New F1 rules caused headaches – drivers’ task became more difficult

The first practice session of the Spanish GP was held at the Montmeló circuit.

The Catalan circuit’s place on the F1 calendar was traditionally at the beginning of May, when it also opened the European leg of the season.

The Spanish GP will be held next Sunday, already in June. In Europe, there have also been races in Imola and Monaco.

Previously, teams aimed their first car upgrades at Montmeló, as the real race was considered to start there.

This year, the reason is changing rules. The FIA wants to stop teams from playing around with the rules with their bending front wings. It decided back in the winter that the ninth race weekend of the season would be the first where wing bending would be controlled in real terms.

According to the rules, the front wings should not bend at all, but a small margin has been added to the torque. This weekend it has shrunk from 15 millimeters to 10.

In practice, this meant that Ferrari, Red Bull, Aston Martin, Haas, Racing Bulls, Williams and Sauber all brought new front wings to the scrutineering.

McLaren and Mercedes had already done their homework, even though the Silver Arrow had new rear wings and underbody panels installed.

The first practice hour on Friday was spent working on the new aerodynamic features. The tighter front wing control is inevitably felt in the cockpit, as it clearly weakens the car’s balance.

McLaren’s Lando Norris was allowed to drive a completely unchanged car. The Briton clocked the fastest lap time of practice, leaving Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in second place.