McLaren not hurt by newly-introduced TD on Day 1 in Barcelona, why Verstappen and Red Bull need each other

The day begin with FP1 at the Barcelona track, with the new technical directive now being in effect. The first session was topped by Lando Norris, after the McLaren driver set a 1:13.7, while no one else could finish a lap under 1:14.

In FP2, a McLaren driver set the fastest lap time once again, but on this occasion it was Oscar Piastri. The Australian driver was nearly three tenths quicker than his closest rivals. However, after the session, the current championship leader explained their rivals were also quick.

Talking to GPblog among others, Helmut Marko was also quite optimistic about Red Bull's chances. "The four top teams are closer together, but still McLaren is the fastest. In the long run we could match with the soft as well as the medium tyre where we have to improve within the qualified models," the top advisor answered this website's question.

On the other hand, four-time world champion Max Verstappen said he had an "okay Friday", and that the RB21 is still not where he wants it to be.

To get a more complete look on what happened this Friday, also read our long run review here!

Red Bull super talent Arvid Lindblad also managed to take his first ever Formula 2 pole positions today.

Yesterday, GPblog could bring the news that Max Verstappen will not trigger the exit clause in his contract, and the Dutchman will stay at Red Bull Racing.

For both the driver and the team, this a welcome development. Find out here why Verstappen had no other alternatives, and why this development is crucial for the Austrian team here!