Spanish GP: Russell leads Mercedes 1-2 in first Madring practice

George Russell laid down the first benchmark at Madrid’s brand-new Madring circuit, topping the inaugural Formula 1 session at the Spanish Grand Prix as Mercedes immediately seized control with a one-two finish.

The opening Free Practice 1 session offered the first real glimpse of how F1’s newest venue would behave at speed, with 20 of the 22 drivers venturing onto the circuit within the opening 100 seconds.

Nico Hulkenberg and Franco Colapinto joined the action shortly afterwards.

• Spanish Grand Prix Free Practice 1 - Results

Hamilton sets the early pace

The initial laps were understandably cautious, with most drivers circulating in the 1m42s to 1m45s range. Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris were exceptions, breaking into the 1m39s bracket almost immediately.

Hamilton then set about lowering the benchmark at a rapid rate, dropping to 1m36.066s after just eight minutes before improving through 1m35.563s and 1m34.803s.

Charles Leclerc briefly displaced his Ferrari teammate by 0.120s, but Hamilton responded with a 1m34.620s to reclaim the top spot.

The midfield picture remained difficult to read while almost the entire field ran mediums, with Gabriel Bortoleto the lone driver initially opting for hards. Once the soft tyres appeared, however, the order began to take shape.

Russell puts Mercedes on top

Kimi Antonelli and Russell initially fell short of Hamilton’s medium-tyre benchmark on their first two soft-tyre attempts, but Russell found more on his third run, setting a 1m34.145s before lowering the bar again to 1m34.077s.

Antonelli followed with a 1m34.363s, completing a Mercedes one-two at the top.

Verstappen was fifth, ahead of Norris, while rookie Arvid Lindblad impressed by leading the remainder of the midfield in seventh. Oscar Piastri was eighth.

Nico Hulkenberg, Liam Lawson, Bortoleto, Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon and Colapinto occupied positions nine through 14, while Fernando Alonso was a respectable 15th for Aston Martin. Lance Stroll was 22nd, separated from Alonso by the Haas, Williams and Cadillac runners.

The session was not without drama. Yuki Tsunoda was forced out with 25 minutes remaining by a power-steering problem, while Lindblad was furious after encountering Antonelli and Hamilton crawling through La Monumental during his flying lap.

“These same two guys, man!” the rookie ranted over team radio. “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 subsequently featured in further complaints over impeding, with Leclerc, Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz all unhappy with the seven-time world champion’s positioning around the new circuit.

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