Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix Friday: Formula 1 Teams & Drivers report from Spain

Seven teams handed FP1 outings to young drivers, with Fred Vesti driving for Mercedes, Dino Beganovic for Ferrari, Leonardo Fornaroli for McLaren, Ayumu Iwasa for Red Bull, Luke Browning for Williams, Paul Aron for Audi and Colton Herta for Cadillac.

Regulations require each full time driver to give up their car for rookie participation at least four times per season.

George Russell topped FP1 with a 1:16.363 on the Soft C4, while Lando Norris led FP2 with a 1:15.426, also on the C4. Ambient temperatures reached 29°C, with track temperatures peaking at 50°C.

This is what teams and their drivers had to say on Friday after FP1 and FP2 in Barcelona, Spain for Round 7 of the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship.

Lando Norris: “Today was a reasonable Friday, not perfect, but a step in the right direction. The heat and wind made it tough for everyone, so no one’s feeling completely comfortable out there, but our baseline is stronger than it has been at previous events. We’ve come to a circuit that certainly suits us better, and the car is operating in a very different window, which is encouraging. Going into Qualifying tomorrow, we feel we’re up there with the teams we want to fight. It’s hard to read others’ fuel loads and run plans, and there are still areas of the car I’m not happy with, so we need to keep improving. We’ll work hard overnight to find more, and if we do, we should be in a good place to maximise tomorrow.”

Oscar Piastri: “It was a pretty good Friday for us. We're pleased with the progress we've made, and the pace is a lot better than last week, which is a positive step. We seem to be in the fight at the front, which is a much more satisfying position to be in. The key now is to maintain this momentum into tomorrow. While the initial signs are encouraging, there's still plenty to learn and a lot more performance to find. We will keep working hard to see what more we can extract overnight ahead of Quali.”

Leonardo Fornaroli: “It was an incredible feeling to complete my first official session in Formula 1. I felt good in the car and fully focused on the job ahead, looking to deliver clean runs and execute the aero program. The pure lap time wasn’t our target today, even though we finished P5. The priority was to give the team all the data they needed, and I’m really happy with the work we did together. From here, I’ll keep supporting the team in my Reserve Driver role, continue the sim work throughout the season, and look forward to more TPC running ahead of further FP1 opportunities later in the year.”

Randeep Singh, Senior Racing Director: “After a couple of challenging events, it's encouraging to see we’re back on the pace and seemingly in the mix with the other top teams. The characteristics of this circuit and the hotter conditions are playing a different role compared to recent races and we've shifted from trying to switch the tyres on to managing overheating and degradation, which seems to suit us better at this early stage. While it's too soon to say if we've fully recaptured the tyre management strengths we had last year, we are optimistic. The key for the race on Sunday will be managing degradation effectively and sustaining good, consistent pace throughout the stints. It’s always difficult to be certain on a Friday, but the initial signs are positive and put us in a good position.”

George Russell: "We've had a solid day here in Barcelona. After our recent run of bad luck, it was important to start this weekend on the front foot and that is what we have done. The car felt good in both sessions and, importantly, consistent. That is particularly crucial around a track like this which can really expose any weaknesses of a car. The competitive picture looks tight. The McLarens were strong on the single lap and the long run picture in FP2 showed that we can expect a fight from the Ferraris and Red Bull too. There are still a few areas we can tidy up but we have a good base to build on overnight. Small gains will likely make a big difference, and I'm feeling positive about where we are heading into the weekend.

Kimi Antonelli: "Today was a bit of a challenge on my side. There was a lot to catch up on after sitting out FP1; we struggled a little with overheating and finding the right balance in the car, which meant there was still work to do throughout the session. That said, there were definitely some positives to take away, particularly from the long runs, where the pace and feeling in the car were encouraging. We gathered a lot of valuable information today and now it's about analysing the data overnight to understand where we can make improvements. George looked very competitive, and the McLarens seem strong as well, so we know the competition will be tough. However, I'm confident that we can take a good step forward for tomorrow. We'll keep working hard and aim to get everything out of the car when it matters most in Qualifying."

Fred Vesti: "I've driven this car so much in the simulator, so it was an amazing experience getting behind-the-wheel of W17 for the very first time in real life. There were some good surprises in terms of its performance and definitely some things we can improve with our correlation. That was the main goal of today so I'm happy with that as a result. I had a lock-up on the Medium tyre set which meant we switched to the Soft compound early. I therefore didn't get the best of the track on my low fuel work, but I was pleased with my long run. That will hopefully prove useful for the team across the rest of the weekend. We look to be in the fight at the front, and our aim is to continue the momentum from what was a positive first day here in Barcelona."

Andrew Shovlin: "We've had a decent first day of practice here in Barcelona. Fred was driving Kimi's car in FP1 and did a very solid job of running through a few test items before getting into some single lap work and long runs. Fred has played a big role in the development of the W17, having been part of the simulator work from the beginning of the programme, so it's nice for him to finally get to drive the real thing. George had a very solid first session and it was clear we'd started with the car in a decent place. The long runs are always going to be challenging from an overheating point of view, but we seemed in a solid place in FP1 so changes into the afternoon were quite modest. Kimi was back in for FP2 with a bit of ground to make up, which isn't easy when the tyres drop so much between the first and second push laps. George continued his solid form from the morning and looked strong on single lap although it's clear that McLaren look to be right on our pace and Ferrari not far behind. It's set to be similar conditions on Sunday and keeping the tyres alive will be a challenge, but the car looks to be working well in the heat. Overall a good start but we know the true tests of the weekend are in the coming days."

Charles Leclerc: "It was an interesting day. We have a few new items on the car and we’ve made a step forward. Regarding competitiveness, it’s too early to say and I think our competitors are quite a bit ahead of us. We have to focus on maximizing what we have now and we will see what we can do tomorrow."

Lewis Hamilton: "My only session today was quite a challenging one: we had an issue with the front wing which made things a bit more complicated, particularly in terms of tyre preparation, and missing FP1 meant I was a bit on the back foot. There is still some work to do, but we've gathered useful data and we'll focus on making the right improvements overnight."

Dino Beganovic: "I’m really happy with my free practice session today. The whole car and PU were new to me, so the first part was all about learning and getting up to speed. I felt a big difference going from used Mediums to the Softs, and I really enjoyed my last run on that compound. I’m satisfied with the steps I made over the course of the session and it gives me lots of new experience to take with me. I want to thank Scuderia Ferrari for the support. It’s always special to jump in the car and work with this team, and I hope to have the opportunity to do so again soon."

Max Verstappen: “We didn’t feel that comfortable in the high or low speed today. We were lacking grip, feeling in the car and balance, so that is something we are going to try to work on overnight. The tyre compounds were tricky for everyone today; there is little grip and the cars were drifting around a lot. Our Team struggled a little bit more on the balance, but I do think it was tricky for everyone. We are not fighting up there at the front, but we will work on things overnight and see what we can improve on ahead of tomorrow’s Qualifying.

Isack Hadjar: “Missing FP1 this morning meant I didn’t feel fully comfortable in the car right away, so I could have done with a few more laps. We completed our run plan and gathered some good data, but there’s a lot of work to do overnight. At the moment, we’re still quite far off from the top guys so we need to figure out how to close the gap. It looks like Max had a tough FP1 and FP2 too, so hopefully we can make good progress ahead of Qualifying.”

Ayumu Iwasa: “It’s always special for me to drive a Formula One car, and I really enjoyed being back on the track today. This was my first time driving the new car under these regulations, which are quite different to the last time I drove one, but Isack gave me some good advice before the session. I was able to put together some good laps, push the car, and provide useful feedback to the Team on how it was behaving.”

Paul Monaghan: "We aren’t miles off, in fact everyone seems to be experiencing similar issues and it is now our job to fix them to try and improve. This is another high-speed challenging track with four fast corners and we have to work on how best to navigate these. We will also look into how we can perhaps better manage the tyres and optimise our performance. We have made a lot of progress, but other teams are not standing still, so it looks from today, like we are not quite close enough yet. We have to get the best out of our car and work on how best to operate. Ultimately, we just need to focus on ourselves, get an understanding of what the car requires and then see where we end up."

Pierre Gasly: “It has been quite a memorable day for all of us at the team. Shortly before Free Practice 1 we had the news that our third-place finish in Monaco was reinstated, so we had the elation of that and it was a great moment to be with the whole team to celebrate, albeit for a very short period of time as we had a busy day of Practice to prepare. I would like to thank the whole team who worked so hard on the Right of Review and I know it was an immense effort from a number of people. I am also very proud of Formula One and the FIA for its transparency and recognised responsibility throughout the whole process and in reaching this outcome. In terms of our Practice Day, it has obviously been a challenging one for us. It was quite tough in the car throughout both sessions so we have a lot of work to do tonight ahead of tomorrow and plenty to get on top of and improve. Our focus is fully on this race weekend now and doing the best job possible.”

Franco Colapinto: “It was not a good day out on track today, and one of our most difficult Fridays of the season so far. The car has felt quite tricky, with very low grip and generally sliding a lot. It's very hot, very different to when we were last here for the Shakedown in January. I don't know if it's the heat specifically or something else, but I feel a bit disconnected in the car. Also, because I'm sliding a lot the degradation is also very high, which is obviously impacting the tyres. I'm not very happy with where we've started the weekend, none of us at the team are, but we need to repeat what we've done at past races and try to turn things around. We need to really look at the data and understand a few things. Hopefully we can see some improvements tomorrow in Free Practice 3, ahead of another important Qualifying session. Also, congratulations to Pierre and the team for having the result from Monaco reinstated and getting a podium. I know the team worked hard on it and the points mean a huge amount to the team.”

Steve Nielsen: “The day started really well and positively. It's not often you get points on a Friday and then we quickly got back into the event and the task at hand this weekend, which was much less positive. I've said before, we have been making a habit of starting slowly and struggling on a Friday and having to recover across the weekend. This is probably the poorest Friday we've had so far this season in terms of performance and how the drivers are feeling in the car. We have shown we can do it before and I'm optimistic we can do it again here and claw back some performance. We also need to understand why this is the case and build better foundations for the weekend. Neither Pierre or Franco were happy with the balance and have voiced they have a lack of grip. Some of the issues we had during the Shakedown in January we have resolved or improved, but in these different conditions, there are some new ones to understand and to fix. Tonight, we will go through the data both here and at Enstone, and put in the hours on the simulator, and hopefully see some improvements tomorrow ahead of Qualifying. It's a difficult track to overtake here and track position can mean a lot, so Qualifying will again be important. The conditions mean there might be multiple stops and also open up options in terms of strategy, but let's see how the track conditions and performance evolves across the rest of the weekend.”

Ollie Bearman: "It's been a decent day overall. This morning was tough, we were struggling with the same limitations that we've had since we introduced this upgrade package, which is the car being quite nervous on entry, making it difficult to set up the car. We managed to connect the balance a bit more and make it nicer to drive for FP2. We're closer to where we want to be, there's still some work needed, but I'm happy with the progress made from this morning till now."

Esteban Ocon: "I think we could've done a better job with the performance running today, but it's important that we do that tomorrow. It was a good day of work otherwise, good to be back in Barcelona and I think we can see the improvements of the car from the winter. It's now up to us to improve overnight and see what we can do tomorrow."

Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal: "We've come back to a circuit that we know very well. In FP1 we focused on test items and learning, where we were able to get some answers. In FP2 we improved the car a little bit and it's more in the ballpark now. We still need to find a bit more though. It's been quite challenging on the energy deployment side as it's been a bit inconsistent, so we need to get on top of that as well. The tires are only one lap tires, so you've only got one chance to nail it, and we have to make sure we have good enough preparation as we head into FP3 tomorrow. For the race, with the hot temperatures degradation will be high, so we need to look through the data and see what we can do. The focus tomorrow will be on qualifying prep in FP3 and building on from FP2."

Liam Lawson: "We had a small issue today that’s relatively easy to fix, but unfortunately it meant that we couldn’t take part in the main part of the session. While it's frustrating, it’s much better for it to happen today opposed to tomorrow. The positive is that we’ve had a strong car from the start of both practice sessions, and overall we’re in a really good place heading into the rest of the weekend. We’ll take the learnings from today, make the necessary adjustments and hopefully have a smooth day tomorrow. This is also the first time we’ve been able to properly test our upgrades from Canada on a high-speed circuit, so it’s really encouraging to see them performing well."

Alan Permane: “We're pretty happy with how today has gone. The car had a big update in Montreal and we haven't driven any high-speed corners since then. This track was therefore going to be a big test for what we brought back then, but also for the rest of the season. A small electrical issue with Liam's car meant that he missed part of the session, but it's nothing major and he was able to get back out on track for a shakedown ahead of FP3. Arvid also did a great job today and we'll be pushing for both cars to make it to Q3 in Qualifying tomorrow."

Nico Hulkenberg: "It was a reasonable day overall. With just the one session for me, the priority was to get through the programme and get a first read on the car around this circuit, which we managed to do without any issues. The conditions were still quite hot in the late afternoon, as you'd expect here in Barcelona, so that added another element to consider. We'll go through the data overnight, understand where the opportunities are, and make sure we come back with a good plan for tomorrow and Sunday."

Gabriel Bortoleto: “FP2 was definitely an encouraging step. FP1 felt a bit strange for me, as I wasn't feeling very comfortable with the car: we made a few changes between the sessions, and that helped bring my confidence back. The balance improved, the pace was there and, overall, the feeling was much better. There's still some fine-tuning to do ahead of tomorrow, but we're in a more positive window heading into the rest of the weekend.”

Paul Aron: “It was a very successful FP1 for me with the Audi Revolut F1 Team. It was my first opportunity to drive a 2026 car under the new regulations, and while we had prepared extensively, nothing quite compares to experiencing it in the real car for the first time. There was a lot to learn and adapt to, but I was very happy with how the session went. We completed the full run plan, which was important for the team, and to finish the session with competitive pace was a nice bonus. I was pleased with my performance and, most importantly, able to give the team all the data they were looking for. A big thank you to Nico for trusting me with his car – I made sure to take good care of it – and also to Audi and Alpine for working together to make this opportunity possible. Every lap in a Formula One car is valuable experience, and I am grateful for the chance to continue building that experience. It has been a hugely enjoyable week, and I am already looking forward to getting back in the car in Austria.”

Checo Pérez: This morning we had Colton for FP1 who did a good job for us. He got good information for the team for the rest of the weekend. When I jumped in the car, I wasn’t too comfortable with the balance and on a track where it is a single lap time, it wasn’t ideal. We’ve got some work to do tomorrow to close the gap. We’re changing quite a bit on the car so hopefully we can transform it into a much more competitive window for tomorrow."

Valtteri Bottas: “It’s definitely the happiest I’ve felt with the car all season. The car feels more predictable and it seems like everything is much more together with the setup. We’re hitting targets, and I can see it in the lap time. In FP2, I only had a few laps as we had some issues with the ECU. We had to do some reprogramming, and we just couldn’t make it out for the long run in the end. We’ve still got to figure out what went wrong there, but otherwise a positive day."

Colton Herta: “A lot of firsts for me. Not a long time to get up to speed but it was very enjoyable. The car was very impressive to drive, and I felt confident after a few laps so overall, I think it was super positive. It’s my first time wearing the Cadillac overalls and being fully integrated with the team in a driver role. Starting from the ground up, I think where the team is now compared to where they started is remarkable and it’s only going to get better. We got through our run plan successfully today so I’m looking forward to the next one, and getting quicker and quicker every time. A massive thank you to the team for giving me this opportunity."

Graeme Lowdon, Team Principal: “It was great to have Colton in the car today as part of our program. We’re only seven events into the season now, we’re getting more mature as a team, and we can cope with the changes to having a new driver in the car. Colton did a very good job for us today, he got through his run plan helping the team gain valuable data, and he knows what to expect from future FP1s. We had a couple of issues with the car on Valtteri’s side during FP2 that we’ll look to resolve ahead tomorrow. However, he felt more comfortable with the laps he managed to complete. We’re happy with the progress made across the two sessions and we’ll keep pushing as team as we build towards Qualifying.”

Sven Smeets, Sporting Director: “A very messy day. Disappointing for Luke to miss FP1 with an electrical problem because we were looking forward to seeing him around Barcelona and because we didn’t get any learning from it, but happy that he has a session next time in Austria for him to get straight back into it. In FP2 we did a full run plan for both drivers but we still have some work to do, particularly on high fuel loads and with tyre degradation. There will be lots to do at the factory overnight but we have a good idea of the direction we want to go in and what we want to focus on tomorrow."

Carlos Sainz: “A very tricky Friday. We know that this track exposes the weaknesses of this car, and over one lap, our pace is about where we expected to be in relation to the midfield. On long runs with high fuel we are significantly off the pace. All teams are struggling with degradation given the rough track surface and high temperatures, but we seem to be struggling more, which makes tyre management a challenge. There’s lots to look at overnight to get us in a stronger position for qualifying, so our focus will be on maximising the package we have in these conditions.”

Mike Krack: "We knew this track would be a place where we would struggle in terms of performance and it's the case today. It's the reality of where we are right now, but we will try to do our best over the rest of the weekend."

Honda Shintaro Orihara, Trackside General Manager and Chief Engineer: “First and foremost, it is always a pleasure to race in front of such passionate Spanish fans, and this year at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix is no exception. The free practice sessions today ran without any major issues, and we were able to work through the fine-tuning of our power unit settings. Unfortunately, our pace isn’t where we would like it to be, so we will use the data collected to optimise our set-up ahead of tomorrow’s qualifying. The aim is to extract the best possible performance out of our current PU package.”

Simone Berra, Pirelli Chief Engineer:  Most teams chose not to use the Hard compound today, meaning they will retain two sets to take into the race. The few who did run it reported greater sliding compared to the two softer compounds, resulting in surface overheating that brings it closer, in terms of degradation, to the Medium and Soft. Overall, all compounds are showing high levels of thermal degradation, particularly on the front and rear left, due to the abrasive surface of the asphalt, second only to Bahrain, the characteristics of the circuit and the high track temperatures, which are set to increase further over the coming days. In performance runs, drivers struggled to cool the tyres sufficiently to attempt a second flying lap which, in these conditions, at best matches the previous time. On Sunday, we therefore expect a race with at least two pit stops. Medium and Soft, the two compounds offering the highest grip, degrade at a similar rate, although early data suggests that the yellow tyre adapts more easily to the Barcelona track. Between the two, the performance gap is in the region of five to six tenths of a second.”