Identical Times for Norris and Verstappen; Piastri Takes Lead
Barcelona, Spain – McLaren's dominance in the Formula-1 season continues unabated, with Oscar Piastri setting the fastest time in the practice sessions for the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
In the first practice session, Lando Norris, Piastri's teammate, outperformed him by taking pole position. However, the gap between the two McLaren drivers narrowed significantly in the second session, with Piastri finishing just 0.310 seconds ahead of Norris, a difference smaller than a thousandth of a second from Max Verstappen in third place. George Russell in the Mercedes came second, with a gap of 0.286 seconds.
The question remains whether the new front wing rules and checking procedures will impact McLaren's performance. The FIA tightened the tolerances for front wing flexing, reducing the allowed deflection from 5mm to 3mm under 6kg of load. Some rival teams had hoped this might slow down McLaren, who have won six out of the eight races this season with Piastri and Norris.
Despite these changes, McLaren appears well-prepared, having already tested a stiffer front wing in Imola. This adjustment seems to have been effective in mitigating concerns about the flexi-wing clampdown at the Spanish Grand Prix.
In the standings, Piastri leads with a three-point advantage over Norris, who claimed a historic victory at the Monaco Grand Prix last Sunday. Verstappen sits in third place, trailing Piastri by 25 points. The Spanish Grand Prix will take place on Sunday at 3:00 PM, with Sky and RTL providing coverage.
The testing of a stiffer front wing in Imola seems to have helped McLaren mitigate concerns about the flexi-wing clampdown for the Spanish Grand Prix, as Piastri's lead over Norris narrowed only slightly in the second practice session. However, the question remains if the new front wing rules and checking procedures will significantly impact McLaren's dominance in Formula-1 racing.
