F1 Spanish GP: Mercedes tops FP1 with Russell fastest at Madring

Key Points:

• George Russell set the fastest time in the first-ever Formula 1 practice session at the new Madring track, with a best lap of 1:34.077 on soft tyres, leading a Mercedes 1-2 finish with teammate Kimi Antonelli second.
• The session saw rapid improvements in lap times, with Lewis Hamilton initially setting multiple benchmarks before Russell claimed the top spot; Charles Leclerc and Hamilton both went wide at Turn 17, affecting their lap times.
• Max Verstappen finished fifth, followed by Lando Norris and Arvid Lindblad, who impressed by topping the midfield group; home favorite Fernando Alonso placed 15th, ahead of several teams including Haas and Williams.
• Several incidents occurred involving Lewis Hamilton, including complaints from Arvid Lindblad and Carlos Sainz about impeding and dangerous positioning on the track, highlighting early session traffic challenges.
• Yuki Tsunoda was forced to end his session early due to a power steering issue, while most drivers switched from medium to soft tyres mid-session to improve lap times.