BARCELONA, Spain — The Formula 1 drivers who finished 1-2 during last weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix found themselves together again during practice at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Monaco winner Max Verstappen was back at the top of the leaderboard, filing a 1 minute, 13.907-second lap time in his Red Bull Racing entry.
“The car was in a good window and of course we will try to fine tune a few things here and there but the short runs and long runs look good,” Verstappen said. “I tried to follow a few cars through there as well and it seemed okay, I’m positively surprised by the overtaking opportunities. I still need to look at the data and see how the other cars compare but today was a good day.”
Meanwhile, Aston Martin rival Fernando Alonso was .170 seconds behind in second.
Considering Alonso logged his best finish of the season one week ago in Monaco — as runner-up to Verstappen — the Aston Martin team is carrying tremendous confidence into Barcelona. This Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix will also take place on Alonso’s home ground, making the Spanish native a fan-favorite for the event.
Haas F1 Team’s Nico Hulkenberg was third in practice, while Red Bull Racing’s Sergio Perez and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon completed the top five.
Ferrari teammates Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz struggled in practice, finishing sixth and seventh. Mercedes’ George Russell was eighth. Alfa Romeo Ferrari’s Valtteri Bottas and Alpine’s Pierre Gasley were the last two drivers to crack the top 10.