Charles Leclerc started the Grand Prix weekend in Spain well. On the soft tyre, the Monegasque was just faster than his teammate and Max Verstappen was also driven away. View the complete results of the first session in Barcelona here.
At the Circuit de Barcelona-Cataluyna, it was Ferrari and Red Bull Racing who were calling the shots. Verstappen was fast from the first minute on the hard tyre, where Sainz and Leclerc failed to meet his time. On the fast runs on the soft tyre, however, Leclerc was the fastest, with Sainz right behind him.
Verstappen and De Vries
Verstappen did have some extenuating circumstances, however. He drove a purple time in the first and second sectors but lost three tenths in the final sector due to running into traffic. Later, Verstappen did improve his time in that last sector, but by then his tires were used up for a faster time over the entire lap.
Nyck de Vries also made a good first impression in Formula 1. The reigning Formula E world champion finished in eighteenth place, but ahead of regular driver Nicholas Latifi. De Vries was just under one-tenth faster in his Williams and that will give the Dutchman a good feeling.