Spanish F1 GP 2020: Free practice results

While Fernando Alonso is competing in IndyCar practice in the United States, he had an accident today when he touched the concrete and lost control of the car, making sideways contact with the wall (enough to cause some damage, though it doesn't appear to be too extensive). So, while Alonso is trying his luck again, Formula 1 continues with the 2020 Spanish Grand Prix, with free practice sessions 1 and 2 today at Montmeló.

By the way, since I've mentioned Alonso , you'll know he's said that if he doesn't achieve the Triple Crown this time, he won't race at Indy until at least 2023, so as not to miss any F1 races with Renault. He will also be present at some F1 races with Renault once his time at Indianapolis is over. And before we get to what happened in Free Practice 1 and 2, allow me to mention that Sergio Pérez has tested negative again, so he'll be able to compete in this race, and Nico Hülkenberg is once again on standby, just in case…

Now, moving on to what we saw in Free Practice 1 and 2 , there weren't any major surprises. This circuit is quite familiar to all the drivers due to the number of laps they've completed in testing and simulator sessions at the Montmeló circuit. And here, fully equipped cars tend to perform very well; if a car performs well here, it should perform well at most circuits, as it has slow, medium, and fast corners, and it's a good indicator of how each team is performing.

Ferrari seemed to have taken a step forward in FP1, although it appears to have been an illusion, as they were back at the back in FP2. Renault, however, surprised everyone again, positioning their car quite high in FP2. This isn't unusual; you saw how Daniel Ricciardo set a fantastic time in qualifying at the last GP, although he wasn't as fortunate in the race and couldn't finish as high. But they seem to be showing promise, with the occasional ups and downs. It seems they're lacking consistency and haven't quite found the right formula.

Mercedes were back on top in both sessions. They're not hiding, so they're the favorites again. Red Bull shouldn't do too badly here, although we'll see what happens in qualifying tomorrow. But watch out, because it's been reported that the FIA ​​is considering banning Party Mode in qualifying, which could seriously hurt Mercedes, and Ferrari too. That would be very good, as we'd see Mercedes struggle more to get pole, and perhaps other cars would be setting the fastest times, not just them. Some rumors say it could be a measure for 2021, others say a decision could be made as early as August 30th for the Spa GP…

Incidentally, it seems that Williams has fallen a little behind here, as in past seasons; I hope the Grove team doesn't suffer again.

Free practice results 1

Free practice results 2

More tomorrow from Free Practice 3 and qualifying for the Spanish GP. We'll also cover everything that happens off the track, if it's relevant, here at AM as usual… Until then, cheers!