Ahead of Qualifying, George Russell topped the timesheets during FP3 at the 2026 F1 Barcelona-Catalunya GP, view the full report here.
The opening Free Practice sessions of the weekend saw McLaren and Mercedes dominate the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. George Russell topped FP1 with a 1:16.363 before Lando Norris went 0.938s quicker in FP2, setting a benchmark of 1:15.426. The second session also saw Liam Lawson lose power on the pit exit, triggering a brief Virtual Safety Car, while several drivers struggled with track limits.
Green light for FP3 at the Barcelona-Catalunya GP
The session began slowly, with no queue at the end of the pit lane as Cadillac’s Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas were the first drivers to head out on track. Bottas looked to gather crucial data after missing half of FP2 due to reliability issues. The Finn soon set an opening time of 1:19.692.
Nico Hülkenberg joined the quiet FP3 session ten minutes in as the Cadillac duo made their way into the garage. The Audi driver soon completed a 1:18.255s lap to take P1.
With 40 minutes remaining, teams began releasing their drivers onto the track with soft tires. Reigning World Champion Norris continued his FP2 success heading into FP3 as he set a 1:16.606s on his first attempt. Charles Leclerc slotted into P2, 0.076s slower than Norris, having lost the line at Turn 10.
Bottas brings out a red flag
As track temperatures continued to rise, several drivers found themselves struggling with degradation. However, the Mercedes duo found pace with 30 minutes left as Russell completed a strong 1:16.258 with Antonelli 0.242s behind in P2.
Meanwhile, Bottas brought out a brief red flag after spinning into the gravel at Turn 10. Speaking over the radio, the Cadillac driver reported that he lost his brakes. The FP3 Barcelona-Catalunya GP session resumed at 13:09 local time with 20 minutes remaining.
Final moments
Russell lowered his benchmark time to 1:15.679 with a quick middle sector, while the McLarens improved their times, with Piastri hopping into P2 and Norris into P3. With 6 minutes to go, Antonelli was forced to abort his flying lap after hitting traffic. The Italian was soon noted for driving erratically at Turn 2. However, Race Control announced that the incident would be investigated after the session.
At the front, Leclerc managed to split the two McLaren cars, claiming P3 as he went 0.003s quicker than Norris. Finally, Russell completed the FP3 session at the top, with Piastri and Leclerc completing the top three.
