George Russell fastest in Barcelona-Catalunya FP1 ahead of Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc

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George Russell topped the timings during FP1 for the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix as his teammate Kimi Antonelli was forced to miss the session.

Seven rookies hit the track during the opening practice session of the Spanish Grand Prix weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with all eyes on Colton Herta as the American made his long-awaited Formula 1 debut with Cadillac.

Herta, 26, joined the F1 feeder ranks after leaving IndyCar for Formula 2 ahead of the 2026 season, while also taking on a role as Cadillac’s test driver. Friday’s appearance marked his first official Formula 1 outing during a Grand Prix weekend.

The session got underway against the backdrop of a major off-track development, with Alpine announcing that Pierre Gasly’s Monaco Grand Prix podium had been reinstated. The FIA reviewed the pit lane speeding penalties that had originally dropped the Frenchman down the order and subsequently overturned the sanctions, restoring his third-place finish.

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FP1 got off to a frustrating start for Williams as Carlos Sainz found himself stranded at the end of the pit lane before he had even completed an installation lap. “It’s not switching on,” the Spaniard reported over team radio as the rest of the field was forced to steer around the motionless FW48 on their way out of the pits, bringing an early interruption to Williams’ session.

Once the pit lane had cleared, Williams mechanics were eventually able to recover the car, but the Grove-based outfit’s troubles were far from over. Luke Browning also remained confined to the garage, with the team appearing to battle technical issues on both sides of the garage during the opening stages of the session.

McLaren also encountered an early concern, with Oscar Piastri reporting significant brake vibrations just minutes into the session. “Yep Oscar, we see that on the data, we won’t be able to do anything until FP2,” race engineer Tom Stallard replied, before asking if he felt comfortable to remain on track.

Fortunately for McLaren, Piastri was able to continue circulating despite the problem. The Australian briefly returned to the pit lane so engineers could inspect the car before heading back out to resume his programme.

Max Verstappen was unhappy with the balance of his Red Bull from the outset, describing the car as “horrendous” over team radio as he battled both understeer and oversteer.

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Turn 8 also caught out several drivers during the session, including Cadillac rookie Colton Herta, who asked his engineers to check the floor of his car after taking too much kerb. The same corner later caught out Gabriel Bortoleto, who then took a trip through the gravel, causing a brief yellow-flag.

At the halfway point of the session, George Russell led the way for Mercedes, two tenths clear of Oscar Piastri. Charles Leclerc, Liam Lawson and rookie Arvid Lindblad rounded out the top five.

Russell’s benchmark came with reserve driver Frederik Vesti occupying the second Mercedes seat, as championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli sat out FP1.

Verstappen briefly moved to the top of the timesheets after bolting on a set of soft tyres, only for Russell to respond moments later and reclaim P1. The Dutchman will be hoping for a smoother weekend in Barcelona after enduring a frustrating Monaco Grand Prix, where he failed to get off the line at the start.

Paul Aron continued to impress in the Audi, climbing to fifth on the timesheets with just 10 minutes remaining in the session. The Alpine reserve driver, on loan to the German outfit, was almost a full second quicker than full-time Audi racer Gabriel Bortoleto, who sat 10th.

Aron’s stay inside the top five proved short-lived, however, as Leonardo Fornaroli, making his FP1 appearance in place of Lando Norris, edged ahead of the fellow rookie to move into fifth.

Another rookie, Browning, was unable to take part in the session after Williams failed to resolve an electrical issue on Alex Albon’s car in time for FP1. The problem left the British youngster sidelined for the full hour, denying him valuable track time.