By RaceScene Publisher on Friday, 21 June 2024
Category: The Checkered Flag

2024 Spanish Grand Prix: Norris leads Verstappen in First Practice

Lando Norris was fastest in the first Practice session of the 2024 FIA World Championship Spanish Grand Prix weekend, edging out Drivers Championship leader, Max Verstappen.

As the green lights signalled the start of a triple header of European races to come, starting with Barcelona this weekend. Oracle Red Bull Racing will be hoping to get back to top form after a difficult few race weekends, despite getting the win in Montreal. The Milton Keynes based outfit have brought a big upgrade package this weekend, but so have Constructors Championship rivals, Scuderia Ferrari. Red Bull junior team, Visa Cash App RB have also brought a sizeable upgrade.

With the drivers getting more comfortable, the track was getting quicker, but the session was halted temporarily due to debris on track from Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin Armaco F1 Team car. This small delay meant everyone came back out on different run plans – some opting for long runs and others on qualifying simulations.

Norris was the quickest at the chequered flag, with a time of 1:14.228s, which was around four tenths better than the quickest time in Free Practice One in 2023. Verstappen’s fastest time was only good enough for second, while Carlos Sainz Jr. ended the hour +0.344s back from his former teammate in third.

Photo: McLaren Media Centre

George Russell was the lead Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team car in fourth, ahead of Sergio Pérez and Oscar Piastri. Lewis Hamilton was running a different programme to his teammate, finishing the hour in seventh.

Esteban Ocon looked quick during the open hour of practice, ending eighth. Alonso and Alex Albon rounded out the top ten. Charles Leclerc was eleventh quickest and quite a distance back from his Ferrari teammate.

Valtteri Bottas was once again the lead Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber car, finishing in twelfth, ahead of Zhou Guanyu in sixteenth. Bottas has a chance to out qualify his teammate for the thirteenth race in a row. Pierre Gasly was thirteenth, Lance Stroll was less than half a tenth behind in fourteenth.

Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda spent a large part of the session gathering data from their new significant upgrade package – neither driver used DRS on their qualifying runs. Ricciardo ended the hour in fifteenth, while Tsunoda was bottom of the order.

Kevin Magnussen and Logan Sargeant were seventeenth and eighteenth, while Ollie Bearman, who took part in his second Free Practice One of the season finished in nineteenth.

Keep up to date with all the action from the Spanish Grand Prix on our ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) page!

POSNODRIVERCARTIMEGAPLAPS
14Lando NorrisMCLAREN MERCEDES1:14.22827
21Max VerstappenRED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT1:14.252+0.024s27
355Carlos SainzFERRARI1:14.572+0.344s31
463George RussellMERCEDES1:14.614+0.386s31
511Sergio PerezRED BULL RACING HONDA RBPT1:14.692+0.464s28
681Oscar PiastriMCLAREN MERCEDES1:14.867+0.639s29
744Lewis HamiltonMERCEDES1:14.911+0.683s28
831Esteban OconALPINE RENAULT1:15.086+0.858s30
914Fernando AlonsoASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES1:15.222+0.994s26
1023Alexander AlbonWILLIAMS MERCEDES1:15.417+1.189s25
1116Charles LeclercFERRARI1:15.434+1.206s26
1277Valtteri BottasKICK SAUBER FERRARI1:15.472+1.244s24
1310Pierre GaslyALPINE RENAULT1:15.484+1.256s21
1418Lance StrollASTON MARTIN ARAMCO MERCEDES1:15.512+1.284s28
153Daniel RicciardoRB HONDA RBPT1:15.580+1.352s30
1624Zhou GuanyuKICK SAUBER FERRARI1:15.616+1.388s24
1720Kevin MagnussenHAAS FERRARI1:15.644+1.416s30
182Logan SargeantWILLIAMS MERCEDES1:15.752+1.524s25
1950Oliver BearmanHAAS FERRARI1:15.865+1.637s29
2022Yuki TsunodaRB HONDA RBPT1:15.916+1.688s21
Times and positions accurate via Formula 1 official website.
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