George Russell leads first practice at Barcelona Grand Prix
Racer • 2 min read • Latest: Jun 12, 2026, 12:41 PM
Last updated Jun 12, 2026
Mercedes driver George Russell topped the first practice session for the Barcelona Grand Prix on June 12, 2026. He achieved a best time of 1m16.363s, finishing ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Russell's performance comes amid ongoing upgrades for various teams, with a total of seven rookie drivers participating in the session. Carlos Sainz of Williams encountered issues at the start but managed to get on track later. The session concluded without major incidents, as drivers adjusted to their setups ahead of the race weekend.
- •Russell finished first in Free Practice 1 at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit.
- •Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc took second and third positions, respectively.
- •Seven rookie drivers participated in the session.
- •Carlos Sainz faced issues but later took to the track.
- •Drivers are preparing for the next practice session and qualifying rounds.
- 11:51 AMRacer — Russell beats Piastri to top spot in final Barcelona practice
- 11:49 AMFormula 1 — Russell goes fastest in Barcelona FP3 - Formula 1
- 11:43 AMMotorsport.com — F1 Barcelona GP: George Russell beats Oscar Piastri in wide open FP3
- 11:42 AMAutosport — F1 Barcelona GP: Russell leads Piastri in final practice, frustration for Antonelli
- 12:41 PMAutosport — F1 Barcelona GP: Russell tops first practice from Piastri
"Mercedes Formula 1 driver George Russell has topped first practice at the Barcelona Grand Prix, heading McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc at Montmelo. On a hot Friday afternoon, Russell set a best time of 1m16.363s to head Piastri by two tenths. In a heavily upgraded Ferrari SF-26, Leclerc was 0.520s behind in third, followed by Red Bull's Max Verstappen and McLaren ...Keep reading
"George Russell was fastest in final practice for the Formula 1 Barcelona Grand Prix after pipping Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc in a frustrating session for Kimi Antonelli. Russell was two tenths faster than runner-up Piastri, whose McLaren was less than a tenth quicker than the Ferrari of Leclerc leaving what was a wide open session. That was after a slow start though, as it often is ...Keep reading
"George Russell was fastest in final practice for the Formula 1 Barcelona Grand Prix after pipping Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc in a frustrating session for Kimi Antonelli. Russell was two tenths faster than runner-up Piastri, whose McLaren was less than a tenth quicker than the Ferrari of Leclerc leaving what was a wide-open session. That was after a slow start though, as it often is ...Keep reading
Sources
External links- RacerJun 13, 2026, 11:51 AMRussell beats Piastri to top spot in final Barcelona practice
George Russell topped final practice at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix ahead of Oscar Piastri, while title leader Kimi Antonelli failed to log a representative time owing to traffic.
- Formula 1Jun 13, 2026, 11:49 AMRussell goes fastest in Barcelona FP3 - Formula 1
George Russell set the fastest time in Free Practice 3 ahead of the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, the Mercedes driver leading McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
- Motorsport.comJun 13, 2026, 11:43 AMF1 Barcelona GP: George Russell beats Oscar Piastri in wide open FP3
George Russell was fastest in final practice for the Formula 1 Barcelona Grand Prix after pipping Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc in a frustrating session for Kimi Antonelli. Russell was two tenths faster than runner-up Piastri, whose McLaren was less than a tenth quicker than the Ferrari of Leclerc leaving what was a wide open session. That was after a slow start though, as it often is ...Keep reading
- AutosportJun 13, 2026, 11:42 AMF1 Barcelona GP: Russell leads Piastri in final practice, frustration for Antonelli
George Russell was fastest in final practice for the Formula 1 Barcelona Grand Prix after pipping Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc in a frustrating session for Kimi Antonelli. Russell was two tenths faster than runner-up Piastri, whose McLaren was less than a tenth quicker than the Ferrari of Leclerc leaving what was a wide-open session. That was after a slow start though, as it often is ...Keep reading
- AutosportJun 12, 2026, 12:41 PMF1 Barcelona GP: Russell tops first practice from Piastri
Mercedes Formula 1 driver George Russell has topped first practice at the Barcelona Grand Prix, heading McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc at Montmelo. On a hot Friday afternoon, Russell set a best time of 1m16.363s to head Piastri by two tenths. In a heavily upgraded Ferrari SF-26, Leclerc was 0.520s behind in third, followed by Red Bull's Max Verstappen and McLaren ...Keep reading
- Formula1.com—Russell fastest from Piastri and Leclerc in Barcelona FP1
Mercedes driver George Russell finished fastest in Free Practice 1 for the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, beating McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to the top spot in Spain.
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