George Russell of Mercedes set the fastest time during the inaugural Formula 1 session at the newly constructed Madring circuit, leading the way in opening practice for the Spanish Grand Prix.
Within the first 100 seconds, 20 out of the 22 competitors ventured onto the track, while Nico Hulkenberg and Franco Colapinto waited a bit longer before making their appearances.
The initial timed laps were somewhat cautious, with the majority of the field registering runs in the 1m42s to 1m45s bracket. However, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, and Lando Norris immediately broke into the 1m39s range.
Pace rapidly improved as the session progressed, with Hamilton lowering the benchmark to a 1m36.066s after just eight minutes. Showcasing superior pace, the Ferrari driver progressively lowered the target to a 1m35.563s and then a 1m34.803s. While teammate Charles Leclerc briefly went 0.120s quicker, Hamilton reclaimed the top spot by registering a 1m34.620s.
With the exception of Gabriel Bortoleto, who ran on hard tires, the entire grid used medium compounds for the first half of the session before switching to softs.
Even so, the initial soft-compound runs from Kimi Antonelli and Russell—two attempts each—fell short of Hamilton’s medium-compound benchmark by 0.063s and 0.109s, respectively.
Lewis Hamilton behind the wheel of the Ferrari
Captured by: Clive Rose / Formula 1 via Getty Images
Russell’s third attempt, a 1m34.145s, was fast enough to claim the top spot, and he subsequently improved it to a 1m34.077s. Antonelli logged a 1m34.363s to secure a Mercedes 1-2 finish.
Meanwhile, both Leclerc and Hamilton went wide at the 17th turn. The Monegasque only marginally improved his personal best, while his teammate was the sole driver who failed to set his quickest time on the soft compound—along with Yuki Tsunoda, whose session was cut short with 25 minutes remaining due to a power steering malfunction on his Racing Bulls.
Max Verstappen ended up fifth, finishing ahead of Lando Norris, rookie Arvid Lindblad—who outpaced the rest of the midfield runners—and Oscar Piastri.
Nico Hulkenberg, Liam Lawson, Gabriel Bortoleto, Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, and Franco Colapinto followed closely behind, all bunched within a 1m35.5s to 1m35.9s range.
Local hero Fernando Alonso posted a promising 15th-place time, considering Aston Martin’s current struggles, placing ahead of a Haas, both Williams entries, the Cadillac pair, and his teammate Lance Stroll.
The session’s most notable moment came when Lindblad, while on a hot lap, encountered the slow-moving Mercedes of Antonelli and Ferrari of Hamilton in the La Monumental section.
Oliver Bearman driving for Haas and Arvid Lindblad representing Racing Bulls
Captured by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images
“It’s those two drivers again!” the rookie complained over the team radio. “I honestly don’t get what they are doing. That’s incredibly foolish, right in the middle of a high-speed bend! It’s actually highly hazardous, and that’s the second time it’s happened.”
Hamilton was then involved in further traffic disputes, blocking his teammate Leclerc as well as Hulkenberg. Carlos Sainz also voiced his frustration regarding how the seven-time world champion yielded the racing line to him in La Monumental.
Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix – First Practice Results
