George Russell led way at the end of free practice for what is now called the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix. It wasn’t all plain sailing as the six-time race winner suffered a snap of oversteer at turn three in FP2 and later took to the gravel at turn 10. The Mercedes driver recovered well to go fastest in two of the three sessions; his time in FP3 put him over two tenths clear of the field. Russell comes to Spain in desperate need of a good result. A combination of poor form, bad luck and his teammate’s upturn in pace has left him a daunting 68 points off the championship lead. We may be less than halfway through the season, but Russell will need to start outperforming his teammate at the earliest if he’s to have any hope of reigniting his championship challenge.
By contrast, Kimi Antonelli comes to Barcelona as the clear title favourite, 66 points ahead of second-place Lewis Hamilton. The teenager handed his car over to sportscar regular and Mercedes reserve driver Frederik Vesti in FP1. Upon returning for FP2, Antonelli went deep at turn 10 but recovered quickly to end the final two sessions in fifth and seventh, respectively.
After a quiet but commendable performance in Monaco, where he eventually finished fifth, Oscar Piastri had a similarly straightforward run in free practice here. McLaren has brought just one upgrade to Barcelona, a revised front wing endplate designed to improve aerodynamics. Initial signs have been promising as a McLaren driver ended each session in the top three, and reigning world champion Lando Norris topped the timesheets in FP2. After a disappointing Monaco Grand Prix, McLaren will be keen to bounce back as they look to bridge the 49-point gap that separates them from Ferrari in the constructors’ championship.
Ferrari has brought the most upgrades of any team. The SF-26 now sports new front wing endplates, a redesigned floor, reshaped sidepods and an altered rear diffuser. After handing his car over to Dino Beganovic for FP1, Lewis Hamilton returned to the track for FP2. Despite complaining of rear instability, the seven-time world champion was able to end the final session fifth, five tenths and two places behind his teammate Charles Leclerc.
Max Verstappen had a troubled free practice. The four-time world champion reported balance issues in FP1 and had a wayward moment at turn three in FP2 while looking for long-run pace. Verstappen ended the final session sixth, two places ahead of his teammate Isack Hadjar, who found himself held up by Sergio Perez in FP2.
After handing his car over to Alpine reserve Paul Aron for FP1 (The Alpine reserve being granted seat time with Audi due to a deal between the two teams) Nico Hülkenberg returned to action for FP2 and 3. The Audi driver ran largely without incident and ended the final session ninth ahead of Arvid Lindblad, Gabriel Bortoleto and Liam Lawson, whose RB ground to a halt with gearbox and engine issues in FP2.
Pierre Gasly comes to Spain on a high. The Alpine driver has had his third place at Monaco reinstated after Alpine’s right to review was upheld. However, Gasly reported what he believed were suspension issues in FP1 and ended the final session with the 13th-fastest time, just ahead of his teammate Franco Colapinto.
Carlos Sainz suffered a wayward moment at turn eight in FP2 en route to the 15th fastest time in the final session. Esteban Ocon ended FP3 in 16th, ahead of his teammate Ollie Bearman. Alex Albon’s place was taken by Williams sim driver Luke Browning for FP1, however an electrical fault meant the 24-year-old was unable to secure track time. Albon returned for FP2 and was open in his frustration at what he described as a “disconnected” car. He ended FP3 18th ahead of Sergio Perez (who made way for F2 driver and Cadillac hopeful Colton Herta in FP1), Fernando Alonso, Valtteri Bottas and Lance Stroll, who ran wide at turn nine in FP2.
Initial signs point to McLaren being Mercedes’ biggest threat. Should that turn out to be the case, Russell will have more than just his teammate to worry about for qualifying and the race.
