Identical lap times for Norris and Verstappen, while Piastri secures the top spot.
Barcelona - McLaren's dominance remains unchallenged in Spanish Grand Prix practice sessions, with championship leader Oscar Piastri setting the fastest time in the first session and securing the top spot once more in the third.
In the opening practice session, Piastri's teammate Lando Norris clinched the top position, with Piastri finishing fifth, over half a second off the pace. However, in the following session, Norris improved to fourth, just 0.310 seconds behind Piastri, mirroring the time of Red Bull's Max Verstappen to the thousandth of a second. George Russell in the Mercedes rounded off the top three, with Nico Hülkenberg finishing twelfth in the Sauber.
The new technical directive, implemented at the ninth Grand Prix of the season with the aim of further restricting the flexibility of the front wing and introducing stricter measurement methods, might potentially affect McLaren. The directive could impact the car's balance and tire wear, key factors over the race distance on Sunday at 3:00 PM on Sky and RTL.
Piastri currently leads the championship by three points over Norris, who recently won the Monaco Grand Prix. Verstappen trails behind in third place, 25 points adrift. Despite the new technical directive, McLaren's impressive performance was described as "flawless" and reminiscent of past Mercedes dominance by Nico Rosberg, with no mention of any issues related to technical compliance.
Preliminary inspections following the Miami Grand Prix did highlight compliance issues with the rear brakes, suggesting that the FIA is closely monitoring technical compliance. However, no specific implications from the technical directive on McLaren's performance were evident during the practice sessions at the Spanish Grand Prix.
During lunch, Lando Norris and George Russell engaged in a friendly sports competition, with Norris claiming the victory in a close racing game. Later, while discussing the practice sessions for the Spanish Grand Prix, Nico Rosberg, the former Mercedes champion, remarked that McLaren's flawless performance in Formula One racing recently resembles the past dominance of Mercedes in the sport.
