Russell tops first practice ahead of Piastri at Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix

Mercedes George Russell topped the timing boards in the first hour of practice at the Barcelona Grand Prix, pipping the McLaren of Oscar Piastri. 

Feature image credit: Pirelli

Russell was the leading driver in the first outing on the iconic Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya circuit as the British driver clocked the fastest time of 1m 16.363 seconds.

This was the quickest time of the field, with Piastri just behind the Mercedes driver, two tenths behind, as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc rounded out the top three. 

Several changes were made across the field as seven drivers were catapulted into race seats to fulfil some of the FP1 rookie requirements, as stipulated in the regulations. Mercedes championship leader, Kimi Antonelli, was one of the drivers to lose his seat in FP1, replaced by Fred Vesti. 

It is not unusual for the teams to fulfil their requirements at the Spanish circuit after most of the drivers will be familiar with the circuit, clocking many laps in pre-season testing, including this year at the ‘shakedown week.’

Pirelli remain F1 tyre supplier until 2028

The session wasn’t without issues as Williams’ Carlos Sainz, in his first home event of the season, was stuck in the pit lane with a faulty steering wheel. He was pushed into his garage and given a new wheel before heading out onto the track. 

Additionally, Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto brought out the yellow flags at turn seven as the Brazilian driver struggled to rein in his R26. Onboards showed the Audi driver had suffered a snap of oversteer entering turn seven, before skipping across the gravel and back onto the circuit. 

Luke Browning, who was meant to replace Alexander Albon, was not able to get out on track due to technical problems. However, he will get a second chance at the end of June, as he is expected to replace Sainz at the Austrian Grand Prix. 

Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix: the full F1 schedule and times

So, who finished where? 

FP1 Classification:

1. George Russell, Mercedes – 1m 16.363s
2. Oscar Piastri, McLaren +0.203s
3. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +0.52s
4. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing +0.684s
5. Leonardo Fornaroli, McLaren +0.853s
6. Paul Aron, Audi +0.958s
7. Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls +1.109s
8. Dino Begnovic, Ferrari +1.415s
9. Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls +1.441s
10. Franco Colapinto, Alpine +1.53s
11. Oliver Bearman, Haas +1.809s
12. Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi +1.846s
13. Carlos Sainz, Williams +1.93s
14. Ayumu Iwasa, Red Bull Racing +1.935s
15. Fred Vesti, Mercedes +2.002s
16. Esteban Ocon, Haas +2.009s
17. Pierre Gasly, Alpine +2.145s
18. Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac +2.551s
19. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin +3.704s
20. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +3.955s
21. Colton Herta, Cadillac +4.334s

Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.