Mercedes dominate opening practice at Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid
Mercedes drivers led the first practice session at the Spanish Grand Prix, with George Russell fastest and Kimi Antonelli close behind, while Lewis Hamilton topped the medium-compound times.
George Russell set the fastest lap in the opening practice for the Spanish Grand Prix at the Madrid circuit, recording a 1:34.145 on the soft tyre. His Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli was 0.286 seconds slower, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton occupied third and fourth places respectively. Max Verstappen rounded out the top five.
Nico Hulkenberg, driving for Audi, improved to seventh with a 1:35.533 on the soft compound, and later posted a seventh-place time on the soft tyre. Oscar Piastri reported a mechanical issue in the cockpit of his McLaren, describing a feeling of something hanging near his feet.
Lewis Hamilton posted the quickest time on the medium tyre, a 1:34.620, before later improving to 1:36.066 on the C3 compound. He and Leclerc exchanged comments about on-track proximity, with Leclerc noting that Hamilton was unaware of his approach.
Red Bull’s Liam Lawson, substituting for the injured Isack Hadjar, was fourth on the board, close to Max Verstappen who was second. Yuki Tsunoda and Arvid Lindblad also logged laps on the medium compound.
Pirelli confirmed the tyre allocation for the weekend: C2 as hard, C3 as medium and C4 as soft, noting the circuit’s high vertical loads, especially through the steep La Monumental corner.
Teams focused on gathering data and avoiding damage, with no red flags or interruptions reported during the session.