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Liam Lawson Shines with Top-Two Finishes in Spanish GP Friday Practice

Liam Lawson secured a promising start at the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix by finishing inside the top ten during Friday practice sessions on the all-new Madring circuit, according to official timing records from Crash.net. Mercedes Sets the…

By Javier Moreno - Sports Editor
Liam Lawson Shines with Top-Two Finishes in Spanish GP Friday Practice

Liam Lawson secured a promising start at the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix by finishing inside the top ten during Friday practice sessions on the all-new Madring circuit, according to official timing records from Crash.net.

Mercedes Sets the Early Pace in Madrid Practice

Mercedes driver George Russell dominated the opening session on the all-new Madring layout, posting a benchmark lap of 1m34.077s to edge out teammate Kimi Antonelli by 0.286 seconds, as reported by Crash.net. Scuderia Ferrari followed closely behind, with Charles Leclerc claiming third ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton. According to track reports from Crash.net, Hamilton faced traffic complications during the hour, receiving accusations of blocking on three separate occasions while simultaneously being impeded twice himself.

Liam Lawson Secures Top-Ten Foothold for Red Bull

Teammate Max Verstappen finished fifth overall with a 1m34.703s lap. The session ran cleanly for the entire sixty minutes without triggering a single red flag interruption, offering teams valuable data collection time on the unfamiliar Spanish layout.

Liam Lawson Shines with Top-Two Finishes in Spanish GP Friday Practice
Photo: crash.net

Full Free Practice One Classification

The complete finishing order from the opening practice session at the Spanish Grand Prix, as published by Crash.net, highlights the spread across the 2026 grid:

  • 1. George Russell (Mercedes) – 1m34.077s
  • 2. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 1m34.363s
  • 3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 1m34.536s
  • 4. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 1m34.620s
  • 5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) – 1m34.703s
  • 6. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 1m34.947s
  • 7. Arvid Lindblad (Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team) – 1m35.033s
  • 8. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 1m35.148s
  • 9. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) – 1m35.529s
  • 10. Liam Lawson (Oracle Red Bull Racing) – 1m35.539s
  • 11. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) – 1m35.652s
  • 12. Esteban Ocon (Haas) – 1m35.757s
  • 13. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – 1m35.834s
  • 14. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 1m35.933s
  • 15. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – 1m36.473s
  • 16. Ollie Bearman (Haas) – 1m36.757s
  • 17. Carlos Sainz (Williams) – 1m36.870s
  • 18. Yuki Tsunoda (Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team) – 1m36.939s
  • 19. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – 1m37.254s
  • 20. Alex Albon (Williams) – 1m37.591s
  • 21. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) – 1m38.150s
  • 22. Sergio Perez (Cadillac) – 1m38.818s
F2 Practice Highlights | 2026 Spanish Grand Prix

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About the author: Javier Moreno - Sports Editor

Former sideline reporter and FIFA‑accredited correspondent. Javier covers football, boxing, and Olympic sports, blending analytics with athlete‑focused storytelling. Javier Moreno offers in‑depth sports coverage, live analysis, and exclusive interviews from global arenas.

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