Lewis Hamilton Leads Tight Field in Spanish Grand Prix Practice

Lewis Hamilton topped the timesheets in Friday’s practice session at the Spanish Grand Prix, with Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull closely matched. The seven-time champion edged out Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz by just 0.022 seconds while McLaren’s Lando Norris followed closely in third, trailing by only 0.055 seconds. However, Pierre Gasly’s Alpine surprised with the fourth-fastest time, underscoring the unpredictability of drawing conclusions from Friday practice.

Max Verstappen of Red Bull, despite grip issues, secured the fifth spot ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Mercedes’ George Russell. In the initial session, Norris had set the pace ahead of Verstappen. Later, during race simulations in the second session, the top teams showed similar pace, although Red Bull opted for medium tyres with Verstappen, complicating direct comparisons.

Despite the typical caveats associated with practice sessions, it appears that a competitive battle among four teams is shaping up at the front, particularly encouraging for Mercedes. The eight-time champions have introduced several upgrades, aiming to validate their development direction this weekend at Barcelona.

Lewis Hamilton noted, “The car felt great today. While lap times are not everything, we’re optimistic about keeping up with Ferrari, Red Bull, and McLaren.” Norris added, “It was a decent day. Managing tyre overheating was challenging in the heat, but overall, I felt comfortable with the car from the outset.”

Verstappen reflected, “We experimented with setups today. It was a smoother day without major issues, and now we focus on refining the car.” Both Red Bull and Ferrari have introduced significant upgrades as they begin a series of races across Europe. Their aim is to enhance their competitiveness, focusing particularly on improving their long-run pace.

Leclerc commented, “There’s room for improvement. We have a clear plan to optimize the car, and I expect progress tomorrow.” The Spanish Grand Prix kicks off three consecutive race weekends. Following this, there are events scheduled in Austria, Silverstone and other races before Formula 1’s August break.