Strong performance Max and Toro Rosso in first free practice Spain

Published on 08 May 2015 by Mike Motilall

After a three weeks’ break, the Formula 1-season got on its way again on Circuit Barcelona-Catalunya. Max Verstappen did well during the first free practice and noted the sixth time, a mere 1.7 seconds a stray from Nico Rosberg, who was the fastest on the Spanish asphalt.

The first race on European soil is a chance for the most teams to improve their cars with updates. This was also the case with Scuderia Toro Rosso, they modified the floor and rearwing of the STR10 to enhance the aerodynamics.

On a still dusty track, Max does some eight laps in the first half hour, putting him on the sixth spot with a 1:29.655. His Spanish team mate is a tenth quicker. Around eleven o’clock, with just half an hour remaining, Max puts down a 1:28.529, good enough for P5. Sainz, just moments before, also improved his time and is fourth.

“Do you feel any bottoming?”, is what race-engineer Xevi Pujolar asks Max, who replies “It’s quite a lot on the main straight.” Later on in the session the youngster reports: “Raikkonen was in my way.” After which Pujolar has his driver head to the pits and Max ends his free practice, having done 23 laps.

As Rosberg, who had already claimed the top spot, also improves his time, his team mate, Lewis Hamilton, is close to him by just seven-hundredths. The Ferarri’s also – with Sebastian Vettel ahead of Kimi Raikkonen – improve themselves and take third and fourth. The Toro Rosso’s, driving the entire session on the harder compound, are handsomely fifth and sixth after an hour and a half.

During the first free practice, three Friday drivers get called for action. Raffaele Marciello (Sauber), Jolyon Palmer (Lotus) and Susie Wolff (Williams) are respectively twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth. This threesome not only held their own, compared to the regular drivers, but also left both McLaren-drivers behind of them. Fernando Alonso is fifteenth in front of his homecrowd as Jenson Button claims the sixteenth spot.

Spanish Grand Prix - Circuit Barcelona-Catalunya - Friday 8 May

 P No Driver 		   Team 		Time 	  Gap   Laps 
 1  6 Nico Rosberg   	   Mercedes 		1:26.828s         28 
 2 44 Lewis Hamilton       Mercedes 		1:26.898s +0.070s 27 
 3  5 Sebastian Vettel     Ferrari 		1:27.806s +0.978s 21 
 4  7 Kimi Räikkönen       Ferrari 		1:27.832s +1.004s 16 
 5 55 Carlos Sainz   	   Toro Rosso 		1:28.132s +1.304s 27 
 6 33 Max Verstappen       Toro Rosso 		1:28.529s +1.701s 23 
 7 26 Daniil Kvyat    	   Red Bull 		1:28.785s +1.957s  7 
 8 19 Felipe Massa    	   Williams 		1:28.831s +2.003s 21 
 9  3 Daniel Ricciardo     Red Bull 		1:29.075s +2.247s  9 
10 12 Felipe Nasr          Sauber 		1:29.140s +2.312s 14 
11 27 Nico Hulkenberg      Force India 		1:29.409s +2.581s 20 
12 36 Raffaele Marciello   Sauber 		1:29.630s +2.802s 15 
13 30 Jolyon Palmer        Lotus 		1:29.676s +2.848s 21 
14 41 Susie Wolff    	   Williams 		1:29.708s +2.880s 22 
15 14 Fernando Alonso      McLaren 		1:29.813s +2.985s 22 
16 22 Jenson Button        McLaren 		1:29.817s +2.989s 22 
17 11 Sergio Perez         Force India 		1:30.096s +3.268s 19 
18 13 Pastor Maldonado     Lotus 		1:30.110s +3.282s  7 
19 28 Will Stevens         Marussia 		1:32.471s +5.643s 22 
20 98 Roberto Merhi        Marussia 		1:32.647s +5.819s 20

On Twitter and Facebook we'll keep you updated throughout the weekend followed by a full report on Verstappen.nl at the end of the day’s action. You can find the schedule for the Spanish Grand Prix here. 

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