Norris strikes hard as McLaren already sets the pace in Barcelona
Lando Norris did not take part in the first practice session. It made no difference. By the end of the day, he was right where he wanted to be: top of the timesheets. On Friday afternoon, under blazing sun and punishing heat at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit, the reigning world champion set the benchmark, ahead of George Russell and team-mate Oscar Piastri.
It was another strong sign that McLaren are carrying serious momentum into a weekend that could tighten their grip on the front of the field.
The favourites took their time to get going
After a first session heavily disrupted by several rookie drivers, the headline names were finally back on track for this second run-out. Norris, Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton all completed their first laps in brutal conditions.
With 30C in the air and nearly 47C on the asphalt, lap times were slow to come. With 15 minutes left, Russell was still on top, while Piastri was well ahead of Norris. Hamilton, meanwhile, was a long way behind Charles Leclerc.
But the gaps were always going to be misleading. Most teams were focused on long runs on medium tyres, gathering data on degradation ahead of Sunday’s race.
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Norris turns up the heat for McLaren
Everything changed once the soft tyres went on.
The first driver to really take advantage of the improving track, Norris delivered a proper statement with a lap of 1’15″426. That made him the first man of the weekend to break the 1’16 barrier.
Russell got within nine thousandths, but could not knock the Briton off the top spot. Behind them, Piastri completed a superb session for McLaren by joining the leading group as well.
Beyond the lap times, it was the ease with which the two orange cars looked to be working that caught the eye. On a circuit that usually tells you the truth about a car, McLaren appear to have a small edge over the rest.
Ferrari and Mercedes stay in the mix
Ferrari are still showing encouraging signs. With several upgrades fitted for this weekend, the Italian car allowed Charles Leclerc to post the fourth-fastest time of the session.
The Monegasque finished just over three tenths off Norris, still a decent margin, but small enough to keep hopes alive heading into qualifying.
At Mercedes, Russell is in superb form after also topping the first session. Kimi Antonelli, the world championship leader, ended up just behind Leclerc after a trickier start to the afternoon.
Hadjar leads the French challenge, Verstappen loses patience
Among the French runners, Isack Hadjar posted the best result of the session. The Red Bull driver took a solid 10th, finishing ahead of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon.
For Gasly, only 16th in his Alpine, the problems seen since the start of the weekend were confirmed. Ocon finished just behind him in his Haas.
Things were no calmer at Red Bull. Max Verstappen repeatedly vented his frustration over team radio, complaining more than once about the way his car was behaving around the Catalan track.
A messy end to the session for Bottas
The bad luck of the day came out of the Cadillac garage.
Hit by an electrical problem, Valtteri Bottas was stuck in the pits for most of the session. The Finn only made it out with around 15 minutes left before the chequered flag, cutting into his track time.
After day one, one thing is already clear: McLaren have arrived. And with Norris already in full flow, the rest now know what they are up against for the rest of the Spanish weekend.
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