George Russell was fastest in first practice for the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix as he got his pivotal weekend off to a flying start.Russell has failed to score points in the last two Formula 1 grands prix after a terminal engine problem in Canada and a speeding penalty which led to a team blunder and another penalty in Monaco.
It has left the British driver 68 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who missed first practice in Barcelona as Mercedes were one of seven teams to run rookies in their cars – something the teams have to do four times during the season.
Russell was quickest on the medium and soft tyre runs, ending the session two tenths faster than Oscar Piastri who ran a new front wing on his McLaren.Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle said: “George knows this place like the back of his hand anyway. He’s fine. George is a professional. He’s brilliant. He’s world championship potential, he knows that.
“He’s just got to let all the noise disappear and just keep believing in doing what he does best and that’s driving a Formula 1 car.”
McLaren have also had a difficult last two races but are hoping the return to a more conventional circuit will see them challenge Mercedes and potentially end the Silver Arrows’ unbeaten run on Sundays this year.
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Russell has said he feels like everything is going against him this season and the form of his team-mate Kimi Antonelli has not helped him
Ferrari have brought the biggest upgrade package to Barcelona, including a new floor and front wing, but Charles Leclerc was 0.520s slower than Russell.There will also be some head scratching at Red Bull as Max Verstappen was six tenths off the pace, despite a new front wing on the RB22.Italy’s Leonardo Fornaroli was the best of the rookies in fifth for McLaren, as he replaced Lando Norris, but the most impressive rookie was Estonia’s Paul Aron.
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Paul Aron impressed for Audi in first practice (Memmler/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)
Aron drove in place of Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg and posted the sixth quickest time, nearly nine tenths quicker than full-time driver Gabriel Bortoleto and only one second off Mercedes’…
2026-06-12 13:37:00
