Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix: George Russell fastest in first practice from Oscar Piastri

Mercedes driver George Russell set the pace for McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in the first practice sessions for the Barcelona-Catalonia Grand Prix.

Russell was 0.203 seconds faster than Piastri, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc third ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

The session was marked by six young drivers taking the place of regular drivers, as part of the mandatory requirement for teams to use at least two practice sessions per year for future drivers.

McLaren’s Leonardo Fornaroli, on loan from his regular Alpine reserve driver role, was the fastest, taking fifth place ahead of Estonian Paul Aron in an Audi.

Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson took seventh place, while Dino Beganovic, driving Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari, was separated from his teammate Arvid Lindblad.