George Russell began the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix weekend strongly, topping the timesheets for Mercedes in first practice.
His team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli was one of seven regular drivers who did not take part in the session. Under the rules, teams must run an experienced driver twice per car over the season, and the absent regulars were replaced by more experienced drivers for this opening practice.
Oscar Piastri was second-fastest for McLaren, 0.203 seconds behind Russell. The other McLaren was driven by Formula 2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli, who made an impressive debut in an official practice session, placing fifth. Lando Norris is scheduled to return to the car for second practice.
The two McLarens were split by Charles Leclerc, who was half a second off the pace in a Ferrari carrying substantial updates, while Max Verstappen, running with a new power unit after his Monaco failure, was fourth.
Paul Aron was back behind the wheel for Audi—continuing the programme they ran last year under the Sauber name—and put Nico Hulkenberg’s car sixth fastest. Team-mate Gabriel Bortoleto went off track at turn eight and ended up 12th in the other Audi entry.
The Racing Bulls pair both finished inside the top 10, separated by the second Ferrari driven by Dino Beganovic. Franco Colapinto placed 10th for Alpine, while Pierre Gasly reported an issue, saying “something is broken,” as he limped back to the pits shortly before the session ended.
Carlos Sainz Jnr had to change steering wheels early in the session but managed to complete laps, unlike Williams team-mate Luke Browning, who did not leave the garage. Because Browning did not participate, Williams will need to schedule another weekend later in the season to run one of their junior drivers as required.
Colton Herta made his long-awaited first appearance in an F1 session for Cadillac but experienced a big snap when he ran wide at turn eight. He completed the session at the back of those who recorded times, 1.7 seconds slower than team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter andgo ad-free
2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix first practice result
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W17 | 1’16.363 | 27 | |
| 2 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL40 | 1’16.566 | 0.203 | 29 |
| 3 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’16.883 | 0.520 | 29 |
| 4 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford | RB22 | 1’17.047 | 0.684 | 29 |
| 5 | 67 | Leonardo Fornaroli | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL40 | 1’17.216 | 0.853 | 22 |
| 6 | 97 | Paul Aron | Audi | R26 | 1’17.321 | 0.958 | 24 |
| 7 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls-Red Bull-Ford | 03 | 1’17.472 | 1.109 | 24 |
| 8 | 38 | Dino Beganovic | Ferrari | SF-26 | 1’17.778 | 1.415 | 30 |
| 9 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls-Red Bull-Ford | 03 | 1’17.804 | 1.441 | 29 |
| 10 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine-Mercedes | A526 | 1’17.893 | 1.530 | 28 |
| 11 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas-Ferrari | VF-26 | 1’18.172 | 1.809 | 25 |
| 12 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | R26 | 1’18.209 | 1.846 | 28 |
| 13 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Williams-Mercedes | FW48 | 1’18.293 | 1.930 | 27 |
| 14 | 36 | Ayumu Iwasa | Red Bull-Red Bull-Ford | RB22 | 1’18.298 | 1.935 | 21 |
| 15 | 72 | Frederik Vesti | Mercedes | W17 | 1’18.365 | 2.002 | 28 |
| 16 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas-Ferrari | VF-26 | 1’18.372 | 2.009 | 27 |
| 17 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Mercedes | A526 | 1’18.508 | 2.145 | 23 |
| 18 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac-Ferrari | MAC-26 | 1’18.914 | 2.551 | 23 |
| 19 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin-Honda | AMR26 | 1’20.067 | 3.704 | 23 |
| 20 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Honda | AMR26 | 1’20.318 | 3.955 | 21 |
| 21 | 25 | Colton Herta | Cadillac-Ferrari | MAC-26 | 1’20.697 | 4.334 | 27 |
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter andgo ad-free
2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix
- Russell fastest as Antonelli sits out first practice session in Catalunya
- Russell “dying to have a smooth weekend” after two point-less races
- Verstappen “surprised” FIA ruled Red Bull have best combustion engine
- Alonso expects this weekend will be his final F1 appearance in Barcelona
- Clean sweep for Mercedes? McLaren’s real 1,000th start? Eight Catalunya talking points
Browse all 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix articles