Barcelona offers teams an ideal opportunity to see young drivers in action during the first free practice session. The circuit is also extensively used for testing, meaning teams already have a vast amount of data to rely on.

Seven teams therefore elected to run young drivers in the opening hour, as required by the regulations at least four times a year during FP1. Taking to the track were Fred Vesti (Mercedes), Dino Beganovic (Ferrari), Leonardo Fornaroli (McLaren), Ayumu Iwasa (Red Bull), Luke Browning (Williams), Paul Aron (Audi) and Colton Herta (Cadillac).

From a tyre perspective, all three compounds available for the weekend were used across both sessions. The Hard C2 was only run by the Haas drivers in FP1, while Max Verstappen was the sole driver to use it in FP2. In the latter part of the second session, teams focused primarily on long runs, predominantly using the Medium C3 compound.

The fastest time in FP2 was set by Lando Norris with a 1:15.426 on Soft C4. Ambient temperatures reached 29°C, with track temperatures consequently climbing to 50°C. In FP1, the quickest time was recorded by George Russell with a 1:16.363, also on the C4.

Before on-track activities got underway, the circuit’s press conference room hosted the presentation of the book “A Stir of the Soul: Pirelli’s 500 GPs in the F1 World Championship”, curated by Fondazione Pirelli and published by Marsilio Arte. The volume celebrates Pirelli’s 500 Grands Prix in the World Championship through a rich narrative of images and texts, featuring materials sourced from the Pirelli Historical Archive.

The event brought together Marco Tronchetti Provera, Pirelli Executive Vice President and Chairman of Fondazione Pirelli; Stefano Domenicali, President & CEO of Formula 1®; H. E. Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA President, who contributed via video; Jean Todt, United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety; and Nick Heidfeld, former Formula 1 driver.

Simone Berra: Chief Engineer:
Most teams chose not to use the Hard compound today, meaning they will retain two sets to take into the race. The few who did run it reported greater sliding compared to the two softer compounds, resulting in surface overheating that brings it closer, in terms of degradation, to the Medium and Soft.

“Overall, all compounds are showing high levels of thermal degradation, particularly on the front and rear left, due to the abrasive surface of the asphalt, second only to Bahrain, the characteristics of the circuit and the high track temperatures, which are set to increase further over the coming days. In performance runs, drivers struggled to cool the tyres sufficiently to attempt a second flying lap which, in these conditions, at best matches the previous time.

“On Sunday, we therefore expect a race with at least two pit stops. Medium and Soft, the two compounds offering the highest grip, degrade at a similar rate, although early data suggests that the yellow tyre adapts more easily to the Barcelona track. Between the two, the performance gap is in the region of five to six tenths of a second.

FORMULA 2:
In Formula 2, Rafael Camara secured pole position for Sunday’s Feature Race. With a 1:24.810, the Brazilian was the fastest driver of the day. Joshua Durksen finished in second place, 0.135 seconds behind, while third went to Alex Dunne, who was 0.225 seconds off the pace. On Saturday, however, the programme begins with the Sprint Race, which will start with a reversed grid. Noel Leon will line up on pole for that race, thanks to his tenth-place finish in qualifying.

The compounds selected for the Barcelona weekend are Hard and Soft. The Sprint Race will be contested on the harder option, with careful management of front-axle degradation required. For the Feature Race, both strategies appear viable. We expect teams to split between the Hard–Soft combination and the reverse. Starting on the red tyre offers better grip in the early stages of the race, without being particularly penalising in the event of neutralisations, thanks to the possibility of extending the stint through proper management.

FORMULA 3
On Friday, it was Theophile Nael who set the fastest time with a 1:28.263. Right behind him, Ugo Ugochukwu finished in second place, just 0.039 seconds adrift. Third place went to Hiyu Yamakoshi, who ended the session 0.135 seconds off Nael.

The compound selected for the Barcelona race weekend is the Hard, on a circuit where lateral forces on the tyres are particularly high due to the numerous high-speed corners. The front axle represents the main limitation for this very reason and will require even more careful management from the drivers. This year, moreover, rear axle pressure will be 1 psi higher than last season, with the aim of increasing degradation. Drivers will therefore need to adapt their tyre management approach; however, this change will make it easier to control the limiting axle.