George Russell Tops Opening Practice at Madring
George Russell drew first blood at Formula 1’s newest venue, topping the opening practice session at the brand‑new Madring and leading a commanding Mercedes one‑two to kick off the Spanish Grand Prix weekend.
The circuit, making its F1 debut, barely had time to breathe. Within 100 seconds of the green light, 20 of the 22 cars were already pounding around the fresh asphalt, only Nico Hulkenberg and Franco Colapinto opting for a more cautious, delayed entrance.
Early laps were nervous, exploratory. Most of the field hovered in the 1m42s to 1m45s range as they felt out the grip. Then the heavyweights arrived. Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris immediately punched into the 1m39s, underlining both the pace on offer and how quickly the frontrunners were prepared to lean on the walls of this new playground.
The times tumbled. Hamilton, relishing the flowing layout, slashed the benchmark to 1m36.066s within eight minutes, then kept chiselling away. Lap after lap, he carved out the reference: first 1m35.563s, then 1m34.803s, consistently faster than anyone as Ferrari’s pace lit up the timing screens.
Charles Leclerc briefly interrupted the story, edging ahead by 0.120s, only for Hamilton to strike back with a 1m34.620s to reclaim top spot. At that stage, the seven-time world champion looked very much the man to beat.
Most of the field spent the opening half of the session on medium tyres. Only Gabriel Bortoleto persisted on hards, playing a longer game while everyone else eyed the headline times. Then the softs came out, and the tone of the session changed.
The pressure finally told on Hamilton’s early supremacy. Kimi Antonelli and Russell bolted on the red‑walled tyres and went hunting. Their first two attempts on softs came up just short – Antonelli missing Hamilton’s medium-tyre benchmark by 0.063s, Russell by 0.109s – but the intent was obvious.
Russell’s third lap delivered the blow. A 1m34.145s pushed the Mercedes to the top, and he went again, tightening the screw with a 1m34.077s that would stand as the session’s fastest time. Antonelli backed it up with a 1m34.363s to lock in a Mercedes one‑two and underline the car’s early comfort around Madring’s mix of fast sweeps and technical sections.
While Mercedes surged, Ferrari’s session grew scruffier. Both Leclerc and Hamilton ran wide at Turn 17 as they searched for the limit, the Monegasque only nibbling at his personal best. Hamilton never improved on his earlier medium‑tyre effort and ended the session as one of only two drivers whose quickest lap did not come on softs – the other being Yuki Tsunoda, whose day was cut short.
Tsunoda’s Racing Bulls ground to a halt in the garage with a power steering issue, ruling him out with 25 minutes remaining and leaving him 18th on the timesheets, his best lap set on mediums.
Behind the Mercedes‑Ferrari‑Red Bull axis, Verstappen slotted into fifth with a 1m34.703s, 0.626s off Russell. Norris followed in sixth, then came one of the standout stories of the hour: Arvid Lindblad. The Racing Bulls driver not only cleared the rest of the midfield but did so decisively, his 1m35.033s good enough for seventh and a clear marker in the early battle for best of the rest. Oscar Piastri rounded out the top eight.
Hulkenberg led the chasing pack in ninth, narrowly ahead of Liam Lawson. Bortoleto, Esteban Ocon and Colapinto all clustered together in the 1m35.5s to 1m35.9s window, with Pierre Gasly just behind as Alpine’s day started in low-key fashion.
Home favourite Fernando Alonso gave the Spanish fans a small lift. Fifteenth place might not sound like much, but by Aston Martin’s current standards it was at least an encouraging sign, as he finished ahead of one Haas, both Williams, both Cadillacs and his team‑mate Lance Stroll.
The most animated moment of the session, though, came not from the timing screens but from the radios.
On a flying lap through the fast La Monumental section, Lindblad suddenly found a slow Mercedes and Ferrari – Antonelli and Hamilton – in his path. Forced to check his speed, the rookie exploded over team radio: “These same two guys, man! Like, I don’t know what they’re doing, they’re just stupid, right in the fast corner! It’s actually very dangerous, it’s been twice now.”
Hamilton’s traffic troubles didn’t end there. He became the centre of further impeding complaints, with incidents involving Leclerc and Hulkenberg also noted. Carlos Sainz added his own frustration, unhappy with how Hamilton let him through at La Monumental as the session descended into a familiar Friday tangle of differing run plans and blind spots.
Behind Alonso in 15th, Oliver Bearman and Sainz’s Williams were separated by just 0.017s, while Tsunoda’s truncated effort left him 18th. Stroll, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas completed the order, the Cadillac pair a long way adrift of the front – Bottas 4.741s off Russell’s pace.
For now, the headline belongs to Mercedes. On a new circuit, with everyone learning on the fly, Russell and Antonelli looked sharp, confident and aggressive. The question for the rest of the weekend is simple: was this just an early flourish, or the first sign that Mercedes intend to own Madring’s first chapter?
