Spanish GP: Norris edges Verstappen in first practice

McLaren’s Lando Norris set the pace in Friday’s opening practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix, edging out Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

The session served as a critical testing ground for a raft of team upgrades and new FIA regulations, with everyone adapting to hotter conditions and trialing their revised, stiffer front wings.

The absence of major incidents allowed teams to focus on gathering crucial data, setting the stage for an intriguing weekend.

• Spanish Grand Prix Free Practice 1 - Results

Upgrades and Technical Tweaks Under the Microscope

The session was dominated by evaluation work as most teams introduced new aerodynamic parts and tweaks aimed at meeting the FIA’s latest technical directive on front wing flexibility.

The updated regulation, aimed at curbing excessive front wing flexing, led to revised designs for several teams, who used FP1 for load correlation and initial feedback gathering.

Additionally, the FIA’s investigation into small grass fires during April’s Japanese Grand Prix prompted a major test during the session: the introduction of steel skid blocks.

Replacing the traditional titanium components on one car per team, the new element is heavier –by approximately 750 grams – and wear down more rapidly.

Teams focused on assessing the impact of the increased weight and altered spark behavior while gathering data on whether the new material could mitigate the risk of fire when cars run wide.

Hard Tyres, Correlation Runs, and Early Leaders

The first half of the session was relatively quiet in terms of lap times, with the majority of teams running Pirelli’s hardest C1 compound to complete correlation laps and gather data on the upgrades.

As expected, times were well off the ultimate pace, with Fernando Alonso delighting the home fans early on by topping the timing screens during the initial 20 minutes.

But as the session wore on and grip levels increased, soft tyre runs began to provide a clearer picture of the competitive order.

Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg briefly caused a stir by going second fastest midway through the session, but the real action came in the final 20 minutes when drivers bolted on the softs.

Norris on Top, Young Guns Shine

With the track rubbering in, Charles Leclerc took the first true benchmark time on the red-walled softs, before being quickly usurped by Verstappen’s Red Bull.

But it was Norris who delivered the most impressive lap of the session – a 1m13.718s effort that was more than three tenths clear of the reigning world champion and good enough to remain unchallenged until the chequered flag.

Hamilton slotted into third, which was encouraging start of the weekend for the Briton and Ferraro while Leclerc was fourth. Oscar Piastri in the second McLaren, completed strong showing for the Woking-based team.

Racing Bulls continued to show solid midfield pace, with Liam Lawson finishing an impressive sixth. Behind him, Haas’ promising young driver Oliver Bearman grabbed seventh ahead of team-mate Isack Hadjar, with both drivers capitalizing on clean runs and low-fuel laps.

Yuki Tsunoda and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10 in a session where several midfield teams looked to have narrowed the gap to the frontrunners.

No Major Incidents

The 60-minute session ran without any red flags or major disruptions, though Haas stand-in Ryo Hirakawa – taking Esteban Ocon’s place for this session – had a minor off-track excursion through the gravel. It was an otherwise quiet outing for the Toyota WEC ace.

Williams also fielded a substitute for FP1, with Formula 2 title contender Victor Martins stepping in for Alex Albon. The Frenchman completed a full run plan without incident, gaining valuable experience in his latest outing with the Grove-based team.

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