F1 Spanish GP live commentary and updates - FP1

That's all from us for now - we'll be back for FP2, as Ocon and Albon return to their cars.

Hirakawa ended the session 17th, with Martins 19th over Colapinto.

Practice starts ahoy - we've got a few drivers keen to get a bit of a headstart with their systems for Sunday's grid.

Photo by: Jake Boxall-Legge

Lawson, Bearman, Hadjar, Tsunoda, and Gasly completed the top 10, as Russell did a lengthy 18-lap run on mediums for 11th as he didn't touch the soft tyre over the session.

Pierre Gasly, Alpine

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

Just a couple more minutes, then - most are just circulating on older tyres now, attempting to get a bit more data for the teams to number-crunch ahead of FP2. 

We've had DRS disabled and enabled, and a couple of brief yellows. No indications as to why so far, but it's not like there's many people improving anyway.

Alonso wants his engineers to "check what's going on with the car, something is wrong". Not encouraging signs for the home hero.

Alonso is asked if he wants some flap adjust, but he's asking for a bit more power instead as he's going "nowhere" on the straights. "I just don't want to lose two tenths on every straight," the Spaniard says.

He's 13th, just 0.012 behind Lance Stroll.

Hirakawa reports bouncing through Turn 9, which the team has found difficult so far this season - Australia exposed the high-speed bouncing issue, and Haas has been trying to mitigate it.

He's told that Bearman has found something similar, although the Briton's pace is solid so far. 

More laps on softs - Lawson goes sixth, Alonso goes 12th, and Hirakawa goes 16th. Stroll is about to go for a run with softs too.

Beyond the first runs with the less-flexible wings, we've also got drivers trialling steel skid plates as opposed to titanium.

Following grass fires at Suzuka this year, and at China last year, the FIA has asked teams to test a different material.

Steel is heavier and wears more than titanium, but it shouldn't reach the temperatures that the titanium plates do - minimising the risk of burning grass.

Gasly puts himself into the top 10 with a run on softs, going ninth - 1.028s off the pace.

Colapinto then goes 17th on his first tour on softs, as Martins then goes 18th - just over a tenth behind. The Frenchman was formerly one of Alpine's reserves.

Bortoleto leaped up to 11th, getting him within 0.3s of Hulkenberg, but that becomes 12th as Bearman hurls his Haas up to sixth with his opening attempt on the softs. 

Russell, Sainz, Antonelli, Alonso, Lawson, Stroll, Martins, and Hirakawa are yet to do laps on the soft.

Norris leading the way so far with 22 minutes remaining

With just over 20 minutes remaining, our top 10 order looks something like this.

1. Norris, 2. Verstappen, 3. Hamilton, 4. Leclerc, 5. Piastri, 6. Hadjar, 7. Tsunoda, 8. Russell, 9. Hulkenberg, 10. Sainz.

Lando Norris, McLaren

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

Antonelli followed Russell towards the top end of the pack, but goes 0.618s slower than his team-mate.

Hulkenberg puts on the soft to go up to second, 0.114s off Russell's best - as the likes of Piastri, Norris, Verstappen, and Leclerc bolt on softs.

There's few improvements going on with the timing board, as many of the drivers are still conducting test work on the new items on the cars.

Case in point; Piastri went better in the final sector on his latest tour, but the Australian was 0.009s off his best from earlier.

Our FP1 leader so far

As you can tell from the timing tower, this was taken before the McLaren driver did his time...

Lando Norris, McLaren

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Last year's best FP1 time came from Lando Norris, at a 1m14.228. Presumably, we've got a bit more time to find - which is unsurprising as the front runners have only used the hardest compounds. 

"Other" home hero Carlos Sainz belatedly posts his opening timed run of the session, as temporary team-mate Martins is doing a few bits with aero and systems testing in his opening laps.

Verstappen is finding a bit more pace, presumably without a diff update after the last bit of radio comms. He's up to a 1m15.516s to keep sitting in third. 

Leclerc then improves to fourth with a 1m15.775s.

Verstappen puts a lap in, a 1m15.805s, which has him 0.325s off Alonso's current lead lap.

In the meantime, Liam Lawson has a grumble about a slow Ferrari while the Racing Bulls driver tries to get a couple of laps in with the aero rakes to check out the VCARB's new nose.

Norris did a 1m15.633s - again on hards - to improve, but Alonso's now top with a run on the hard tyres, a 1m15.480s.

Leclerc and Hamilton get their first runs in at Ferrari, as they split the two McLarens.

Just a couple of minutes before we get under way - lots of test items for the teams to get through in the opening part of the session, and if anything, the circuit's great for testing new parts.

Alonso pledges Barcelona will stay in F1 amid home support

New Barcelona F1 ambassador Fernando Alonso stated in the press conference yesterday that he expected the circuit to remain on the calendar beyond 2026, despite the addition of Madrid to the schedule.

“I don’t think that we will lose Barcelona. So that’s my opinion and my wish as well,” he said.

“I think it's good to have new venues. It’s good to have new countries as well that Formula 1 has moved to in the last decade. But at the same time, we need to keep some traditional circuits where the history of Formula 1 has been written and made."

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

Hirakawa, Martins in for FP1

Ryo Hirakawa is back in the saddle for Haas in this FP1 session - he's in for Esteban Ocon, who will sit out this for this hour-long session.

Williams junior Victor Martins is also driving, taking over Alex Albon's seat for this session.

Good luck, gentlemen.

Whose ginger beard is that in the foreground?

Photo by: Peter Fox / Getty Images

Flexi-wing tests lead to new front wing galore

One of the key stories this weekend has been in the addition of new front wings across the board as the FIA has clamped down on flexing wings. 

Most have suggested that this should have limited effect on the pecking order, but it does make the car set-up more difficult for the engineers - particularly with balance for the straights and corners.

Ferrari SF-25 front wing detail

Photo by: Filip Cleeren

FP1 at the Spanish Grand Prix

Hello everyone, and welcome along to our coverage of F1's opening practice session at Barcelona! And, let me tell you, it's pretty warm here - radars say 30C here, with the track at 46C as it stands.