Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso give reasons to dream in Barcelona but do not dethrone Charles Leclerc

The 2022 Spanish Grand Prix promises to be a great party for Spanish motorsport. With the historic crowd that is expected in the stands, both Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso have done some exciting free practice. Yes indeed, the fastest is still the world leader, Charles Leclerc.

If in Barcelona we had to see the biggest improvements of the teams, those who should leave very satisfied are Mercedes and Alpine. We have been able to see the teams of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso very close to the front of the race, although it is too early to believe that it is due to more than fuel loads.

Express resurrection of Mercedes, which sneaks between the Ferrari

Ferrari is still the strongest team. With great ease, Leclerc set the best time of the day, a 1:19.670 that leaves the next classified more than a tenth. Carlos Sainz has only been fourthbut the sensations are very good: he has seemed more comfortable than ever with the Ferrari and has not changed the settings to test classification, as Leclerc has done.

Between the two Ferraris are the Mercedes, and that is already reason for a party at the house of the star. George Russell is ahead of Lewis Hamilton again, but just as only two tenths separate the worst Mercedes from the best Ferrari. Quite an achievement that if confirmed tomorrow will give a new dimension to the World Cup.

At Red Bull it has been a strange day. In the morning Sergio Pérez did not get into the car but the young Estonian Jüri Vips did, and already in the afternoon session Max Verstappen was only able to set the fifth fastest time, three tenths behind Leclerc. Sergio Pérez, with less filming, finished the training sessions seventh.

Y, who has separated the two Red Bull? Well Fernando Alonso. The Asturian driver has done some exciting free practice, being the only driver immersed in the battle between Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull. Alonso set the sixth fastest time of the day, just half a second behind Leclerc’s.

serious problems for McLaren, which has only been able to run in a circuit that went very well in the preseason. Lando Norris actually finished last. He also left the session halfway Valtteri Bottas due to a mechanical problem in the Alfa Romeo. The eighth, Sebastian Vettel, has already finished one second behind the first, with Esteban Ocon ninth.

Whenever Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton meet on the track, things happen… 🥵#SpainDAZNF1 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/vErfMf9dGT

— DAZN Spain (@DAZN_ES) May 20, 2022

By the way, in the FP1 there has been a lot of pilots dancing. Not only Vips got into Pérez’s car, but Robert Kubica displaced the Chinese Guanyu Zhou from the Alfa Romeo and Nyck de Vries, the Formula E champion, took Alexander Albon’s Williams. The most curious thing is that the Dutchman was faster than Nicholas Latifi. Perhaps he will soon replace him.

FP2 Formula 1 GP España 2022 results