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
POS | DRIVER | NAT. | TEAM | TIME | BEHIND |
1 | Charles Leclerc | MON | Scuderia Ferrari | 1m19.828s | +0.000s |
2 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | ESP | Scuderia Ferrari | 1m19.907s | +0.079 |
3 | Max Verstappen | NED | Oracle Red Bull Racing | 1m20.164s | +0.336 |
4 | George Russell | GBR | Mercedes AMG Petronas | 1m20.590s | +0.762 |
5 | Fernando Alonso | ESP | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1m20.768s | +0.940 |
6 | Lewis Hamilton | GBR | Mercedes AMG Petronas | 1m20.811s | +0.983 |
7 | Lando Norris | GBR | McLaren F1 Team | 1m21.279s | +1.451 |
8 | Pierre Gasly | FRA | Scuderia AlphaTauri | 1m21.422s | +1.594 |
9 | Daniel Ricciardo | AUS | McLaren F1 Team | 1m21.737s | +1.909 |
10 | Yuki Tsunoda | JPN | Scuderia AlphaTauri | 1m21.814s | +1.986 |
11 | Esteban Ocon | FRA | BWT Alpine F1 Team | 1m21.891s | +2.063 |
12 | Lance Stroll | CAN | Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant | 1m21.920s | +2.092 |
13 | Robert Kubica | POL | Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen | 1m21.975s | +2.147 |
14 | Kevin Magnussen | DEN | Haas F1 Team | 1m22.089s | +2.261 |
15 | Mick Schumacher | GER | Haas F1 Team | 1m22.146s | +2.318 |
16 | Sebastian Vettel | GER | Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant | 1m22.164s | +2.336 |
17 | Valtteri Bottas | FIN | Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen | 1m22.614s | +2.786 |
18 | Nyck de Vries | NED | Williams Racing | 1m22.920s | +3.092 |
19 | Nicholas Latifi | CAN | Williams Racing | 1m23.011s | +3.183 |
20 | Juri Vips | EST | Oracle Bull Racing | 1m24.138s | +4.310 |