Spanish Grand Prix – Free Practice 1: Charles Leclerc takes the lead
Under a summer sun, Charles Leclerc and Ferrari dominate the first free practice session in Barcelona. Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen complete the podium. On the French side, Pierre Gasly (P8) and Esteban Ocon (P11) had a little more difficulty.
After a short break, Formula 1 returned to Spain, in Barcelona. A circuit marked by evolution. The majority of teams brought upgrades to their cars. Ferrari, aiming to make progress, arrived with new aerodynamic parts. And the Italian team started their weekend off quite well. With the best time (19.19.828), Charles Leclerc dominated the first free practice session. In front of his home crowd, Carlos Sainz remained close behind his teammate, while Max Verstappen was three tenths behind.
In very hot conditions, the drivers found their way back to the Catalunya circuit. And two rookies and a former F1 driver were able to test the car of the main category. It was Nyck de Vries replacing Alex Albon at Williams, Juri Vips replacing Sergio Perez, and Robert Kubica taking the wheel of an Alfa Romeo. Indeed, teams are obliged to field a rookie at least once this season.
First @alex_albon… now the @WilliamsRacing cars are getting dyed red! #SpanishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/jPkfRioe0S
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 20, 2022
During the first part of the session, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc were fighting for the best time. For the former, he was at least eight tenths faster than his rival in the ranking. However, it was necessary to wait for the drivers to test the red tires for the times to improve. On this track, these tires were fast. To the applause of the numerous crowd, Carlos Sainz then set the fastest time in 1.19.907. Meanwhile, the FIA was investigating the updates made overnight on the Aston Martin. In its report, the FIA explained that during its observation process, the car looked very similar to the Red Bull. But these updates still complied with the rules. Therefore, the stewards did not consider that Aston Martin had copied the Austrian team.
As the ranking started to solidify, Mercedes was still struggling. With their new engine, the team didn’t seem to have any more pace. Fernando Alonso even placed himself between the two Mercedes drivers in fifth position. The French, on the other hand, were achieving good performances. Pierre Gasly positioned himself in eighth place, and Esteban Ocon placed himself in eleventh position.
The ranking of the first free practice session
| Driver(s) | Écuries | Times | Laps | |
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1.19.828 | 27 |
| 2 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1.19.907 | 27 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1.20.164 | 28 |
| 4 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1.20.590 | 28 |
| 5 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine | 1.20.768 | 24 |
| 6 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1.20.811 | 27 |
| 7 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1.21.279 | 24 |
| 8 | Pierre Gasly | AlphaTauri | 1.21.422 | 23 |
| 9 | Daniel Ricciardo | McLaren | 1.21.737 | 23 |
| 10 | Yuki Tsunoda | AlphaTauri | 1.21.814 | 28 |
| 11 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine | 1.21.891 | 26 |
| 12 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1.21.920 | 23 |
| 13 | Robert Kubica | Alfa Romeo | 1.21.975 | 20 |
| 14 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1.22.089 | 16 |
| 15 | Mick Schumacher | Haas | 1.22.146 | 21 |
| 16 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin | 1.22.164 | 20 |
| 17 | Valterri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 1.22.614 | 25 |
| 18 | Nyck de Vries | Williams | 1.22.920 | 28 |
| 19 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams | 1.23.011 | 27 |
| 20 | Juri Vips | Red Bull | 1.24.138 | 23 |
