Barcelona-Catalunya GP: Russell fastest in first practice as Antonelli faces investigation

By Callum Ashford — 13 June 2026 — 5 min read

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Russell leads opening practice sessions

George Russell of Mercedes recorded the fastest time in the first practice session for the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix. His performance put him ahead of Oscar Piastri. Charles Leclerc was also among the top contenders in this initial session.

Russell’s strong start to the weekend follows a period where he has not scored points in the last two Formula 1 grands prix. These previous races included an engine issue in Canada and a speeding penalty in Monaco that led to a team error and another penalty. He currently trails championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 68 points.

In the first practice, Russell was quickest on both medium and soft tyre runs. He finished two-tenths of a second faster than Piastri, whose McLaren featured a new front wing. Martin Brundle commented on Russell’s familiarity with the circuit and his professional approach, highlighting his potential for a world championship.

Ferrari introduced a significant upgrade package for Barcelona, including a new floor and front wing. Despite these enhancements, Leclerc was 0.520 seconds slower than Russell. Max Verstappen of Red Bull was also off the pace, six-tenths behind, even with a new front wing on his RB22.

Among the rookies, Leonardo Fornaroli, replacing Lando Norris for McLaren, was the best performer in fifth position. Paul Aron from Estonia, driving for Audi in place of Nico Hulkenberg, posted the sixth-quickest time. Aron’s time was nearly nine-tenths faster than full-time driver Gabriel Bortoleto and approximately one second off Russell’s pace, which was notable given Audi‘s midfield car status.

Dino Beganovic drove Lewis Hamilton‘s Ferrari, focusing on testing new components and finishing eighth, positioned between the Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad. Former IndyCar driver and current Formula 2 competitor Colton Herta participated in his first F1 practice session for Cadillac, pushing hard but finishing last among the drivers who completed a lap.

Luke Browning from Britain could not participate in the first practice due to an electrical issue with his Williams, but is expected to return for the next race in Austria. Kimi Antonelli, the championship leader, did not take part in the first practice session in Barcelona, as Mercedes was one of seven teams to use rookies in their cars, a requirement for teams four times during the season.

Second practice session overview

In the second free practice session, Lando Norris of McLaren achieved the fastest time. He was closely followed by George Russell and his teammate Oscar Piastri, with only 0.057 seconds separating the top three. All 22 regular drivers participated in this one-hour session on Friday, with seven drivers having sat out the first practice to allow rookies to drive their cars.

Early in the session, Max Verstappen nearly matched Russell’s best time from the opening session, using the hardest compound of Pirelli tyres. This highlighted the track evolution at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Piastri was the first to break the 1 minute 16 second mark, recording a 1 minute 15.724 second lap on medium tyres, while Verstappen struggled with grip on hard tyres.

Russell also encountered difficulties, experiencing oversteer through Turn 3, which briefly sent him into the run-off area. Despite this, he recovered to move into second place, two-tenths behind Piastri on medium tyres. A brief Virtual Safety Car was deployed when Liam Lawson‘s Racing Bulls stopped after exiting the pit lane.

Verstappen was the first to switch to soft tyres as teams began qualifying simulations, but he could only reach third place, five-tenths behind Piastri’s best. Charles Leclerc then moved into second, between Piastri and Russell. Russell subsequently set a new benchmark with a 1 minute 15.435 second lap, with his teammate Kimi Antonelli, who had missed FP1, five-tenths behind in fourth.

Piastri improved his time, closing to within 0.048 seconds of Russell’s best. However, Lando Norris, who also missed FP1, then took the top spot with a 1 minute 15.426 second lap, which remained the fastest time by 0.009 seconds until the end of the session. Leclerc finished fourth, followed by Antonelli, Verstappen, Arvid Lindblad of Racing Bulls, and Gabriel Bortoleto of Audi.

Lewis Hamilton finished ninth, reporting issues with the rear of his car. Isack Hadjar, who missed FP1, completed the top ten. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) was eleventh, followed by Ollie Bearman (Haas), Lawson, Carlos Sainz (Williams), and the Alpines of Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly. Esteban Ocon (Haas) was seventeenth, ahead of Valtteri Bottas of Cadillac, who missed part of the session due to an ECU issue.

Alex Albon (Williams) and Sergio Perez (Cadillac) followed, with Perez receiving a warning after a near collision with Hadjar at Turn 4. The Aston Martins completed the order, with Fernando Alonso under investigation for potentially crossing the pit lane exit line, and Lance Stroll finishing four seconds behind Norris.

Final practice session preparations

Heading into the final practice session before qualifying, Kimi Antonelli, Max Verstappen, and Lewis Hamilton are all looking to improve their lap times. McLaren had a strong first day, with Lando Norris leading the timesheets, while George Russell of Mercedes secured second place.

Verstappen and Hamilton particularly struggled with outright pace on Friday, with Hamilton finishing ninth. All teams and drivers have one last practice session to refine their car setups on a circuit they know well, as they prepare for qualifying for the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix this weekend.