Impressive performance maximum verstappen and Red Bull, on the first training day of the Spanish Grand Prix, the seventh race of the Formula 1 World Cup, the Dutch driver dominated the first two Free Practice sessions with tremendous authority and showed that it would be very difficult to beat. weekend.
Fernando Alonso continues to feed’alonsomania’ After setting the second fastest time in Free 2, he was less than two-tenths behind Verstappen. Testing during the day the tires to be released at Silverstone, like all other drivers, the Spaniard completed a spectacular lap and landed a virtual front row ahead of Nico Hulkenberg and Checo Pérez.
Ferrari has taken another step with the package opened this weekend.aerodynamics, particularly affecting the profile, mirrors and rear wing. Carlos Sainz tested the modifications on Free 1, and in the second two of them already rode it, a fact that will show that the first analysis was positive. In the afternoon session, Charles Leclerc finished sixth and Sainz seventh, just over three-tenths behind Verstappen.
There was great anticipation as to whether the distance with Red Bull was shrinking, but all doubts were quickly dispelled.. The only hope now is in the weather, as the forecasts suggest it might rain in both qualifying and the race, and this would logically equalize the benefits because it would also increase the likelihood of a mistake.
test track is perfect
Barcelona is probably the best track to understand the car’s potential. and see where each one stands relative to the competition. Not only is it a track well-known to drivers and crews, replacing slow bends with fast bends and two long straights, it’s also very relevant this year as it comes after three consecutive races on a city circuit. Baku, Miami and Monaco.
All teams without exception have prepared improvements He’s in the cars at the weekend to close the gap with Red Bull, which authoritatively dominated this championship and won six races (4 Verstappen and 2 Pérez). The first practice sessions showed that the Red Bull cars are still one step ahead and are big favorites to win the race. Max has already won twice, in 2016 and 2022, which marks his first F1 win.
Due to the large number of improvements that some teams have brought to Barcelona, most didn’t focus on lap times and just tried to collect too much data Trying to get everything ready to analyze their updates and get the most out of qualifying (4:00 PM).
Changes in the circuit
Another remarkable point was how it would affect it. Removing the RACC chicaneTimes have dropped significantly since the first free practice, when they returned to 2006 records, with the unity between the 14/15 corners and, as expected, their return. He made his fastest lap in 2006 with a time of 1:14,648. Verstappen has clocked 1:14.606 in the first Free this year, giving his opponents a series of warnings on the first bet.
The chican, which was removed this year, was introduced in 2007 for safety reasons and drivers have always said that it reduces the excitement of the track. Cornering back to its original layout will be physically challenging for drivers, but also very challenging for the tires and can result in more overtaking on the straight on a track where it’s traditionally hard to see them.
Spanish GP Free 2:
[Calendario de la temporada de la Fórmula 1]
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Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1’13,907
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Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) at 0.170
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Nico Hulkenberg (Haas) at 0.270
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Sergio Perez (Red Bull) at 0.312
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Esteban Ocon (Alpine) at 0.335
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Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) at 0.339
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Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) at 0.367
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George Russell (Mercedes) at 0.485
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Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) at 0.541
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Pierre Gasly (Alpine) at 0.550
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Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) at 0.642
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Oscar Piastri (McLaren) on 0.676
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Guanyu Zhou (Alpha Romeo) at 0.678
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Lando Norris (McLaren) at 0.787
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Kevin Magnussen (Haas) at 0.806
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Nyck de Vries (AlphaTauri) at 0.878
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Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) at 0.933
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Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) at 1.103
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Alexander Albon (Williams) at 1149
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Logan Sargeant (Williams) in 1,508