Max Verstappen set a sizzling pace to start practice at the Spanish Grand Prix at the top of the time sheet comfortably ahead of Red Bull Racing teammate Sergio Perez.
Verstappen used the soft tire to set a lap of 1m14.606s, besting Perez’s best by 0.768s. The Mexican, however spent most of the session on the medium compound, whereas the Dutchman enjoyed a long stint in the middle of the hour on softs.
Both drivers were equipped with new power units for the weekend as well as revised floor edges and diffusers.
Verstappen’s time was the fastest ever set on this configuration of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The track has been modified this year to restore the two sweeping left-hand corners to end the lap, replacing the clumsy chicane Formula 1 had used since 2007. The revised circuit is just under 20 yards shorter, and Verstappen’s best lap of the session was more than four seconds quicker than last year’s pole time.
A fresh look ✨
The final chicane has been removed, leaving the circuit to its original last two corner layout!#SpanishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/2e4D6WB3js
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 2, 2023
Esteban Ocon was third and 0.812s off the pace. Alpine spent the session evaluating major updates applied last week, though some of the Monaco podium-getter’s new bodywork flew off his car partway through the session after bottoming out onto the front straight.
Nyck de Vries wielded his upgraded AlphaTauri car to fourth ahead of Pierre Gasly in the second Alpine, the Frenchman almost crashing with Logan Sargeant in the final minute of the hour as they went side by side into Turn 10.
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Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin rolled out of the garage with a number of updates and aero sensors behind the front wheels. He didn’t use the soft tire to set a competitive time and ended 0.941s off the pace.
Kevin Magnussen was seventh for Haas ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, the Scuderia teammates closely matched despite running dramatically different specifications of car.
Leclerc was running the previous-spec SF-23 for the hour but Sainz’s car was festooned with several major revisions, most notably to the sidepods, which are now boxier and lack the deep scoops the team has employed since last season.
George Russell completed the top 10 for Mercedes, the German team still evaluating the new parts brought to last weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix. The Briton reported his car was bouncing through the final sector and onto the main straight.
Lando Norris was 11th for McLaren ahead of Lewis Hamilton, Zhou Guanyu, Yuki Tsunoda and Lance Stroll.
Valtteri Bottas was 16th, beating Oscar Piastri and Nico Hulkenberg, while Williams propped up the bottom of the time sheet in 19th and 20th, American rookie Sargeant just ahead of Alex Albon.
All drivers used at least one set of experimental Pirelli tires comprising a new construction material but unchanged compounds. Each car has two sets to use by the end of Friday, with the Italian tire manufacturer planning to introduce the new materials at the British Grand Prix.
