(Montmeló) Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull) set the fastest time in the first free practice session of the Spanish Grand Prix, seventh round of the Formula 1 World Championship, on Friday at the Circuit de Catalunya (4.657 km ) in Montmelo.
The reigning double world champion largely dominated his competitors since he beat his Mexican teammate Sergio Pérez de and the French Esteban Ocon (Alpine), third Sunday of the Monaco Grand Prix, by 768 and 814 thousandths respectively.
Like several teams, Red Bull, who are flying over the season, have decided to bring some new features to their car in Spain with a slightly modified floor and diffuser. The first laps in Catalonia seem to indicate that these developments are positive.
Dutchman Nyck de Vries (AlphaTauri-Red Bull) surprised everyone by setting the fourth fastest time ahead of Frenchman Pierre Gasly (Alpine).
Local hero Fernando Alonso, who is capturing the attention of fans and the Spanish media, set the sixth fastest time at the wheel of his Aston Martin, while Dane Kevin Magnussen (Haas-Ferrari) was seventh.
Ferrari, which introduced several new features to its car for this Spanish Grand Prix, carried out tests during this first session. Spaniard Carlos Sainz, who drove the new version of the SF-23, took ninth place, just behind his Monaco teammate Charles Leclerc, who used the same car as in the race in Monaco last Sunday.
Mercedes, which had notably presented new pontoons in the Principality, will try to understand the true potential of its single-seaters on the more traditional circuit of Montmeló. The first free practice session will certainly have brought some answers, even if the tenth and twelfth times of the British George Russell and Lewis Hamilton remain anecdotal.
The second free practice session is scheduled for Friday at 5 p.m. local time.
