It has been a very strong start to the 2026 F1 Spanish GP for Mercedes, with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli setting the fastest laps in FP1 and FP2, respectively.
In FP1, Mercedes secured a 1-2 finish as Russell set the fastest time of the session with a 1:34.077 on soft tyres, 0.286s ahead of Antonelli. While in FP2, the Italian driver set the benchmark time of the day with a 1:33.662, ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Meanwhile, Russell finished FP2 in P5 as Mercedes had the Briton spend his FP2 session gathering critical data, testing heavier fuel loads and running long-run race simulations.
Looking ahead to the rest of the 2026 F1 Spanish GP, both Mercedes drivers are anticipating a challenging weekend at the Madring circuit as they tackle the track for the very first time.
Antonelli excited by Mercedes’ first 2026 F1 Spanish GP outing
Reflecting on both FP1 and FP2 sessions, Kimi Antonelli was quick to share his excitement about driving around the new Madring circuit. The Italian highlighted that while it was a highly challenging and unforgiving circuit, he personally found the difficulty of the track both exciting and rewarding.
“That is our first day done on track in Madrid and it is a very cool circuit to drive around. It is a real challenge for us as drivers, with lots of high-speed corners and walls close by. You need to be very precise with your lines and good on the brakes; it is very easy to lock-up as there are a lot of places where you are braking and turning at the same time. It is a fun challenge and one that I am enjoying.”
A strong qualifying is crucial this weekend
Nonetheless, the 20-year-old did note that it was only the first day of the 2026 F1 Spanish GP and that Mercedes were not fully prepared just yet. Looking ahead to the actual race on Sunday, Antonelli is expecting overtaking to be extremely challenging. Thus, he hopes to be able to secure a good starting position in Qualifying on Saturday.
“We’ve had a good first day here but there is still lots of work to do ahead of the rest of the weekend. It is going to be difficult to look after the tyres on Sunday and overtaking is likely going to be a real challenge. That makes our single lap work tomorrow morning even more important; we will focus on that overnight but also looking to ensure we have a good race car for Sunday.”
Russell highlights challenging nature of Madring circuit
Despite this being the first time the F1 grid has driven at the Madring circuit, there was only one major red flag on Friday, unlike what many drivers, including Russell,had anticipated coming into the weekend. In FP2, Racing Bulls Arvid Lindblad brought out the sole red flag of the day after he made contact with the barriers in Turn 13.
Russell shared his insights following FP1 and FP2, reflecting that the majority of the grid held back and drove under their car’s absolute limit on Friday. Hence, it was not an accurate representation of the chaotic nature of the track. The Briton, however, is anticipating more incidents tomorrow as drivers start to push their cars now that they have an understanding of the track.
“Without a doubt it’s a circuit of very high risk and I think probably all the drivers are just given that bit of margin today. Let’s see tomorrow.”
Tyre degradation remains a mystery for Mercedes ahead of 2026 F1 Spanish GP
Russell also highlighted that tyre wear at the 2026 F1 Spanish GP would be very unpredictable. He noted that tyre degradation was horrible when Mercedes’ put some race fuel in near the end of FP1. Nevertheless, he did notice a significant improvement in FP2 as the track surface evolved.
However, as this is the first time F1 will be racing around the Madring and it is a new circuit, tyre management remains unpredictable ahead of the 2026 Spanish GP.
“We thought it was a possibility. It’s often a possibility on new tarmacs. The grip is very high but you’re sliding quite aggressively. With the deck we had in FP1, a six-stop race would have been the fastest way. FP2 is slightly better and I’m sure the race on Sunday will be better again, but that’s the biggest question mark.”
Similiar to his teammate Antonelli, Russell is anticipating that overtaking will be challenging around the Madring, taking into consideration the tyre management they would have to do on track.
“It’s going to be very tough, I think. If there is the tyre degradation like we saw in FP1, that would make things easier, but yeah, it’ll be tough.”
Lord reflects on Mercedes’ first outing at the Madring
Mercedes Deputy Team Principal Bradley Lord reflected on the team’s first outing at the 2026 F1 Spanish GP and spoke on the challenging nature of the Madring circuit. The Briton expressed his excitement for the new hybrid circuit, sharing that he believes its unique layout will make it a permanent fixture on the calendar.
Lord then highlighted the technical challenges of the circuit, specifically the massive banking in Turn 12. As explained by the Briton, the circuit required heavy braking, which, when combined with the layout of the track, heavily affected the balance of the car.
The 46-year-old also stressed the importance of qualifying at the 2026 F1 Spanish GP as he anticipates overtaking to be a challenge.
“Yeah, I think it looks like just a real challenge. It’s great. We’ve seen street circuits come and go in Formula 1 and it feels already like this is one that’s here to stay. You know, mega feature through Turn 12, lots of elevation change, blind corners and a tricky layout to get right, where there’s lots of braking, cornering on entries, so the sort of combined entries and that means, you know, it’s very easy to lock a wheel, run on and I think putting the perfect lap together tomorrow in qualifying is going to be a real challenge and that’s exactly what it should be.”
Pit stop strategy
The Madring circuit features the longest pit lane on the 2026 F1 calendar, measuring a total of 562 meters. For Mercedes, not only do they have to consider the long pit lane, they also have to factor in that they are one of the first few pit boxes.
Lord shared his insights into how Mercedes will be considering the long pit lane when discussing their strategy for the 2026 F1 Spanish GP. As noted by the Briton, longer pit lanes usually meant fewer stops. However, that may not be the case at the Madring as tyre degradation limits remain unknown.
“Yeah, for sure it will do. I’ve not, you know, looked at that in detail at this stage, but certainly it will be an extra challenge and you’ve got to plan with that extra time. Whenever the pit lane is very long, it tends to force you towards fewer stops rather than more, but equally we need to see what the tyres do and the temperatures.
“Usually on a smooth track surface, again, that takes you to fewer stops, not more, but we’ll have to see what effects the tyres have when they’re really up to temperature and running sustained at very high temp on Sunday and obviously the long runs today are somewhat interrupted, so it was difficult to get a read or more than a first taste of what might happen there.”
On briefing drivers to take it slow
Lord then spoke on managing drivers at brand new circuits. He revealed that while Mercedes did not directly instruct their drivers to “take it slower”, they did preface to both Antonelli and Russell that the main goal of the first two practice sessions was soley to gather data and learn the track layout.
The Deputy Team Principal also revealed how the team balances protecting the chassis while catering to their drivers, especially since drivers disliked being told to go slow.
“Yeah, you don’t really brief them to take it slower, but just to leave a little bit of margin. I think no one wants to come back with a collection of broken bits from the first run on a new circuit in FP1, but they know, whenever you talk to the drivers they say trust us, we know what we’re doing. They need to go out there and find the limit as well and work their way towards it, but not hang it all out there and not put it all on the line until we get to qualifying.”
