MADRID The Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix began with free practice on the new Madrid street circuit, where Charles Leclerc displayed strong pace, confirming his lead over Lewis Hamilton in the opening two sessions. The Monegasque driver set the third and second fastest times in FP1 and FP2, respectively, while Hamilton finished fourth and third, demonstrating some difficulty in finding the optimal balance of the car.
Leclerc, recovering from a crash at Monza, praised the track and the evolving grip levels of the asphalt: "I expect significant improvements over the course of the weekend," said the Ferrari driver. "Our goal was to complete as many laps as possible to gather useful data for qualifying, which will likely be crucial given the difficulty of overtaking on this circuit.".
Hamilton described the track as fun, but emphasized the need to improve the car's balance: "The first session was a good starting point, but we struggled to find the right performance window as the day went on. We'll analyze the data to make another step forward ahead of qualifying tomorrow.".
Scuderia Ferrari followed a carefully planned program throughout the day, focusing on grip development and analysis ahead of qualifying and the race, completing a total of 103 laps between the two drivers. The twisty, urban nature of the circuit suggests qualifying will play a key role in the outcome of the race.
