F1 Live | Lando Norris tops FP1 in Barcelona, Leclerc struggles
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Formula 1 returns to Europe and Spain this weekend for the 10th round of the 2024 season. The first free practice is about to get underway and you can follow all the action below! Can Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing extend their championship lead, or can Ferrari bounce back from a miserable Canadian Grand Prix? Or will Mercedes stay with McLaren at the front of the grid and challenge the reigning world champions?
F1 Live | FP1: Spanish Grand Prix
This weekend marks the tenth round of the 2024 World Championship. Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing flew out of the blocks in Bahrain, but the competition has caught them up in recent weeks. Ferrari and McLaren have closed the gap recently. Charles Leclerc won his home race in Monaco, but Ferrari struggled for pace in Canada and both cars retired from the race. Lando Norris secured his first career win in Miami, and nearly got to Verstappen at the Imola Grand Prix, only missing out on the win by seven-tenths. The tension is increasing within Formula 1.
After five cars from three teams fighting for the lead in Canada, could we see Ferrari bounce back and challenge for the race win at a track teams know like the back of their hands?
Weekend in Spain
A slight change to the 2024 calendar means that Spain comes after Canada, rather than in its traditional spot between Monaco and Canada. The Circuit de Barcelona-Cataluyna is a track that teams and drivers know incredibly well. In the past, pre-season testing was always held in Barcelona but in recent years that has moved to Bahrain.
Formula 1 has raced at this circuit since 1991, but this will be the penultimate year here before we move to Madrid for the 2026 season. In recent years, the circuit has undergone many changes. 2021 saw the hairpin at Turn 10 remodelled before F1 took the decision to change to the MotoGP layout for last year. This took out the chicane at the end of the lap which was introduced in 2007, reverting to the sweeping fast corners that F1 used back in 2006.
Max Verstappen won the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix in dominant style, taking the chequered flag 24 seconds in front of Lewis Hamilton. George Russell joined Hamilton on the podium for a surprise Mercedes double podium. McLaren will be hoping for better luck in 2024, with Norris dropping to the back on the opening lap after starting P3 because of contact with Hamilton's Mercedes, whilst Oscar Piastri also finished outside the points.