Barcelona FP1: Mercedes have the upper hand

Typically FP1 offers little insight into what one should expect during a grand prix weekend, but the first free practice session of the Spanish Grand Prix weekend is a tad different because it is the time when teams test out their much anticipated upgrades after the flyaway races.

By all accounts not much has changed in the pecking order, while Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas enjoyed a hassle free ninety minutes and ended the session first and second respectively.

Hamilton arrived in Barcelona determined to put behind him his lacklustre weekend in Russia and got off to a good start by topping the times with a best lap of 1:21.521, which was a mere three hundredth of a second ahead of Bottas. The Finn enjoying his first race as a grand prix winner thanks to his victory in Sochi.

Ferrari were next up, albeit almost a second down on the Silver Arrows, and had a minor issue during the session which cost Sebastian Vettel twenty minutes of track time, with what he described as: “An issue with the gearbox, there’s something broken. I’ve parked the car.”

Twenty minutes after coming to a halt at the pit exit, after which he was wheeled back to his pit garage by marshals later, Vettel was back on track and went on to post the third best time, with Kimi Raikkonen fourth fastest.

Much was expected of the Red Bull updates, but after the morning session there is no indication that what they have bolted on to the RB13 has made a dent into the gap between their drivers and the pace setters.

Last year's Spanish Grand Prix winner, Max Verstappen was fifth fastest, 1.1 seconds down on Hamilton's best, and Daniel Ricciardo in sixth but 1.5 seconds adrift of the top time.

Up next were the Haas duo with Kevin Magnussen in seventh and Romain Grosjean eighth. Over two seconds was the gap between them and Hamilton's best. Magnussen stopped out on track late in the session.

Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg was ninth and Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz rounded out the top ten.

Agony continued for Fernando Alonso and McLaren as his Honda power unit expired on his out lap, upon which he departed the circuit to return to his hotel for a spot of tennis with his trainer. Report here>>>