Hamilton ahead by less than a tenth in both sessions; Red Bull make big move forward; More misery for McLaren-Honda
Friday 12 May 2017 17:52, UK
Lewis Hamilton was fastest in Friday practice for the Spanish GP on an intriguing first day at Barcelona.
Hamilton topped both sessions at the Circuit de Catalunya but was less than a tenth of a second clear of team-mate Valtteri Bottas in both Practice One and Practice Two.
Mercedes have released an unexpectedly-extensive upgrade package for this weekend's race in the wake of the fierce challenge posed by Ferrari so far this season.
"It's only day one, so time will tell, but definitely I know the guys back at the factory have risen to the challenge in terms of bringing the upgrade here," Hamilton told Sky Sports News HQ.
The Scuderia were three tenths behind Mercedes with Kimi Raikkonen just ahead of championship leader Sebastian Vettel. The German leads Raikkonen 4-0 in qualifying this year and the Scuderia, who have tended to excel on long-run pace this year, are unlikely to be unduly alarmed by the size of Mercedes' advantage over a single lap.
"Today I wasn't very happy with the feeling I was getting but I can also feel the car was quick," Vettel told Sky F1. "The car was slippery but I think that was because of the conditions. I don't know who brought the most updates but it's about who brought the best."
What's new on the cars at the Spanish GP?
There was encouragement too for Red Bull as they seemingly made significant inroads in cutting their deficit to the frontrunners after unleashing an upgraded version of their hitherto-disappointing RB13. Regularly well over a second behind both Ferrari and Mercedes so far this term, the team finished Friday a respectable six tenths off the summit courtesy of Max Verstappen. Team-mate Daniel Ricciardo was another tenth behind.
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"It was a positive day," said Verstappen, a surprise winner in Spain last year. "We are closer to Ferrari. It looks like Mercedes brought a good upgrade package. I think we are still the third team."
But while F1's 'big three' enjoyed a promising day, there was yet more humiliating woe for the sport's fallen superpowers as the McLaren-Honda partnership continued to defy gravity by plunging to a new low.
Having hit rock bottom two weeks in Russia when Fernando Alonso's car broke down on the formation lap, the team slumped to a fresh nadir on Friday as the Spaniard's engine failed after just three corners on Friday.
The Spaniard left the circuit midway through Practice One for a game of tennis while the session continued without him and his stricken car. Upon returning for Practice Two, the former world champion then suffered the indignity of propping up the timesheets as he completed just 21 laps.
Brundle on Alonso and McLaren's 'horror show'
"The engine feels slower - amazing," Alonso lamented over team radio.
Both Renaults finished in the top ten as the team strengthened their claim to be considered the fourth-fastest outfit and the 'Noah's Ark' sequence of cars in the top half of the timesheet was only broken by Lance Stroll's struggle to keep pace with Williams team-mate Felipe Massa.
The youngster was 1.2 seconds slower than the Brazilian as his early-career difficulties in F1 continued.
Spanish GP Practice Two Timesheet
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:20.802
2. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, + 0.090
3. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, + 0.310
4. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, + 0.418
5. Max Verstappen, Red Bull, + 0.636
6. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull, + 0.783
7. Nico Hulkenberg, Renault, + 0.885
8. Jolyon Palmer, Renault, + 1.190
9. Felipe Massa, Williams, + 1.213
10. Carlos Sainz, Toro Rosso, + 1.463
11. Romain Grosjean, Haas, + 1.569
12. Esteban Ocon, Force India, + 1.718
13. Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren, + 1.891
14. Sergio Perez, Force India, +1.920
15. Kevin Magnussen, Haas, +2.205
16. Marcus Ericsson, Sauber, +2.280
17. Lance Stroll, Williams, +2.419
18. Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso, +2.434
19. Pascal Wehrlein, Sauber, +2.797
20. Fernando Alonso, McLaren, +3.275
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