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Ferrari's Leclerc tops first morning of Barcelona test

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc comfortably topped the first morning of pre-season testing at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.

The Monegasque and his Mercedes counterpart George Russell traded places over the course of a drama-free opening session, but a late effort by Lando Norris ultimately allowed the McLaren charger to split the leading pair.

All three drivers set their fastest lap on Pirelli's mid-range C3 compound.

Barcelona Pre-Season Test - Day 1 morning session

Pos	Driver	Team	Time	Tyre	Laps
1	Leclerc	Ferrari	1:20.165	C3	80
2	Norris	McLaren	1:20.474	C3	50
3	Russell	Mercedes	1:20.784	C3	77
4	Vettel	Aston Martin	1:21.276	C3	52
5	Tsunoda	AlphaTauri	1:21.638	C3	43
6	Verstappen	Red Bull	1:22.246	C2	80
7	Alonso	Alpine	1:23.317	C3	54
8	Latifi	Williams	1:23.379	C3	66
9	Mazepin	Haas	1:26.455	C2	20
10	Kubica	Alfa Romeo	1:25.909	C3	9

At the outset of the morning, Formula 1's new cars were decked out with the usual array of 'cheese graters' and sensors to collect and record as much data as possible.

But Red Bull was everyone's center of attention as the team's RB18 broke cover and Verstappen rolled down the pitlane, with the new car's unique sidepod design attracting much interest.

Alfa Romeo's C42 was also unveiled to the public for the first time, with the Swiss outfit's design and driver Robert Kubica sporting a concealing camouflage livery.

The morning unfolded free of any drama or red flags and with teams putting impressive mileage on their new cars, with the field showing a surprisingly strong level of reliability for the opening day of running of their new designs.

Alfa Romeo and Haas were exceptions however, with teething issues constraining Kubica to the Hinwil squad's for the majority of the morning while Nikita Mazepin only managed a total of 20 laps.

Behind the top-3 front runners, Aston Martin's Sebastian Vettel concluded his morning P4, just ahead of AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda.

Although reigning world champion Max Verstappen was just sixth in the initial pecking order, the Red Bull charger enjoyed a productive morning.

While pacesetter Leclerc appeared hard at work at the wheel of the Scuderia's F1-75, Verstappen was uncharacteristically smooth and consistent out on track, the Dutchman easing his car into the corners with precision while hardly upsetting its balance, perhaps to keep the RB18's venturi floor as close and sealed to the ground as possible.

Fernando Alonso swiftly ran through Alpine's programmes as did Nicholas Latifi onboard Williams elegant new FW44, while Mazepin and Kubica brought up the rear.

Wednesday's session will resume at 14:00 CET (13:00 GMT).

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Michael Delaney