16:15
After a brief cameo where he went P2 with a 1m15.945s, Russell is back in the garage. Antonelli is P7, but has just left the pits for a second time.
Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls
F1 Barcelona GP Friday practice as it happened
Live coverage of Friday at the F1 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix
KEY MOMENTS
- Gasly reinstated to Monaco GP podium
- Russell topped FP1
- Seven rookies featured in FP1
The seventh round of the 2026 Formula 1 season takes place at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
There is perhaps no track on the F1 calendar better known to the drivers that the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with the pre-pre-season behind-closed-doors test having taken place at the Spanish venue earlier this year, and endless tests having taken place on the circuit across the years.
With long straights and several major braking zones, overtaking is certainly possible on the 4.65km layout, but the action can be somewhat muted, with few viewing the venue as a favourite.
The build-up to the weekend has been dominated by the fallout from the Monaco Grand Prix, with Alpine appealing time penalties handed to Pierre Gasly for speeding in the pit lane. While he was far from the only driver to be penalised, he did not serve the penalty during the race, meaning Alpine could use its right to review. The review was upheld, and Gasly was reinstated to third place, demoting Isack Hadjar off the podium. In the appeal decision document, it is said that evidence was provided which showed "that the distance used in calculating the F1 Official Timing (and hence the pit lane speed) was inaccurate and overestimated the speed of Car 10". The fallout from this is expected to continue, with Mercedes said to be "livid" over the decision after George Russell was similarly penalised and then further sanctioned for failing to correctly serve his penalty.
As for the on-track action, Kimi Antonelli is looking to further extend his championship lead with a sixth victory in succession. He has already equalled Lewis Hamilton's career-best winning streak, and could surpass that marker on Sunday. Highlighting the achievement, only Max Verstappen (10), Sebastian Vettel (9), Nico Roseberg (7), Michael Schumacher (7), and Alberto Ascari (7) have won more than five in a row.
Ferrari will be hoping to continue its recent strong form, notably with Hamilton, who has stood on the podium on the last two outings, while McLaren looks to bounce back from a bruising run of results, in particular for Lando Norris, who has suffered with reliability woes in Canada and Monaco.
FP1 will see numerous rookie drivers take to the track, with Fred Vesti replacing Antonelli at Mercedes, Dino Beganovic in for Hamilton at Ferrari, Leonardo Fornaroli taking Lando Norris' McLaren, Ayumu Iwasa in for Hadjar at Red Bull, Luke Browning replacing Alex Albon at Williams, Paul Aron stepping into Nico Hulkenberg;s Audi, and Colton Herta replacing Sergio Perez at Cadillac.
2026 Monaco Grand Prix Friday schedule
FP1 12:30pm BST - 1:30pm BST
FP2: 4:00pm BST - 5:00pm BST
12 Jun 2026
16:14
Lots of faces looking at laptop screens in the Cadillac garage. Bottas is currently unable to get out of the garage. Not great for the Finn after a strong FP1.
16:10
Beyond the two headline times of Piastri and Verstappen, this is been a slow start to FP2, with few drivers pushing. Long run pace appears to be the preference right now.
16:08
We're into the 75-second region, as Piastri puts in a 1m15.724s effort. Russell finally joins the track, leaving only Bottas yet to hit the track.
16:06
On the hard tyre, Verstappen puts in an early time that would have put him second in FP1. His 1m16.452s puts him around two tenths clear of Leclerc.
16:04
Medium tyres are the main order of the session so far, with all the drivers who sat out FP1 banking some early laps, including Alex Albon, whose car was broken this morning, meaning Luke Browning failed to make it out of the garage.
16:01
FP2 is green
FP2 is go, and the track is instantly busy.
15:59
Completing the admin, there is a 0% chance of rain across the coming hour, with the hot sun beating down on the asphalt. Expect a lot of long runs in the second half of the session, with some quali sims in the earlier phase.
That said, seven drivers will need to refresh themselves with the track after missing FP1.
15:51
10 minutes remain before the light goes green at the end of the pit lane. Drivers are suiting up and strapping in. It's almost time.
15:46
Mercedes has “reason to be annoyed” about Monaco F1 penalty mess as it explores legal options
Mercedes has “reason to be annoyed” about Monaco F1 penalty mess as it explores legal options
Toto Wolff says Mercedes is exploring its legal options for George Russell’s penalties at the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix after Alpine’s success.
The FIA announced on Friday that Pierre Gasly had been reinstated to third place in last Sunday’s Monaco race after Alpine successfully overturned the French driver’s pair of time penalties for speeding in the pitlane following a key error made by Formula One Management, the official timekeeping supplier.
Wolff says Mercedes has 'reason to be annoyed' about events in Monaco
15:42
It's safe to say, there have been more entertaining practice sessions in F1 history than the first hour of action this weekend, but with the regular race drivers all back in the cars, this could be a more frantic hour.
15:35
FP2 build-up
Hello, and welcome back to Barcelona for FP2. All the regular faces are set to appear now after seven drivers skipped FP1 to allow rookies some seat time. Russell took advantage of Antonelli's absence to top the order, but how will things stack up with the championship leader back on the track?
14:03
F1 Barcelona GP: FP1 results
2026 F1 Barcelona Grand Prix - Friday Practice Results
George Russell headed FP1 at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, in a session that saw six rookie drivers complete laps.
Russell bounced back from his Monaco disappointment by setting the pace in the opening session of the weekend in Spain, as team-mate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli made way for Fred Vesti.
Aron in Spain
© XPB Images
13:35
F1 Barcelona GP: FP1 report
George Russell sets pace in first Barcelona-Catalunya GP practice featuring seven F1 rookies
George Russell started the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix Formula 1 weekend as he means to go on by setting the pace in opening practice.
The Mercedes driver, who arrives in Barcelona 68 points adrift of team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the championship standings, topped the timesheet in a first practice session featuring seven rookies.
Russell started the weekend by setting the pace in FP1
13:32
FP1 Top 10
The top 10 from FP1 were:
- Russell
- Piastri
- Leclerc
- Verstappen
- Fornaroli
- Aron
- Lawson
- Beganovic
- Lindblad
- Colapinto
13:31
Chequered flag
The flag falls on a session that happened. Not a lot of excitement at all, but that is quite often how these sessions go.
13:29
Another moment for Bortoleto at Turn 1. He claims to be "sideways everywhere". Audi will look to fix the issue for FP2.
13:25
Gasly pulls into the pits with a suspected suspension problem. Less than five minutes remain on the clock, so that will be his session over.
13:25
Into the final five minutes. Fornaroli is the latest rookie to show their colours, going fifth fastest, one place ahead of Aron. That time from Aron remains mightily impressive.
13:21
The slowest driver to have set a time so far is Herta. He is over three tenths off the next slowest driver, Lance Stroll, while team-mate Bottas is in P16, almost two seconds clear of the American.
13:20
Just 10 minutes remain, and Browning is still not in the car, his helmet remains off, and you can just imagine the frustration that he is feeling.
13:19
The rookies are beginning to show their pace. Beganovic goes seventh fastest with Ferrari, nine-tenths off Leclerc, but that is a strong effort.
13:15
Paul Aron becomes the fastest rookie driver for Audi, and goes fifth fastest. He's ahead of Lawson, Lindblad, Colapinto, and team-mate Bortoleto in ninth.
13:12
Out come Russell and Leclerc yet again. They are first and third right now, with Piastri in second. The benchmark is likely to reduce further.
13:11
Browning is still sitting in the garage, looking less and less likely that he will make it out onto the track. Given his Super Formula schedule, it's not likely that this would be able to be rescheduled for later on in the year.