Lando Norris set the pace for McLaren in the opening practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix.
Most drivers set their fastest times with a single lap on soft tyres shortly after the halfway point in the hour-long session.
Max Verstappen and the Ferrari drivers had just set their best times on the soft rubber when Norris joined the track. He produced a lap of 1’13.718 to top the screens by the best part of four tenths of a second.
His team mate Oscar Piastri was half a second behind, the two MCL39s separated by Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
Mercedes opted for a different approach to the session, avoiding the soft tyres. George Russell did his fastest time on a set of mediums and was only 11th fastest, leaving a question mark over the pace of the W16s.
The second half of the top 10 therefore featured the two Racing Bulls, led by Liam Lawson, Oliver Bearman in a strong seventh for Haas, Yuki Tsunoda half a second off his team mate in the other Red Bull and Pierre Gasly for Alpine.
It was a largely uneventful session. Ryo Hirakawa, driving Esteban Ocon’s Haas, had a quick trip through the gravel at turn 10. Victor Martins made his first appearance in an F1 practice session, taking over from Alexander Albon at Williams, and ending the session 19th.
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2025 Spanish Grand Prix Grand Prix first practice result
| P. | # | Driver | Team | Model | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL39 | 1’13.718 | 29 | |
| 2 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB21 | 1’14.085 | 0.367 | 18 |
| 3 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | SF-25 | 1’14.096 | 0.378 | 29 |
| 4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | SF-25 | 1’14.238 | 0.520 | 31 |
| 5 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | MCL39 | 1’14.294 | 0.576 | 28 |
| 6 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT | 02 | 1’14.339 | 0.621 | 28 |
| 7 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas-Ferrari | VF-25 | 1’14.597 | 0.879 | 26 |
| 8 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT | 02 | 1’14.605 | 0.887 | 26 |
| 9 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | RB21 | 1’14.643 | 0.925 | 27 |
| 10 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Renault | A525 | 1’14.746 | 1.028 | 28 |
| 11 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | W16 | 1’14.751 | 1.033 | 32 |
| 12 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes | AMR25 | 1’14.786 | 1.068 | 24 |
| 13 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin-Mercedes | AMR25 | 1’14.798 | 1.080 | 20 |
| 14 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber-Ferrari | C45 | 1’14.865 | 1.147 | 21 |
| 15 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Williams-Mercedes | FW47 | 1’14.935 | 1.217 | 26 |
| 16 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber-Ferrari | C45 | 1’15.155 | 1.437 | 23 |
| 17 | 50 | Ryo Hirakawa | Haas-Ferrari | VF-25 | 1’15.298 | 1.580 | 23 |
| 18 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | W16 | 1’15.369 | 1.651 | 31 |
| 19 | 45 | Victor Martins | Williams-Mercedes | FW47 | 1’15.522 | 1.804 | 26 |
| 20 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine-Renault | A525 | 1’15.530 | 1.812 | 19 |
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2025 Spanish Grand Prix
- Russell’s radio comments influenced Red Bull’s decision to let him past Verstappen
- Verstappen says he won’t make any changes to his driving to avoid a ban
- ‘No issues’ with Verstappen but ‘it’d be different if he’d taken me out’ – Russell
- Ferrari “don’t want us to talk much” about “massive” Spanish GP problems – Hamilton
- Verstappen versus Russell is Formula 1’s best grudge match for years
