Spanish GP: Charles Leclerc edges George Russell, Lewis Hamilton in Practice Two as Mercedes impress

Mercedes found their pace in upgraded cars during Practice Two but championship leader Charles Leclerc asserted his authority in Barcelona

Charles Leclerc asserted his authority at the Spanish GP by topping Practice Two, although the championship leader was closely challenged by Mercedes as George Russell and Lewis Hamilton found pace in their upgraded cars.

On an intriguing day in Barcelona as the majority of teams introduced upgrades, Leclerc completed a practice double by racing ahead with a 1:19.670, set on soft tyres on an impressive qualifying sim in the Ferrari.

At that stage, Leclerc had created a notable gap between himself and his expected rivals, team-mate Carlos Sainz and title contender Max Verstappen, who were both three-tenths off the pace.

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Valtteri Bottas is out of P2 after losing power in his Alfa Romeo at the first turn in Spain.

But Mercedes then joined the fight at the front as Russell and then Hamilton pushed the limits of their car, which has had a raft of updates for this weekend.

Russell’s soft-tyre lap was just 0.117s slower than Leclerc’s while Hamilton was a tenth further back, with Mercedes enjoying a rare positive day in Formula 1 2022.

Sainz and Verstappen eventually finished fourth and fifth, with Alpine’s Fernando Alonso beating the other Red Bull of Sergio Perez.

More to follow.