Max Verstappen seems to have found his groove in Barcelona, dominating the first and second practice sessions ahead of Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix. However, the Dutchman's advantage over his rivals was significantly reduced during FP2, with Fernando Alonso only 0.170s behind him. With fans back in the stands this weekend, the Spaniard will be looking to give them something to cheer about by challenging Verstappen for the race win.
🏁⏱️#SpanishGP 🇪🇸 FP2 results by driver:
— Racing Union (@TheRacingUnion) June 2, 2023
1. VERSTAPPEN (1:13.907)
2. Alonso (+ 0.170)
3. Hulkenberg (+ 0.270) #F1 pic.twitter.com/QHVtvggivI
Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Ocon also put in impressive performances for Haas and Alpine, respectively, ending up third and fifth overall. Sergio Perez finished fourth, sandwiched between the two. Meanwhile, Ferrari continued their evaluation of their upgrade package for Barcelona, with Charles Leclerc getting his first taste of the new parts en route to sixth place.
The Mercedes duo of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton continued to work on understanding the major updates released by their team in Monaco. Russell was faster than Hamilton in FP2, finishing eighth overall, while Hamilton could only manage eleventh place.
Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas and Pierre Gasly finished ninth and tenth, respectively. The session was relatively quiet for Lance Stroll, who ended up 18th, around a second away from teammate Fernando Alonso.
Rain threatened to disrupt proceedings towards the end of FP2, but it ended up being just a few drops. Teams and drivers will use the data gathered during practice to refine their strategies ahead of Saturday's final practice session and qualifying hour.
Verstappen is undoubtedly the man to beat heading into Sunday's race, having won the last race in Monaco. However, the home crowd will be cheering on Alonso, who has shown flashes of brilliance during the practice sessions. The Spanish Grand Prix promises to be an exciting race, with plenty of opportunities for drivers to overtake and fight their way up the grid.
As always, tyre management will be crucial, with Pirelli introducing prototype tyres alongside the hard, medium, and soft compounds. The teams will need to carefully evaluate which tyres to use during the race, taking into account factors such as track temperature and tyre wear.
It's still early days in the 2023 Formula 1 season, but Verstappen's dominance is a clear sign that he and Red Bull are serious contenders for the championship. Mercedes will need to dig deep if they want to keep up with their rivals, while Ferrari will be hoping that their upgrades pay off in the coming races.
Overall, the second practice session in Barcelona provided plenty of excitement, setting the stage for what promises to be a thrilling Spanish Grand Prix.
🏁⏱️#SpanishGP 🇪🇸 FP2 results by team:
— Racing Union (@TheRacingUnion) June 2, 2023
1. Red Bull (1:13.907)
2. Aston Martin (+ 0.170)
3. Haas (+ 0.270)
4. Alpine (+ 0.335)
5. Ferrari (+ 0.339)
6. Mercedes (+ 0.485)
7. Alfa Romeo (+ 0.541)
8. McLaren (+ 0.676)
9. AlphaTauri (+ 0.878)
10. Williams (+ 1.149)#F1 pic.twitter.com/4Q6cRTbQJF
