FP1 LIVE | First free practice for the 2022 F1 Spanish Grand Prix
F1 News
- GPblog.com
The Formula 1 drivers are getting ready for the first free practice session for the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix. The F1 race weekend once again guarantees updates, making it interesting to see how the teams will compare to each other. Some drivers will also make their debuts.
Live blog of FP1 for the Spanish Grand Prix
Red Bull Racing and Ferrari are expected to provide excitement at the front of the driver field. Both teams are reportedly coming out with updates that will save them several tenths, so the racing teams will be anxious to see which team comes out on top in Barcelona.
It also looks to be exciting in the subtop of the standings. McLaren and Mercedes have been working hard in recent weeks on improvements to their cars and this should lead to the first results this weekend. In addition, both formations hope to catch up with Ferrari and Red Bull, but for now that seems to be a bridge too far.
The teams will use the first free practice session to generate as much data as possible to build on this in the two sessions that follow. Several drivers will also debut during the practice sessions, including Juri Vips (Red Bull) and Nyck de Vries (Williams).
The 2022 season so far
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Equipped with new rules and regulations, the teams started the first race in Bahrain around two months ago. Straight away, it became clear the winners of the last eight Constructors' Championship titles were not on the pace. Mercedes lagged behind both Ferrari and Red Bull who seemed to ace the changes to the aerodynamics, as well as have strong engine performance.
The Red Bull car is much quicker in a straight line compared to their rivals whereas Ferrari gains the most time in the slow and medium-speed corners with such high traction and downforce at the exit. The two top teams have completely different philosophies but are extremely close together when it comes to performance on most tracks. Red Bull have been bringing upgrades most weekends, but Ferrari are yet to flex their muscles in the development race.
The Barcelona circuit is expected to favour Ferrari given the slow speed in sector three. That being said, in Friday practice the teams will test new parts and will be able to see if their advantage remains in this department.