Russell tops first Madring practice as Mercedes leads

George Russell set the fastest time in Formula 1's first-ever practice session at the new Madring circuit, leading a Mercedes one-two in a largely incident-free hour of running. The British driver posted a benchmark of 1 minute 34.077 seconds, finishing 0.286 seconds ahead of his teammate Kimi Antonelli. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton completed the top four, with championship leader Max Verstappen fifth for Red Bull. The session marked the beginning of F1's competitive debut at the 5.4-kilometre, 22-turn street circuit around the IFEMA Madrid exhibition centre. Drivers and teams faced the challenge of learning a completely new track, with lap times improving rapidly as the surface evolved and rubber was laid down. Most of the field began on the medium Pirelli tyre, with Hamilton initially setting the pace before Leclerc moved to the top. Mercedes switched to the soft compound later in the session, and Russell established himself among the leading runners. His first representative effort was followed by a stronger lap, as the Mercedes driver combined competitive sector times to take the lead.