Russell beats Piastri and Leclerc in opening Barcelona-Catalunya practice as rookies impress

Mercedes’ George Russell set the pace in opening practice for the 2026 FIA Formula 1 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, beating McLaren’s Oscar Piastri by two tenths of a second in a session that featured seven rookie drivers, with McLaren junior Leonardo Fornaroli making the biggest impression in P5 behind third-placed Charles Leclerc in a heavily upgraded and fourth-placed Max Verstappen.

Russell posted a best lap of 1:16.363s to finish 0.203s clear of Piastri, with Leclerc a further three tenths back on 1:16.883s. Verstappen ended the session 0.684s off the pace and only a little under two tenths clear of Fornaroli, who replaced Lando Norris at McLaren.

The one-hour session featured no fewer than seven rookie drivers, with teams fulfilling the regulation requiring each race driver to sit out two opening practice sessions during the season. Paul Aron was the next of the newcomers, placing sixth for Audi, just under a second away from Russell’s benchmark, while Liam Lawson took seventh for Racing Bulls.

Ferrari also handed track time to Dino Beganovic, who took over Lewis Hamilton’s car as the Scuderia gathered data on a significant upgrade package featuring a new front wing, floor, sidepods and engine cover. Beganovic finished eighth, ahead of the second Racing Bulls of Arvid Lindblad and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, who completed the top 10.

The early stages were led by Russell on medium tyres, the Mercedes driver becoming the first to dip below the 1m18s mark. Verstappen later moved ahead on soft tyres with a 1:17.047s before Russell responded decisively, improving to the session-best 1:16.363s. Piastri also improved to second, though the Australian reported brake vibration that McLaren indicated would need to be addressed before FP2.

There were several moments as drivers searched for grip. Colton Herta, making his Formula 1 practice debut for Cadillac in place of Sergio Pérez, slid through the Turn 7/8 chicane, while Mercedes’ Frederik Vesti, in for Kimi Antonelli, locked up and went off at Turn 1. Gabriel Bortoleto also visited the gravel at Turn 7 after reporting instability in his Audi.

Williams endured a difficult start to the weekend. Home favourite Carlos Sainz stopped in the pit lane before being returned to the garage and later joining the session, but reserve driver Luke Browning was unable to complete a lap after an electrical issue struck Alex Albon’s car before he could leave the pits.

Behind the top 10, Oliver Bearman was 11th for Haas ahead of Bortoleto, Sainz, Ayumu Iwasa in Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull, Vesti, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly. The Alpine driver, whose reinstated Monaco podium had been confirmed ahead of the session, reported issues during a challenging session and ended 17th. Valtteri Bottas followed in 18th for Cadillac, ahead of Aston Martin pair Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, with Herta 21st.

2026 FIA Formula 1 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix – Free Practice 1 
1 George Russell Mercedes 1:16.363 27 219.546
2 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:16.566 0.203 29 218.964
3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:16.883 0.520 29 218.061
4 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:17.047 0.684 29 217.597
5 Leonardo Fornaroli McLaren/Mercedes 1:17.216 0.853 22 217.120
6 Paul Aron Audi 1:17.321 0.958 24 216.825
7 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:17.472 1.109 24 216.403
8 Dino Beganovic Ferrari 1:17.778 1.415 30 215.551
9 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:17.804 1.441 29 215.479
10 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Mercedes 1:17.893 1.530 28 215.233
11 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:18.172 1.809 25 214.465
12 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:18.209 1.846 28 214.364
13 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:18.293 1.930 27 214.134
14 Ayumu Iwasa Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:18.298 1.935 21 214.120
15 Frederik Vesti Mercedes 1:18.365 2.002 28 213.937
16 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 1:18.372 2.009 27 213.918
17 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Mercedes 1:18.508 2.145 23 213.547
18 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac/Ferrari 1:18.914 2.551 23 212.448
19 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Honda 1:20.067 3.704 23 209.389
20 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Honda 1:20.318 3.955 21 208.735
21 Colton Herta Cadillac/Ferrari 1:20.697 4.334 27 207.754