The first day of F1 pre-season testing came and went at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with Ferrari looking by far the happiest of the Formula 1 teams following a full day of running as the F1-75 looked almost unbeatable in Catalunya.
With just 30 minutes to go of the day, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were sitting pretty atop the classification, and it wasn’t until Lando Norris posted a final attempt on the soft C4 tyres – the best Ferrari times were set on the harder C3 – that the two red cars were usurped.
Behind the top three came the Mercedes pair of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, with the former just pipping his seven-time champion teammate, while current world champion Max Verstappen tested the Red Bull for the entire day. We also got our first glimpse of the RB18, and it’s unique side-pod design.
Barcelona testing – Day 1 Results
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Best Time | Tyre | Tot. Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:19.568 | C4 | 103 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:20.165 | C3 | 80 |
| 3 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari | 1:20.416 | C3 | 73 |
| 4 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:20.784 | C3 | 77 |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:20.929 | C3 | 50 |
| 6 | Sebastian Vettel | Aston Martin | 1:21.276 | C3 | 52 |
| 7 | Yuki Tsunoda | Alpha Tauri | 1:21.638 | C3 | 121 |
| 8 | Fernando Alonso | Alpine | 1:21.746 | C2 | 127 |
| 9 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:22.246 | C2 | 147 |
| 10 | Valtteri Bottas | Alfa Romeo | 1:22.572 | C3 | 23 |
| 11 | Alex Albon | Williams | 1:22.760 | C3 | 66 |
| 12 | Mick Schumacher | Haas | 1:22.962 | C3 | 23 |
| 13 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:23.327 | C2 | 67 |
| 14 | Nicholas Latifi | Williams | 1:23.379 | C3 | 66 |
| 15 | Nikita Mazepin | Haas | 1:24.505 | C2 | 20 |
| 16 | Robert Kubica | Alfa Romeo | 1:25.909 | C3 | 9 |
There were a few issues for some of the teams on Day 1, as McLaren, Haas and Alfa Romeo encountered difficulties with the new cars. That said, Alpine will be happy with their day’s running, while Ferrari and Red Bull both spent the whole day on track, along with Mercedes.
Day 1 Testing – Total Team Laps
| Team | Total Laps |
|---|---|
| Ferrari | 149 |
| Red Bull | 147 |
| Alpine | 141 |
| Mercedes | 137 |
| Williams | 132 |
| AlphaTauri | 116 |
| Aston Martin | 115 |
| McLaren | 98 |
| Haas | 39 |
| Alfa Romeo | 32 |
