The Frenchman topped the timesheets with a 1:18.835 on a Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya that was still damp following overnight rain, leaving conditions fairly tricky at least until midway through the session.

He was followed by Kimi Antonelli in the W17, who lapped almost two seconds slower but proved to be one of the most active drivers on track in terms of mileage.

Third place went to Hadjar’s former team-mate Liam Lawson, who was displaced by Antonelli’s Mercedes in the final hour of the session.

Two red flags were seen during the morning, the first caused by Franco Colapinto and shortly followed by Gabriel Bortoleto’s Audi, which came to a halt on track. Esteban Ocon was the busiest driver of the day, completing as many as 66 laps at the wheel of the VF-26.

In total, seven teams ran during the morning session, with Ferrari, McLaren and Aston Martin having already opted to skip the opening day, while Williams are set to miss the entire week.

Gabriel Bortoleto’s RS26 came to a stop at Turn 10 with just over an hour left in the session, bringing out the second red flag of the day. By then, the Brazilian had completed 27 laps, with the cause of the stoppage still to be clarified.