Summary
George Russell led FP1 and Kimi Antonelli led FP2 at Madrid’s new 5.414-km Madring. Mercedes said high tyre degradation and a difficult overtaking environment shaped its preparation for Sunday’s 57-lap Spanish Grand Prix.
Mercedes opened the first Formula 1 weekend at Madrid’s new Madring with the fastest time in both Friday practice sessions. George Russell led FP1 for Mercedes-AMG Petronas, while teammate Kimi Antonelli topped FP2 at the 5.414-kilometre, 22-corner circuit.
The Spanish Grand Prix weekend marks the return of racing to the Spanish capital for the first time since 1981. Mercedes’ report described the new track as a demanding test for both cars and drivers, with high-speed corners, close barriers and several braking zones that require steering and braking at the same time.
Russell and Antonelli set the Friday pace
Russell set the fastest FP1 time of 1:34.077 after completing 28 laps. Antonelli was second in 1:34.363, completing 27 laps. Both drivers used the Medium, Soft and Medium tyre compounds during the session.
Antonelli then led FP2 with a 1:33.662 from 24 laps. Russell finished fifth with a 1:33.999 after completing 25 laps. Mercedes said Russell managed only one fully competitive flying lap because his tyres were not yet at the right operating temperature at the beginning of the attempt.
The results provided Mercedes with strong single-lap pace on the circuit’s first Formula 1 running. The team’s trackside engineering director, Andrew Shovlin, said the engineers had made solid preparations for the new venue and that both drivers improved progressively during the opening session.
Tyre preparation was complicated by the smooth track surface. Mercedes said the tyres could be difficult to bring into their optimal temperature and grip range, although grip became strong once that window was reached.
Tyre wear becomes the main race concern
The main issue identified during Friday running was tyre degradation. Mercedes said degradation was particularly high in FP1 and improved in FP2, while Turn 12 placed heavy loads on the tyres. Shovlin specifically highlighted the front tyres as an area likely to require attention during Sunday’s race.
Because of the degradation, Mercedes said most of the field used a second set of Medium tyres in FP2 and preserved both sets of Hard tyres for the race. Antonelli and Russell also completed short long-run programmes on the Medium compound at the end of the day to collect data for the 57-lap Grand Prix.
A red flag interrupted FP2 and shortened the long-run work, but both Mercedes drivers still completed the planned end-of-day programme. The data was intended to help the team balance qualifying performance with the tyre demands of the race.
Russell said Mercedes had changed the car’s setup for FP2 but was not yet certain that the changes had improved it. He also reported that overtaking appeared difficult during the long-run work, making qualifying especially important. Antonelli similarly described the circuit as challenging because of its high-speed corners, narrow margins near the barriers and demanding braking points.
Mercedes said the pace at the front was close and that it needed to find more performance to contend for the front row in qualifying. Friday therefore gave the team a positive start at the new circuit, while tyre management, tyre preparation and the effectiveness of the setup changes remained central to its prospects over the rest of the weekend.