Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Fernando Alonso emerged fastest from today's two practice sessions at the Barcelona circuit with a time of 1:21.397 set in the second session. Lewis Hamilton was fastest in the first session with a time of 1:21.880 whilst Fernando was second with 1:22.268. In the second session Lewis was fifth with 1:22.188. Fernando completed 21 and 33 laps whilst Lewis did 22 and 37 laps.

What developments have been introduced to the car since the last race in Bahrain four weeks ago?
There are a number of small but significant developments to the car. The most obvious one being the high mounted flap on the front wing assembly. Everybody at the McLaren Technology Centre have worked really hard since the Bahrain Grand Prix and so far it seems to have paid off, but the other teams have improved as well so we will see what happens.

Does the fact that you tested in Barcelona recently affect the amount of running you did today?
The track conditions are always changing and as a result it doesn't affect the amount of running we do. For an example the track temperature today was higher than at the test.

Obviously there is a lot of support from the fans for Fernando and the team – does that provide additional pressure this weekend?
We always come to every race with the intention of winning and as a result there is always pressure on everybody in the team. However there is no doubt that we will enjoy the extra support this weekend and do our best to ensure that the fans get an enjoyable and exciting race.

Fernando Alonso: "A great start to my home Grand Prix with a trouble free Friday practice. We went through the usual programme of tyre evaluation and set-up work, but had a pretty good balance early on. We have definitely improved the car further since Bahrain. I look forward to the rest of the weekend and really want to do my best for all the supporters."

Lewis Hamilton: "We completed our pre-planned programme focusing on tyres and set-up work. Everything went well. I set my fastest time early in the session and was able to be consistent throughout, so I'm fairly confident for the rest of the weekend."

Ron Dennis: "Since the Bahrain Grand Prix the team has worked really hard on improving the car and there is no doubt that this has paid off, but we have to wait until Sunday to see how effective our developments have been. However we have had the best possible start to the weekend."

Norbert Haug: "A good start for the team at Fernando's home Grand Prix with competitive and consistent times from both drivers. The team's efforts in the build-up to the European season have been positive, but we have to wait and see until qualifying what steps forward we have taken in comparison to our competitors."

To check out our Barcelona practice gallery, click here