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Barcelona offers teams an
ideal opportunity to see young drivers in action during the first free
practice session. The circuit is also extensively used for testing, meaning
teams already have a vast amount of data to rely on.
Seven teams
therefore elected to run young drivers in the opening hour, as required by
the regulations at least four times a year during FP1. Taking to the track
were Fred Vesti (Mercedes), Dino Beganovic (Ferrari), Leonardo Fornaroli
(McLaren), Ayumu Iwasa (Red Bull), Luke Browning (Williams), Paul Aron
(Audi) and Colton Herta (Cadillac).
From a tyre perspective, all
three compounds available for the weekend were used across both sessions.
The Hard C2 was only run by the Haas drivers in FP1, while Max Verstappen
was the sole driver to use it in FP2. In the latter part of the second
session, teams focused primarily on long runs, predominantly using the
Medium C3 compound.
The fastest time in FP2 was set by Lando Norris
with a 1:15.426 on Soft C4. Ambient temperatures reached 29°C, with track
temperatures consequently climbing to 50°C. In FP1, the quickest time was
recorded by George Russell with a 1:16.363, also on the C4.
Before
on-track activities got underway, the circuit’s press conference room hosted
the presentation of the book “A Stir of the Soul: Pirelli’s 500 GPs in the
F1 World Championship”, curated by Fondazione Pirelli and published by
Marsilio Arte. The volume celebrates Pirelli’s 500 Grands Prix in the World
Championship through a rich narrative of images and texts, featuring
materials sourced from the Pirelli Historical Archive.
The event
brought together Marco Tronchetti Provera, Pirelli Executive Vice President
and Chairman of Fondazione Pirelli; Stefano Domenicali, President & CEO of
Formula 1®; H. E. Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA President, who contributed via
video; Jean Todt, United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road
Safety; and Nick Heidfeld, former Formula 1 driver.
Simone Berra: Chief Engineer:
Most teams chose not to use the Hard compound today, meaning they will
retain two sets to take into the race. The few who did run it reported
greater sliding compared to the two softer compounds, resulting in surface
overheating that brings it closer, in terms of degradation, to the Medium
and Soft.
“Overall, all compounds are showing high levels of thermal
degradation, particularly on the front and rear left, due to the abrasive
surface of the asphalt, second only to Bahrain, the characteristics of the
circuit and the high track temperatures, which are set to increase further
over the coming days. In performance runs, drivers struggled to cool the
tyres sufficiently to attempt a second flying lap which, in these
conditions, at best matches the previous time.
“On Sunday, we
therefore expect a race with at least two pit stops. Medium and Soft, the
two compounds offering the highest grip, degrade at a similar rate, although
early data suggests that the yellow tyre adapts more easily to the Barcelona
track. Between the two, the performance gap is in the region of five to six
tenths of a second.
FORMULA 2:
In Formula 2, Rafael Camara secured pole position for Sunday’s Feature Race.
With a 1:24.810, the Brazilian was the fastest driver of the day. Joshua
Durksen finished in second place, 0.135 seconds behind, while third went to
Alex Dunne, who was 0.225 seconds off the pace. On Saturday, however, the
programme begins with the Sprint Race, which will start with a reversed
grid. Noel Leon will line up on pole for that race, thanks to his
tenth-place finish in qualifying.
The compounds selected for the
Barcelona weekend are Hard and Soft. The Sprint Race will be contested on
the harder option, with careful management of front-axle degradation
required. For the Feature Race, both strategies appear viable. We expect
teams to split between the Hard–Soft combination and the reverse. Starting
on the red tyre offers better grip in the early stages of the race, without
being particularly penalising in the event of neutralisations, thanks to the
possibility of extending the stint through proper management.
FORMULA 3
On Friday, it was Theophile Nael who set the fastest time with a 1:28.263.
Right behind him, Ugo Ugochukwu finished in second place, just 0.039 seconds
adrift. Third place went to Hiyu Yamakoshi, who ended the session 0.135
seconds off Nael.
The compound selected for the Barcelona race
weekend is the Hard, on a circuit where lateral forces on the tyres are
particularly high due to the numerous high-speed corners. The front axle
represents the main limitation for this very reason and will require even
more careful management from the drivers. This year, moreover, rear axle
pressure will be 1 psi higher than last season, with the aim of increasing
degradation. Drivers will therefore need to adapt their tyre management
approach; however, this change will make it easier to control the limiting
axle.
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