George Russell set the fastest time in the opening practice session for the 2026 FIA Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix, leading a Mercedes 1-2 as Formula 1 made its first competitive appearance at the all-new Madring circuit in Madrid.
Russell posted a benchmark lap of 1:34.077 on the Soft-compound Pirelli tyres, edging team-mate Kimi Antonelli by 0.286 seconds around the 5.4-kilometre, 22-turn track built around the IFEMA Madrid exhibition centre. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton completed the top four for Ferrari, with championship leader Max Verstappen fifth for Oracle Red Bull Racing, 0.626 seconds off the pace. Lando Norris was sixth in the McLaren, 0.870 seconds adrift.
All drivers except Gabriel Bortoleto started on Medium-compound tyres, with the Audi driver opting for the Hard compound. Hamilton initially led the session on Mediums, setting a 1:34.620, before Leclerc moved Ferrari to the top. Mercedes then switched to Softs, and Russell progressively improved, first recording a 1:34.145 before lowering the benchmark to his final time.
Notably, both Ferraris set their quickest laps on the Medium compound, suggesting potential long-run pace that the session times do not fully reflect. Arvid Lindblad was seventh for Racing Bulls, ahead of Oscar Piastri in eighth. The McLaren driver completed 22 laps before reporting something loose in his cockpit and returning to the pits for investigation. Nico Hülkenberg placed ninth for Audi, with Liam Lawson tenth for Red Bull Racing just 0.010 seconds behind.
Carlo Sainz completed the most laps of any driver with 30 circuits for Williams, while Valtteri Bottas was 22nd and last for Cadillac, 4.741 seconds behind Russell.
The session was not without incident. Yuki Tsunoda reported a power steering problem with his Racing Bulls car midway through the hour and a half, which sidelined him for the remainder of the session after completing only 16 laps. Fernando Alonso came to a halt on track for Aston Martin shortly after the chequered flag fell. The session was completed without a red flag despite the challenges typical of a new circuit, including traffic and a rapidly evolving track surface.