Fernando Alonso is having flashbacks to his Renault days thanks to the "special energy" at the Spanish Grand Prix.

The home hero was the first car on track when Practice got underway on Friday and was cheered around every metre of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya each time he went out.

Such was the atmosphere and the sights in the grandstands that Alonso drew comparisons to his heyday almost 20 years ago.

"I heard 67% of the merchandise on the grandstand is green, which is amazing,” he said.

“This is going back to the 2005, 2006, 2007 years, when everything was in one colour.

“I really feel that support, that special energy. It was amazing at the fan forum this morning. 

"While driving I cannot hear them, but I feel how enthusiastic they are, so hopefully we put in a good show for them.”

Ahead of the race, plenty of hype has been built around Alonso's mission for a 33rd win in F1 and his first since the Spanish GP in 2013.

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And while P2 in Practice was a positive start for the double world champion, he is remaining calm.

“It’s so close over one lap that I think a couple of tenths will put you in a completely different position in the classification, so we won’t read too much into the times," he stated.

“We went through all the programmes that we had before free practice, which is a good thing. Learning about the tyres. 

“The track is a little slower maybe than what we predicted, so there’s still more time to find, more tweaks on the set-up, but it was a productive Friday.”

Aston Martin has also brought a significant batch of upgrades to the Spanish GP, with Alonso giving them a thumbs up.

“They do, they do, absolutely," he said on if they were giving him a boost.

“There is not a new part that we put in the car that is not helping the performance. That’s something that has been always the case with the team from Bahrain. 

“So I’m happy with the upgrades and let’s see tomorrow, when everyone goes to full power, where we are.”