George Russell started the Barcelona-Catalunya GP weekend on top of the timesheets. The British driver was leading Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc in a busy FP1 session. The session also saw seven teams hand opportunities to rookie drivers.
However, much of FP1 in Barcelona was focused on testing upgrades, gathering data, and giving young talent valuable track time.
Mixed Session for the Teams
The session got underway with an early setback for home favourite Carlos Sainz.
The Williams driver stalled in the pit lane shortly after the green light and was forced to wait while mechanics pushed the FW26 back to the garage. After a steering wheel change, Sainz was eventually able to return to the circuit and complete his programme.
Once running settled down, Russell quickly emerged as the driver to beat. The Mercedes driver spent much of the session at the top of the timesheets. #63 driver only briefly lost the fastest time to Max Verstappen before reclaiming it during the soft tyre runs.
Behind him, Piastri, Leclerc and Verstappen remained firmly in contention. with little separating the leading teams despite the varying run plans across the field.
The session was without major incidents but saw a few drivers struggling with control or running wide. Most notably, Gabriel Bortoleto had several moments and brought out a brief yellow flag as he went off track after losing control of the rear of his car.
Both Verstappen and Piastri also reported issues with their cars over team radio it was Gasly who ended up retiring.
Alpine driver had been battling brake issues for most of the session before retiring with what appeared to be a suspension-related problem with less than 10 minutes remaining.
Teams Put Upgrades to the Test
Returning to Barcelona for the first time since the Shakedown, many teams used FP1 to gather valuable data on new developments.
McLaren used this session to test their modified front wing and ran aero rakes to check the airflow and gather data.
Red Bull also evaluated a new front wing package. While Ferrari introduced one of its largest upgrade packages of the season so far, featuring a revised floor and front wing.
Williams also brought updates to Barcelona, including changes to the rear wing. , Having missed out on the Barcelona Shakedown earlier in the year, they were hoping for a smooth session. However, the Grove-based team only had Carlos out on track during the session. The mechanics worked frantically throughout the session, but the FW26 never made it out of the garage due to an electrical issue.
Seven Rookies Get Their Chance
The lineup for FP1 looked a little different in Barcelona, featuring seven rookie drivers as teams used the session as one of their “Rookie Sessions”.
McLaren gave a chance to the reigning F2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli as he was driving Lando Norris’ MCL40.
Kimi Antonelli sat out FP1 as Mercedes handed reserve driver Frederik Vesti a chance to take the W17 out on track in Barcelona. Ayumu Iwasa was driving Isack Hadjar’s RB22 while Dino Beganovic drove Lewis Hamilton’s SF-26. Both Iwasa and Beganovic were focused on testing upgrades.
One of the most anticipated appearances came from Colton Herta, who made his Formula 1 weekend debut in Sergio Perez’s Cadillac. The American had a handful of moments during the session but completed his programme without incident.
Audi was also running their first rookie session in F1 with Paul Aron in the car. Estonian was driving Nico Hülkenberg’s R26, having an impressive session. He was faster than Bortoleto and only +0.958 off Russell’s pace.
Alex Albon was sitting out the session to allow Luke Browning to have some track time. Browning, however, never made it out of the garage as the mechanics were trying to chase down and fix an electrical issue. This means Williams will have to reschedule his session for later on in the year.
Looking Ahead
With the rookie running complete, the regular line-up will return for FP2 later this afternoon at the Barcelona-Catalunya GP.
Barcelona has long been regarded as one of the best circuits for exposing a car’s strengths and weaknesses. This makes the second practice session particularly important. With upgrades across the grid and the field looking closely matched, FP2 should provide a much clearer picture of where teams stand heading into the rest of the weekend.
Feature Image Credit: Mercedes Media Bank