McLaren just ahead of Red Bull at start of Barcelona weekend, with Ferrari and Mercedes in behind on slower tyres; watch Practice Two at 4pm live on Sky Sports F1; Qualifying is at 3pm on Saturday with Sunday's race at 2pm
Friday 21 June 2024 15:42, UK
McLaren's Lando Norris narrowly outpaced Max Verstappen in a Practice One session that delivered a competitive start to the Spanish Grand Prix weekend.
On a weekend billed as a litmus test of the chasing pack's recent gains against Red Bull around a circuit where the championship-leading RB20 should excel, it was McLaren who set the opening pace around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Norris finished just 0.024s clear of Verstappen after a best lap of 1:14.228 at a sun-kissed Barcelona.
While the leading pair set their best times on the theoretically quicker soft-compound tyres, Ferrari and Mercedes' drivers set theirs on the slower mediums.
Spain's own Carlos Sainz was therefore in the mix himself in third place, finishing just 0.344s adrift on the slower compound for Ferrari, with George Russell close behind fourth in the first of the Mercedes.
They both finished quicker than fifth-fastest Sergio Perez (Red Bull) and sixth-placed Oscar Piastri (McLaren) who, like their respective pace-setting team-mates, ran on the softs too.
Lewis Hamilton was seventh quickest in the other Mercedes, seven tenths off the ultimate pace, although lost time on his quickest lap with a wide moment at Turn 10.
Alpine's Esteban Ocon was eighth quickest on the mediums in a promising start for the beleaguered team - who on Friday morning announced the return of their former team boss Flavio Briatore in a new advisory capacity - with Fernando Alonso ninth for Aston Martin at the start of his 21st home grand prix.
It was the Aston Martin that briefly caused the opening session to be red-flagged after a piece fell off the car's front wing on to the track.
Barcelona represents the first leg of the season's first triple-header - Austria and then Silverstone follow on - with the three circuits all featuring faster corners then either of the last two circuits, Montreal and Monaco, where Red Bull did not possess the quickest car.
Red Bull unveiled several upgrades and changes to the RB20 in first practice, although the biggest package introduced for this weekend is at Ferrari.
Keen to bounce back from their shock point-less Canadian GP weekend to resume a position at the front of the field, the Italian outfit's SF-24 features seven new items including changes to the car's engine cover, diffuser and floor.
Although Sainz finished a promising third quickest, Charles Leclerc endured a more difficult session with the Monegasque only 11th quickest after an early off-track moment over the kerbs and then a suspected clutch problem.
McLaren, like Mercedes, have not brought any notable updates to this weekend but the MCL38 looked promisingly quick with Norris on a high-speed track that should play to the car's strengths.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after his in-form driver had topped the timesheet, McLaren chief executive Zak Brown said he was expecting all four of the grid's top teams to again be closely-matched.
"I think you have four teams that are on top of each other and as always it will be about execution," said Brown.
"Everyone knows this track. We test here a lot, so this weekend will show us how things might look like for the rest of the year."
Friday June 21
1.55pm: F3 Qualifying
2.50pm: F2 Qualifying
3.35pm: Spanish GP Practice Two (session starts at 4pm)
5.25pm: F1 Academy Qualifying
6.15pm: The F1 Show
Saturday June 22
9.35am: F3 Sprint
11.15am: Spanish GP Practice Three (session starts at 11.30am)
1.10pm: F2 Sprint
2.10pm: Spanish GP Qualifying build-up
3pm: Spanish GP Qualifying
5pm: F1 Academy Race 1
Sunday June 23
7.45am: F1 Academy Race 2
9am: F3 Feature Race
10.30am: F2 Feature Race
12:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Spanish GP build-up
2pm: The SPANISH GRAND PRIX
4pm: Chequered Flag: Spanish GP reaction
Formula 1 heads back to Europe as the championship moves on to Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix and the start of a triple-header. Watch every session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership - No contract, cancel anytime
