FP1: Ferrari secure the 1-2, Mercedes run bounce-free

Charles Leclerc topped a Ferrari 1-2 in the opening practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix, an FP1 where the Scuderia had pace and Mercedes had very little porpoising.

The last time Formula 1 was in Barcelona it was a first group run in the all-new cars, this Friday it was a first look at a barrage of upgrades – McLaren’s MCL36 featuring a whopping 10!

From new floors to wings to Aston Martin’s controversial ‘Green Red Bull’, as it has already been dubbed, every team excluding Haas ran new parts.

And while it could be said that Ferrari’s 1-2 is a sign that their new anti-porpoising floor and rear wing have closed the gap on Red Bull’s lighter RB18, traffic meant Max Verstappen had to back off on his qualy-style flying lap.

Torquing Point: Aston Martin bringing 'half a new car' to Spain

Will Alonso’s luck change at Alpine?

Torquing Point: George Russell up there with the best in 2022 so far

Torquing Point: Mercedes set to bring Spain upgrades

Torquing Point: Ricciardo still underwhelming in 2022

He finished P3, three-tenths down on Leclerc with George Russell in his almost bounce-free W13 fourth fastest.

The @ScuderiaFerrari leads P1! #F1 #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/6ULVDjWeQ0

— Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (@Circuitcat_eng) May 20, 2022

Out on the hard Pirellis for their first run, reigning World Champion Verstappen went quickest, Leclerc took over only for Verstappen hit back, the benchmark time a 1:22.394 after the first 15 minutes.

There were positive signs for Mercedes early in the session as neither Lewis Hamilton nor Russell seemed to have a lot of porpoising – and that was with the car’s ride height quite low to the ground.

As his rivals laid down the laps, Sebastian Vettel returned to the Aston Martin