F1: Leclerc leads Ferrari 1-2 in opening practice for the Spanish GP

It was a busy first practice session for F1’s 2022 Spanish Grand Prix with all teams except Haas bringing new upgrades to this weekend’s race, but the pecking order really did not change much.

Championship leader Charles Leclerc took the  top spot in the first practice session  with Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen completing the top three.

Mercedes fitted new engines to both of their drivers’ cars – both donning brand-new parts surrounding the floor area – Lewis Hamilton also having taken a new gearbox this weekend (no penalty applied). George Russell finished fourth, while Hamilton was sixth as Russell continues to school Hamilton

Between the Silver Arrows was Fernando Alonso, the Alpine driver rounding out the top five at home.

McLaren’s Lando Norris – also testing out a suite of parts – was seventh and two-tenths ahead of eighth-place AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly. AlphaTauri stripped paint off their liveries in an apparent weight-saving exercise, also bringing new rear wings to Spain.

Gasly’s teammate Yuki Tsunoda rounded out the top 10, behind ninth-place McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo. Esteban Ocon previously dubbed Spain his “half” home race, given his father and extended family live here, and finished 11th in FP1 for Alpine.

Practice 1 Results