Russell Sets Early Pace at Madring
George Russell finished fastest in the opening practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix, leading Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli as Formula 1 cars took to the new Madring circuit for the first time. Russell's best lap of 1m 34.077s left him nearly three tenths ahead of Antonelli, while Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were the next quickest. The session began at 1330 local time, with a rush of cars heading out onto the 22-turn, 5.414km street circuit to gather information during the one-hour run.[S1]
Early incidents included Sergio Perez requiring a new steering wheel in his Cadillac, while both Alpine cars of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto stayed in the garage for the first 15 minutes. Esteban Ocon reported high grip levels, and lap times steadily improved as drivers used the medium Pirelli tyre and navigated heavy traffic. Several drivers exceeded track limits: Antonelli ran wide at Turn 13, and Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg cut the Turn 5 chicane.[S1]
Mid-Session Shifts and Late Improvements
At the halfway point, Hamilton led with a 1m 34.620s, marginally ahead of Leclerc, with Antonelli two tenths further back on the soft tyre. Russell aborted his first soft-tyre lap due to traffic, while Liam Lawson used the same compound to move up to fourth in his Red Bull with 30 minutes remaining. Russell then returned to third behind the Ferraris and ahead of Antonelli as track conditions evolved and tyre management became a concern, with Max Verstappen experiencing graining on his medium tyres.[S1]
Yuki Tsunoda's session ended with 20 minutes left when his Racing Bulls car was taken to the garage due to a power steering issue. In the final stages, most drivers focused on single-lap pace. Russell posted a 1m 34.145s before improving to a 1m 34.077s, which remained fastest at the chequered flag. Leclerc struggled to improve on the soft tyre and went into the run-off at Turn 17, while Antonelli moved up to second, less than three tenths behind Russell, with about 10 minutes remaining.[S1]
Final Classification and Notable Performances
Leclerc finished nearly five tenths behind Russell. Hamilton, on the medium tyre, ended up ahead of Verstappen's Red Bull, Lando Norris (McLaren), Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls), Oscar Piastri's McLaren, Hulkenberg, and Lawson, completing the top 10. Bortoleto was 11th, followed by Ocon's Haas, Colapinto, Gasly, home driver Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), and Ollie Bearman's Haas. Spanish local Carlos Sainz was 17th in his Williams, ahead of Tsunoda, Lance Stroll's Aston Martin, Alex Albon (Williams), and the two Cadillacs of Perez and Valtteri Bottas.[S1]
