F1 LIVE: Spanish Grand Prix practice times and latest updates as Juri Vips and Nyck de Vries make debuts

LIVE – Updated at 13:26

Follow live updates from the opening day of action at the Spanish Grand Prix, as Formula One returns to the Circuit de Catalunya for practice ahead of the sixth race of the season this weekend. The talk among the paddock is all about Mercedes, after the team reportedly held a secret testing session in an attempt to figure out their performance struggles and catch up on the early pace set by Red Bull and Ferrari.

F1 teams allow for two filming days a year where teams can run up to 100km in their current cars, enabling them to trial new upgrades, and Ferrari are also said to have used one of them this week as they look to hit back and halt Red Bull’s momentum. After holding off the late challenge of Charles Leclerc in Miami, Max Verstappen has won two races in a row to cut the lead at the top of the standings and the defending champion looks to be in ominous form for the rest of the field.

Today’s practice sessions will offer clues as to whether the upgrades implemented by Ferrari and Mercedes have been successful, as Lewis Hamilton clings to the hope of once again challenging at the top of the leaderboard. The seven-time world champion has expressed frustration with the lack of pace and comes into the Spanish Grand Prix 68 points behind championship leader Leclerc. Follow live updates from Spanish Grand Prix practice, below:

Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll has defended Aston Martin’s revamped car design, which has been criticised for its striking resemblance to the Red Bull.

The 23-year-old, the son of billionaire team owner Lawrence Stroll, also claimed the team built two cars over the course of the winter break.

“I’ve heard some people say that,” the Canadian explained. “We really did our job back