“During the first practice session at the Spanish Grand Prix, McLaren’s Lando Norris topped the charts ahead of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton in Barcelona.
Teams utilized the hot opening session to test various upgrades and ran stiffer front wings to comply with the FIA’s latest technical directive.
The session began on Pirelli’s hardest C1 compound as teams conducted correlation work with their new parts and simulations.
Steel skid blocks were tested to prevent grass fires, a persistent issue from the Japanese Grand Prix, believed to be caused by hot sparks from titanium skids.
Fernando Alonso initially led on hard rubber, but Norris eventually set the fastest time, with Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg briefly holding second place.
Red Bull’s Charles Leclerc topped the timesheets on soft tires, until Verstappen and Norris surpassed him, with Hamilton and Leclerc following suit.
The practice session ran smoothly, with only a harmless gravel excursion by Haas stand-in Ryo Hirakawa, who concluded his run in 17th place.”
