Joking Max Verstappen reigns in Barcelona: ‘Positive surprise by the overtaking opportunities’ | Instagram

Verstappen recorded a lap time of 1.13.907 early in the second free practice. With that he already dived well below the 1.14.606 that he recorded in the first free practice. Verstappen even had time to joke during the second free practice. Hoe wondered if Helmut Marko had once again forgotten to put his phone on silent when he heard a phone ring through the on-board radio.

“It was a good day, the car is in good shape. We still need to fine-tune here and there, but it all looks good,” said Verstappen. The Dutchman was also positive about the changes to the circuit. A chicane has been converted into two fast corners.

“The last two corners are much more fun to drive. Formula 1 cars feel much better at high speed,” said the current championship leader. “I tried to drive a little closer to other cars there and that seemed to go well, I am positively surprised by the overtaking opportunities.”

Where the second fastest time was still for Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez in the first free practice, the Spanish crowd favorite Fernando Alonso (1.14.077) was now slightly faster than the Mexican (1.14.219) who was also briefly behind Haas driver Kevin. Magnussen sat.

Nyck de Vries recorded the sixteenth lap time in the second free practice session, after surprising him with a good fourth fastest time in the first free practice session. Nyck de Vries continued in the right direction after finishing twelfth on the Monaco street circuit last week. Together with Logan Sargeant (who again set the twentieth time in his Williams Racing), De Vries is the only driver still scoreless in this world championship, but that may change for the 28-year-old driver from Uitwellingerga this weekend in Barcelona.

Mercedes drivers George Russell (tenth and eighth fastest) and Lewis Hamilton (eleventh and twelfth fastest) are in the middle bracket, but that is hardly news in this era in which Red Bull dominates.

At the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, ​​Max Verstappen won a grand prix for the first time on May 15, 2016 as the youngest Formula 1 driver ever (18 years old). Seven years after his first ever GP victory, the two-time world champion will be chasing his 40th GP victory this weekend in Barcelona.

Red Bull has won all six races this season. In F1 history, two teams have won the first seven races of a season: McLaren in 1988 (the first eleven) and Mercedes in 2019 (the first eight). If we take last season into account, Red Bull even won 16 of the last 17 races. The last winner other than Verstappen or Pérez was George Russel who won on behalf of Mercedes in São Paulo on November 13, 2022.

Fernando Alonso therefore recorded the second lap time in the second free practice. Spanish crowd favorite Fernando Alonso (41) from Oviedo will become the first driver to make at least 20 starts in a Grand Prix in Barcelona on Sunday. Michael Schumacher, Kimi Räikkönen and Rubens Barrichello all started 19 times in multiple GPs. Alonso’s most recent victory was at the Spanish GP in 2013, ten years (3675 days) ago. A win for Alonso this weekend would be the biggest gap between consecutive wins for a driver.

Saturday June 3
• 12.30pm-1.30pm: third free practice
• 4pm-5pm: Qualifying

Sunday June 4
• 3 pm: race