#F1 Matador tames the Bulls @CarlosSainz fastest Red Bull in Practice #SpanishGP

Amid all the talk of Max Verstappen and Daniil Kvyat ahead of the Spanish Gp it was the local hero Carlos Sainz Jr who shaded it from Daniel Ricciardo in the opening sessions at Barcelona. If you wanted evidence that competition was going to be fierce between the Bulls it was served up today. Kvyat was the slowest of the 4 drivers, 1.2 seconds off Sainz, as he adjusted to being demoted to the Junior team. If life was tough at Red Bull Racing it won’t get any easier for the Russian at Scuderia Toro Rosso.

Carlos Sainz (STR11, Car 55)
First Practice Session:
Best lap: 1:26.078, Pos – 8th, 19 laps
Second Practice Session:
Best lap: 1:25.131, Pos – 5th, 39 laps
“We had a really good Friday and we’ve started my home Grand Prix weekend well. I’m happy with today and I feel very comfortable in the car, but we need to keep working like we are because tomorrow it will all be much tighter than what it looks like today. It feels like we can have a strong weekend here in Barcelona and I’m really looking forward to it!”

DANIEL RICCIARDO (RB12, Car 3)
First Practice Session:
Best lap: 1:25.416, Pos – 5th, 25 laps
Second Practice Session:
Best Lap: 1:25.194, Pos – 6th, 37 laps
“Everyone is keeping a close eye on the team this weekend to see how Max goes; I’m a small part of it, but it’s exciting. Coming into the weekend we are expected to be the top five, so we’ll keep that goal; anything better than that will just mean bigger smiles. I was relatively happy with today; I think there is a bit more for us to find, but generally it was a good day. I know what this car is capable of, so a few changes tonight and then tomorrow hopefully we will be a bit further up the front. We did a good long run on the soft and the medium, which gave us a lot of good tyre information. This has given us the info we need for tonight to make smart decisions for tomorrow.”

MAX VERSTAPPEN (RB12, Car 33)
First Practice Session:
Best Lap: 1:25.585, Pos – 6th. Laps: 29
Second Practice Session:
Best Lap: 1:25.375, Pos – 8th. Laps: 31
“I’m happy; for a first day you can’t complain! We got through a lot of work and did a lot of laps and I think that’s the most important thing for me at the moment. I’m still getting used to the car, I don’t feel its full limit yet. It’s a new car, but I wasn’t nervous this morning, I just wanted to experience the car, I was eager to just go out and drive. I’m still learning a lot about the car; the seat position, the steering wheel position, all the switches and the procedures are all completely different to the Toro Rosso, but we are working on it and it’s getting better and better. Red Bull Racing is a good team and I enjoy working with them. If we have a good feeling tomorrow I will do my best and from there on we will see what happens; for sure you need a few weekends to be fully comfortable.”

Daniil Kvyat (STR11, Car 26)
First Practice Session
Best lap: 1:26.583, Pos – 12th, 21 laps
Second Practice Session
Best lap: 1:26.375, Pos – 15th, 44 laps
“It was my first Friday with the team, so there were plenty of things to look at and adapt myself to, as well as trying to find the best compromise for tomorrow. We’ve definitely learned a lot from today and we know in what direction to go in order to make steps forward for the rest of the weekend. I already feel like at home here, the team has really given me a warm welcome and we are