Spanish GP: Max Verstappen tops first practice in Barcelona as Red Bull display ominous pace

Max Verstappen produces stunning pace in first Spanish Grand Prix practice; world championship leader 0.7s clear of Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez; Mercedes and Ferrari off the pace despite upgrades; watch second practice live on Sky Sports F1 from 3:45pm on Friday

Max Verstappen was 0.7s clear of team-mate Sergio Perez in first practice

Max Verstappen topped first practice at the Spanish Grand Prix from team-mate Sergio Perez as Red Bull laid down an ominous marker in Barcelona.

There had been an expectation going into the weekend that the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya would suit Red Bull, who have won all six races to start the season, but still their advantage was simply stunning.

Verstappen produced a 1:14.606 to finish more than 0.7s clear of Perez, who the Dutchman leads by 39-points at the top of the world championship.

Despite bringing major upgrades to their cars, Ferrari and Mercedes struggled, with both notably being outperformed by Alpine, who had Esteban Ocon third and Pierre Gasly fifth.

Rookie Nyck de Vries put aside criticism over his early-season performances to take fourth for AlphaTauri, while Fernando Alonso claimed sixth for Aston Martin at his home race.

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Esteban Ocon saw part of the rear end of his car come off his Alpine during first practice at the Spanish Grand Prix.

After several consecutive races at non-traditional tracks (several of them street circuits), the Spanish Grand Prix had been earmarked as a crucial weekend in establishing the pecking order as the European portion of the season plays out at some of the sport’s more classic venues.

Ferrari took the somewhat curious decision to run one of their cars with new sidepods and the other with the iteration they have been using so far this season. Charles Leclerc, using the older bodywork, finished a place ahead of team-mate Carlos Sainz in eighth.

Mercedes had introduced a new floor, front suspension and sidepods in Monaco last week, but the unique nature of the circuit meant they could take few learnings.

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Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Williams driver Logan Sargeant come together during P1 in Barcelona.

The Silver Arrows appeared to go with an alternative running plan to most teams in the opening session, and their cars sat last as a result going into the final 10 minutes, at which point they finally put on soft tyres.

After a long wait, the result was unspectacular, with George Russell taking 10th and Lewis Hamilton 12th as both finished more than a second back from Verstappen.

The Dutchman, who has won four of the opening six races as he seeks a third successive drivers’ title, appeared in a league of his own, but did complain over radio about a particular mode that was causing issues with his engine.

In a session short of drama, the only flashpoint came as an apparent misunderstanding saw Gasly make contact with Logan Sargeant’s Williams at Turn 10.

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Max Verstappen was left frustrated with the setup of his Red Bull during opening practice in Spain.

There had been intrigue going into the session around how track changes, most notably to the final sector, would influence Formula 1’s latest generation of cars.

The removal of a chicane has lifted the speed of the end of the lap, but it did appear as though it may cause setup challenges for teams with the majority of drivers complaining of bouncing or porpoising as they approached the corner.

The session also saw the trialling of new tougher tyres, which are set to come into official use at the British Grand Prix in July as tyre manufacturer Pirelli attempt to keep pace with the unexpectedly fast rate of car development.

Will Red Bull’s winning run in F1 2023 continue at the Spanish GP? Watch all the action live on Sky Sports F1 from June 2-4 Get Sky Sports