FP1: Russell heads Piastri in opening Barcelona practice
George Russell began the Barcelona‑Catalunya Grand Prix weekend in commanding fashion, setting the fastest time in a Free Practice 1 session defined as much by its pace as by the unusually high number of rookie drivers taking part.
With Formula One regulations requiring every full‑time driver to give up two FP1 sessions per season, no fewer than seven rookies — defined as drivers with no more than two Grand Prix starts — took to the track on Friday afternoon, creating a dynamic and occasionally unpredictable opening hour.
The session began at 13:30 local time with most of the field heading out immediately, but the first drama arrived almost at once. Home favourite Carlos Sainz was unable to restart his Williams in the pit lane and had to be wheeled back to the garage by his mechanics.
Although he managed to join the session five minutes later, his team‑mate Luke Browning was not as fortunate. The British reserve driver never completed a single lap, as an electrical issue on Alex Albon’s car prevented Browning from leaving the garage at all.
At the front of the field, Russell quickly established himself as the driver to beat. Running on the medium compound, he became the first to break the 1m18s barrier with a 1:17.414, a time that stood out as others focused on longer runs or acclimatising to the circuit.
With championship leader Kimi Antonelli watching from the Mercedes garage as his car was handed over to Fred Vesti for the rookie‑mandated outing, Russell’s early pace set the tone for the session.
Oscar Piastri emerged as his closest challenger, just two tenths behind, though the Australian reported brake vibrations that McLaren said could only be resolved before FP2.
Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, slotted into third but struggled for consistency, running wide at Turn 10 as he searched for balance in his Ferrari.
The session was punctuated by several off‑track moments as drivers battled low grip and shifting track conditions. Colton Herta, making his FP1 debut for Cadillac in place of Sergio Pérez, slid through the Turn 7/8 chicane and clipped the gravel on exit.
Vesti locked up into Turn 1 and took to the run‑off area, while Verstappen — only sixth at that stage — complained that he did not know what to make of the handling of his Red Bull. Gabriel Bortoleto also found the gravel at Turn 7, describing his Audi as unstable before rejoining the circuit.
As the session entered its second half, the field switched to the soft compound and the times began to fall. Verstappen briefly moved to the top with a 1:17.047, but his spell in first place was short‑lived.
Russell responded with a superb 1:16.363, a lap that would remain untouched until the chequered flag and ultimately secured him the fastest time of the session. Piastri improved again to take second, 0.203s behind, while Leclerc completed the top three, half a second off Russell’s benchmark.
Behind the leading trio, Verstappen finished fourth, followed by an impressive performance from reigning Formula 2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli, who took fifth while standing in for Lando Norris at McLaren.
Paul Aron, driving Nico Hülkenberg’s Audi, secured sixth place. The top ten was rounded out by Liam Lawson’s Racing Bulls entry, Dino Beganovic in Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari, Arvid Lindblad in the second Racing Bulls car, and Franco Colapinto’s Alpine.
Ollie Bearman led the midfield in eleventh ahead of Bortoleto, Sainz, Ayumu Iwasa — who substituted for Isack Hadjar at Red Bull — Vesti, Esteban Ocon’s Haas and Pierre Gasly, who reported a late‑session issue with his Alpine. Valtteri Bottas placed eighteenth for Cadillac, followed by both Aston Martins of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. Herta and the unlucky Browning completed the order.
