With the first day of the Spanish Grand Prix being in full swing, the next session that takes place on the Circuit De Barcelona-Catalunya is Formula 2 practice. That is topped by none other than the current Drivers’ Championship leader Paul Aron, followed by Enzo Fittipaldi in P2 and Franco Colapinto in P3. However, with later penalties and some laps possibly being deleted after the session, the overall order is not yet totally certain.
We can expect a somewhat limited running because of the conditions and high tyre degradation. After about ten minutes from the start, the first driver to put in the quickest lap with 1:28.560 is Taylor Barnard driving the Kick Sauber livery. While others, like Isack Hadjar, aren’t even in the car yet.
Barnard’s teammate Joshua Dursken puts in another quickest time of 1:27.742 and then Ritomo Miyata takes the crown from him with 1:27.470, though not for long as the lap time is soon deleted because of track limits in Turn 13. Miyata at least puts in 1:27.639, taking P1 for now.
While these three are on the track fighting for P1, all of the others still do not have any time in and wait in the pits or are doing an out lap — though that is about to change with more drivers finally going out with twenty-five minutes in the session left.
Bearman takes the lead with 1:27.416, and Kimi Antonelli is only two tenths of a second behind. A few drivers change in the top position, but ultimately the championship leader Paul Aron keeps it thanks to a lap time of 1:26.922.
Meanwhile, Bearman is locking the left front at the apex of Turn 10 and Enzo Fittipaldi takes P2, only one tenth behind Aron.
Gabriel Bortoleto has a moment down towards Turn 1, locking up and has to take the runoff exit.
With fifteen minutes to go, Isack Hadjar is yet to set a time — he is the one in competition to take the championship lead from Aron this weekend. He certainly does not take P1 from him though, getting P7 with his first time of the day.
Pepe Martí, home hero that won a race here last year, has slight issues with the tyre temperature and runs over some curbs, and has to settle with P9 as we have eleven minutes to go.
Antonelli, who dropped to P14, is building up but then dives into the pits, needing to change some things on his car. With him, a few other drivers also go into the pits, preparing for their final push lap — including Aron and Hadjar.
Zane Maloney, third in the Drivers’ Championship, is in P20 and has to be careful about rear locking. He does not improve his time, among other things because of the exit curb in Turn 13 that many other drivers struggle with lap after lap.
The one with the most laps driven is Miyata in P15 — doing more than twenty laps, while others did around twelve laps throughout the session.
There is a little over five tenths between the top ten and only one second between the top nineteen with a last minute to go till the end of practice, making it clear that Qualifying later today will be very close and exciting to watch.
As the chequered flag is waved, Hadjar’s push lap leaves him in P7 as Aron stays unchallenged in P1. However, Antonelli doesn’t have much of a happy ending to the practice session, going off the track and into an incredibly deep gravel trap in Turn 13.
