Formula 1 arrived in Madrid for the first time this weekend, with drivers getting their initial taste of the sport's newest circuit - a tight, technical layout that has already been flagged as one of the more demanding additions to the calendar, with several low-speed corners and precious few clear overtaking zones.
Free Practice 1 full classification
George Russell topped a clean opening session for Mercedes, setting a benchmark of 1:34.077 with 27 laps on the board. He had the most mileage of anyone in the field. Kimi Antonelli was next up, just 0.286s adrift, giving Mercedes a strong 1-2 to open proceedings.
Ferrari were close behind, with Charles Leclerc (+0.459s) and Lewis Hamilton (+0.543s) rounding out the top four, while Max Verstappen split the Ferraris and McLaren in fifth, 0.626s off the pace. Lando Norris was the leading McLaren driver in sixth, ahead of rookie Arvid Lindblad, who impressed with a strong seventh-place showing for Racing Bulls on his weekend introduction to the new track.
| Position | Driver Name | Team Name | Gap to Fastest | Laps Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:34.077 | 27 |
| 2 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.286 | 26 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.459 | 26 |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.543 | 26 |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.626 | 24 |
| 6 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.870 | 26 |
| 7 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +0.956 | 27 |
| 8 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +1.071 | 21 |
| 9 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +1.452 | 25 |
| 10 | Liam Lawson | Red Bull | +1.462 | 25 |
| 11 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | +1.575 | 26 |
| 12 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1.680 | 22 |
| 13 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +1.757 | 24 |
| 14 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +1.856 | 23 |
| 15 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +2.396 | 26 |
| 16 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +2.680 | 23 |
| 17 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +2.793 | 29 |
| 18 | Yuki Tsunoda | Racing Bulls | +2.862 | 16 |
| 19 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +3.177 | 25 |
| 20 | Alexander Albon | Williams | +3.514 | 24 |
| 21 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | +4.073 | 25 |
| 22 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | +4.741 | 25 |
Further down, Nico Hulkenberg, Liam Lawson and Gabriel Bortoleto filled out the top ten. Notably, Oscar Piastri could only manage eighth, and completed just 21 laps. Considering that the Madring is a new circuit, every driver wants to put in as much time as possible on track.
Racing Bulls driver Yuki Tsunoda suffered an issue that saw an early end to his FP1 session. Halfway through the session, Tsunoda started facing issues with the steering and was forced to retire.
Free Practice 2 full classification
In FP2, Kimi Antonelli went fastest, lowering the benchmark to 1:33.662, which was over four tenths quicker than Russell's fastest lap in FP1. Charles Leclerc came in second, showing strong Ferrari pace, just 0.113s back. Lewis Hamilton completed the top 3, showing strong pace for the Ferraris heading into Saturday.
Arvid Lindblad again caught the eye in fourth, less than a quarter of a second off the top, before his session ended prematurely. The Racing Bulls rookie lost control of his car and speared into the barriers, bringing out the red flag and halting the session while marshals recovered the car and checked the barriers. Lindblad was able to complete only 15 laps as a result, but the underlying pace he showed across both sessions suggests he's already finding a strong rhythm around Madrid.
| Position | Driver Name | Team Name | Gap to Fastest | Laps Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:33.662 | 22 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.113 | 23 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.149 | 21 |
| 4 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +0.228 | 15 |
| 5 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.337 | 23 |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.401 | 19 |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.538 | 22 |
| 8 | Yuki Tsunoda | Racing Bulls | +1.096 | 23 |
| 9 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +1.205 | 24 |
| 10 | Liam Lawson | Red Bull | +1.276 | 19 |
| 11 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1.297 | 19 |
| 12 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +1.398 | 19 |
| 13 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | +1.508 | 21 |
| 14 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +1.541 | 24 |
| 15 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +2.224 | 19 |
| 16 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +2.629 | 23 |
| 17 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +3.118 | 14 |
| 18 | Alexander Albon | Williams | +3.274 | 22 |
| 19 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | +3.533 | 21 |
| 20 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +3.611 | 20 |
| 21 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | +4.065 | 21 |
| 22 | Lando Norris | McLaren | - | 2 |
George Russell (+0.337s) and Max Verstappen (+0.401s) followed in fifth and sixth, with Oscar Piastri seventh. Yuki Tsunoda, Esteban Ocon and Liam Lawson completed the top ten.
Overall, it was a poor showing for the McLaren cars on Friday. Piastri was not able to keep up with the pace of the competitors. Norris, on the other hand, was unable to take part in FP2. Five minutes into the session, the reigning Champion faced a gearbox issue, forcing him to box for a gearbox change. This brought an end to his session.
With Ferrari and Mercedes both showing strong pace across the two sessions, and Red Bull and McLaren still finding their feet on a track that punishes the smallest mistake, qualifying looks set to be tightly contested.
The race itself went to Kimi Antonelli. Read the full 2026 Spanish Grand Prix race results and classification.
