Russell tops first practice session at Madring as Mercedes leads the Ferraris

George Russell topped the first ever free practice session at the Madring circuit with a 1:34:077. Kimi Antonelli finished second, while Charles Leclerc completed the top three in the Spanish capital. Behind Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton finished fourth.

Max Verstappen set the fifth-fastest time, finishing more than six tenths of a second behind Russell. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finished sixth and eighth, respectively.

Despite many drivers commenting on how dangerous the track is during media day, as well as incidents in the feeder series, the first session went by without any crashes and yellow flags were also rare. However, there were cases of impeding.

Drivers were eager to get out on track for the first time this weekend, as other than Leclerc and Hamilton, no one had driven the Madring before. During the opening laps, it was important for the drivers to get a feel for the track.

The drivers began completing laps on the medium tyres, with the exception of Gabriel Bortoleto, who opted for the hard compound. After the first 10 minutes, Hamilton led the session with a 1:36.0, ahead of Leclerc and Norris. The seven-time world champion then improved to a 1:34.8 with 40 minutes to go.

Shortly after, Leclerc improved to a 1:34.6 as the Ferrari drivers traded fastest laps, with everyone except the Audis continuing to set flying laps on the medium tyres.

The Mercedes drivers and Liam Lawson were the first to fit a set of soft tyres at the halfway point of the session, and gradually, more competitors followed. With 20 minutes to go, Russell took the lead with a 1:34.1. He then improved to a 1:34.0, which no one could better.