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Oscar Piastri delivered the fastest lap in the final practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix, setting a 1:12.387 at the Circuit de Catalunya. Despite his speed, Piastriโs best effort fell just short of Lando Norrisโs pole lap from last year, still trailing by about a second.
Piastri, who leads the Formula 1 championship for McLaren, finished the session over half a second ahead of his teammate Norris, marking a clear advantage as teams prepared for qualifying.
Lando Norrisโs run was interrupted by a familiar problem first seen in 2022 when the current car regulations arrived. Going into Turn 9, Norrisโs McLaren began to porpoiseโa bouncing effect that unsettled the car at high speed.
This forced him to take the escape road, and he was informed by his engineers that adjustments to the rear ride-height were necessary. The McLaren team then called him into the garage, ending his hopes of challenging Piastriโs leading time.
Ferrariโs Charles Leclerc secured third place, followed by George Russell in his Mercedes. Max Verstappen rounded out the top five for Red Bull, with Isack Hadjar of Racing Bulls next, being the only other driver within a second of Piastri. Leclercโs performance once again denies Ferrari hype.
Lewis Hamilton was ninth for Ferrari and finished over a second behind the Australian pace-setter, underlining the progress McLaren has made over the past year. The top ten was completed by Liam Lawson, with Oliver Bearman ending the session as the slowest in his Haas, two seconds off the pace.
Early in the session, the action was sparse as drivers waited for track conditions to improve under the hot Spanish sun. Alpineโs Franco Colapinto and Stakeโs Gabriel Bortoleto were the first to post meaningful lap times, but it wasnโt until the final third of practice that the front runners began their qualifying simulations.
At that stage, Verstappen briefly moved to the top on soft tyres, only for Norris to respond with a strong lap before his porpoising problem ended his chance to improve further.
As the final minutes of practice ticked away, Piastri delivered a purple middle sector and maintained his grip on the fastest time. Home crowd favourite Fernando Alonso impressed in sectors two and three, but a slow first sector kept him from topping Verstappenโs earlier mark.
Drivers focused on longer runs toward the end, with most attention on McLarenโs strong showing and Norrisโs technical setback. McLarenโs recent updates to their front wing have clearly paid dividends.
McLaren now holds both the driversโ and constructorsโ championship leads. Piastri has 161 points and Norris sits close behind at 158.
Their combined consistency has moved McLaren to 319 points, comfortably ahead of Mercedes and Red Bull. The atmosphere builds as teams prepare for qualifying, with hopes high for another competitive session under the Spanish sun. Further details on the flexible wing used at the Spanish GP highlight the innovative approaches teams are taking this season.
John Martinez delivers real-time NASCAR Cup Series and Truck Series news, from live race updates to pit-lane strategy analysis. A graduate of the University of Northwestern Ohioโs Motorsports Technology program, he breaks down rule changes, driver tactics, and championship points with crystal-clear reporting.