Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing did as they have for the rest of Formula 1 2023 so far and dominated the opening day of practice at Barcelona, quickest by a big margin over long runs and topping the times overall.
The field appears very close behind, however, and there is hope – quite a bit from Red Bull’s rivals and surely for neutral observers too – that forecast wet weather could shake-up the action over the rest of the weekend.
There was also the return of a major talking point from 2022, plus analysis on major upgrade packages at several squads.
Here’s everything we learned from Friday practice at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix.
The story of the day
Friday’s F1 running got underway in glowing warmth and blue skies in the early afternoon, with …