 14.228s, edging out Verstappen by 0.024 seconds. Sainz secured third place in his Ferrari.
George Russell, coming off a podium finish in Montreal, was the fastest Mercedes in fourth place, followed by Perez and Oscar Piastri in the second McLaren. Lewis Hamilton, Esteban Ocon, Fernando Alonso, and Alex Albon completed the top ten.
Leclerc finished eleventh, with Valtteri Bottas and Pierre Gasly closely behind. Lance Stroll and Daniel Ricciardo followed, with the latter in a significantly upgraded car.
Rounding out the field were Zhou Guanyu, Kevin Magnussen, Logan Sargeant, Bearman, and Yuki Tsunoda. The session concluded with a focus on resolving traffic issues and retrieving debris from Alonso’s Aston Martin, which briefly interrupted the practice with a red flag.
Spanish GP FP1 Results
2024 Spanish Grand Prix FP1, 21 June 2024
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