George Russell led the way in first practice for the Spanish Grand Prix on Friday, setting the fastest lap at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya while Mercedes teammate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli sat out the session to allow reserve driver Frederik Vesti track time.
Russell delivered a clean and consistent performance under sunny conditions, posting a best lap of 1 minute, 16.363 seconds. The time put him 0.203 seconds ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in second place.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished third, 0.520 seconds off Russell’s benchmark, followed by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in fourth. McLaren reserve driver Leonardo Fornaroli, filling in for Lando Norris, completed the top five.
Several reserve drivers featured prominently during the session. Paul Aron impressed with sixth place for Audi, while Ferrari’s Dino Beganovic, Red Bull’s Ayumu Iwasa and Cadillac’s Colton Herta—an IndyCar veteran with nine career wins—also gained valuable running.
Williams driver Luke Browning was due to take part in place of Alex Albon but was unable to complete a timed lap due to an electrical issue that kept him in the garage for the duration of the session.
A second practice session was scheduled later in the day as teams continued preparations for the seventh round of the season in Barcelona, where Antonelli enters the weekend seeking a sixth consecutive victory in what has been a dominant championship campaign.
