Lewis Hamilton sets the fastest time on Friday of Formula 1 training in Barcelona. No one can beat the lap time of 1:13.264. The Mercedes surprise continues after Canada, at least in training. Max Verstappen only ends up in fifth place due to renewed balance problems. In general, however, the gaps at the top are once again very small.
Formula 1 training in Barcelona: The result
Result: Carlos Sainz came in second behind Hamilton. The Ferrari driver lost only 0.022 seconds to the time of his successor at the Scuderia. Lando Norris was also only a little over half a second faster than his compatriot. Surprisingly, fourth place went to the Alpine of Pierre Gasly, who was also able to keep Max Verstappen behind him.
The Formula 1 world champion finished the second practice session in Barcelona in fifth position, followed by Charles Leclerc, Oscar PIastri and George Russell. Esteban Ocon rounded off a strong Friday result for Alpine in P9, while Valtteri Bottas secured tenth position. Nico Hülkenberg finished in 12th place, just behind his teammate Kevin Magnussen (P11).
The long runs showed extremely heavy tire wear, which pushed the lap times up enormously; times of over 1:20 (seven seconds over the hot lap pace) were the norm. The left tires in particular are subjected to heavy wear on the track, which is driven clockwise. Two to three pit stops are therefore expected for the race.
Formula 1 training in Barcelona: The incidents
Logan Sargeant went just off the track in the early stages of qualifying, but didn’t even touch the gravel. Oscar Piastri was ordered to the pits with a data problem, but was able to continue after a short stop. Zhou Guanyu complained just before the halfway point of training that he had been blocked by RB driver Yuki Tsunoda.
Shortly before the end of the session, both Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris got into the gravel at the exit of Turn 9 and hit the ground hard. Norris in particular was worried about whether his car had sustained any damage.
The weather: With only light clouds, the sun greeted Formula 1 ahead of the 2024 Spanish GP in Barcelona. The air temperature was relatively low for June at 25 degrees, but the track temperature of 44 degrees still ensured the expected hot conditions.