Max Verstappen has topped a final practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona that saw little running after being interrupted by an early red flag and then rain.
Most drivers managed just a single lap in the 60-minute session, Verstappen’s 1:13.664s the fastest by 0.250s over Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez.
Wet weather threatened the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya circuit as the session began.
As a result, there was a rush to head out on track and make the most of whatever dry running there may be in the session.
All 20 runners headed out on the soft tyres, Verstappen fastest when the red flag was shown after eight minutes.
That came after Logan Sargeant put his Williams into the gravel, where it became beached.
The American had corrected a slide midway through the final corner, which took him off line and off the circuit.
He skated through the gravel, making comparatively light lateral contact with the tyre barrier.
Sargeant was able to job across the circuit and back to the pit lane while his car was removed from the track with a tractor and left on the outside of the final corner.
During the stoppage, race control noted “low grip conditions” while in the stands, fans reached for umbrellas as rain began to fall.
The stoppage lasted nine minutes, though not a sole ventured forth once pit exit was opened.
The rain was light; insufficient to need intermediates, which teams were given an additional set of in anticipation of the weather closing in, but likely dicey on slicks.
And so the circuit sat silent as the rain grew slowly heavier, further incentivising teams to remain in the garage.
Lando Norris finally broke the silence with 28 minutes remaining, taking to the damp circuit for an installation lap on a set of intermediate tyres.
It was then Ferrari’s turn, sending both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz out on track with 21 minutes to run.
Like Norris, they’d fitted the intermediate rubber, Leclerc performing a practice start at pit exit.
However, conditions had deteriorated such that, though they remained on track, they were pursued by a plume of spray.
Sainz completed a timed lap, a 1:26.155s showing conditions were around 12 seconds off dry weather pace.
Others were soon tempted out; Oscar Piastri for McLaren, Kevin Magnussen for Haas, and Esteban Ocon for Alpine among others.
George Russell had also headed out, reporting back that, while “definitely raining, the track doesn’t seem that wet.”
In most places it was almost dry, though in some corners, notably around Turn 10, it remained damp.
At McLaren, Norris was asked about track conditions and whether it was ready for slicks.
He was uncertain but suggested the only way to find out would be to make the change.
As he toured back into the pits, Fernando Alonso headed out on a set of intermediates.
Conditions were still slippery; Lance Stroll ran deep at Turn 5 but managed to keep running through the gravel and rejoined.
Norris had headed out on slick tyres.
He recorded 1:21.621s, fastest of anyone on track by two seconds, suggesting the cross-over from intermediates to slicks is around 1:25.
Armed with that information, other teams began swapping their drivers onto slicks for the final minutes before the chequered flag.
It didn’t change the timesheets, though gave the teams useful information as they head into a qualifying session likely to be held in similarly mixed conditions.
Discussion about this post