McLaren’s Lando Norris outpaced Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the first practice at the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix by just 0.024 seconds. Both drivers set their times on the fastest ‘soft’ tyre. Following closely behind was Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who was 0.344 seconds off the pace but used the medium tyre for his best lap, as did Mercedes’ George Russell in fourth place.
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton followed in the order. Both Red Bull and Ferrari introduced significant upgrades to their cars for the start of a series of races in the heartland of Formula 1. However, Charles Leclerc expressed dissatisfaction with his Ferrari during the session, describing it as “horrendous for now.”
During the session, there was a brief red-flag period when a body part flew off Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin at Turn Nine and landed on the track. Alonso, whose last F1 win was at the Spanish Grand Prix 11 years ago, finished ninth fastest, behind Esteban Ocon’s Alpine and ahead of Alex Albon’s Williams.
The Spanish Grand Prix marks the beginning of races on three consecutive weekends, followed by events in Austria and Silverstone, then a week’s gap before races in Hungary and Belgium back-to-back, leading to the August break in the sport.
Sainz was the only driver with the full upgrade package on his car for the first session, while Leclerc had the new rear wing and some new bodywork but not the new floor, diffuser, and engine cover. The upcoming races in Europe will test the teams’ new upgrades and the drivers’ skills as they compete in different circuits with varying track conditions. Excitement is building up as the competition heats up in the 2024 Formula 1 season.