Hamilton and Leclerc fear their "competitors are quite a bit ahead of us"

Ferrari experienced a mixed but revealing opening day at the Barcelona‑Catalunya Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc leading the team’s efforts across both sessions while Lewis Hamilton endured a more complicated start to his weekend.

The Scuderia arrived in Spain with a significant upgrade package — including revisions to the front wing, floor, sidepods and diffuser — and Friday’s running offered the first real indication of its effectiveness, even if the competitive picture remains incomplete.

The day began with Dino Beganovic stepping into Hamilton’s car for FP1 as part of Ferrari’s rookie‑driver obligations. The young Swede delivered an assured performance, finishing eighth and completing a clean, productive session.

“I’m really happy with my free practice session today,” he said afterwards. “The whole car and PU were new to me, so the first part was all about learning and getting up to speed.

"I felt a big difference going from used Mediums to the Softs, and I really enjoyed my last run on that compound. I’m satisfied with the steps I made over the course of the session and it gives me lots of new experience to take with me.

"I want to thank Scuderia Ferrari for the support. It’s always special to jump in the car and work with this team, and I hope to have the opportunity to do so again soon.”

Leclerc, meanwhile, placed third in FP1, half a second behind George Russell’s leading time but consistently among the frontrunners. The Monegasque driver continued to set the tone for Ferrari in FP2, where he finished fourth with a 1:15.799. Reflecting on the day, Leclerc struck a cautiously optimistic note.

“It was an interesting day. We have a few new items on the car and we’ve made a step forward. Regarding competitiveness, it’s too early to say and I think our competitors are quite a bit ahead of us. We have to focus on maximizing what we have now and we will see what we can do tomorrow.”

Hamilton’s return to the cockpit in FP2 proved more challenging. The seven‑time World Champion struggled with balance and grip throughout the session, running wide over the grass at one stage and repeatedly questioning whether his tyre degradation was higher than that of his rivals.

He ended the session ninth, nearly eight tenths off Norris’ benchmark. “My only session today was quite a challenging one,” Hamilton admitted.

“We had an issue with the front wing which made things a bit more complicated, particularly in terms of tyre preparation, and missing FP1 meant I was a bit on the back foot. There is still some work to do, but we've gathered useful data and we'll focus on making the right improvements overnight.”

Pressed further on Ferrari’s upgrade package, Hamilton was frank about his lack of feeling for the new components. “I have zero feel of it, so I have no idea where… We’re obviously not quick.

"Charles has obviously had two sessions, and I think he’s four‑tenths or something off the McLarens and the Mercedes, so clearly we’re quite a chunk off still, but hopefully tomorrow we can try and close the gap a bit.”