Leclerc Goes Fastest in First FP1 of 2026

The very first free practice session of the 2026 season has officially taken place, and ended with Charles Leclerc taking the top place for Ferrari. The session started off with some excitement, with Oscar Piastri losing power for a brief moment in his McLaren, while Arvid Linblad was forced to bring his Racing Bulls to a complete stop after a loss of power as well. The fight at the top seemed to be between Red Bull Racing and Ferrari, while McLaren was having a tough time out on track. Lando Norris reported that his downshifts were not feeling right, and later was forced to pit and would not return on track, with the team reportedly having gearbox issues. The session ran fairly smooth after that, albeit several drivers running off track or locking up, until Alex Albon suffered from hydraulic issues and stopped on track, triggering a virtual safety car with ten minutes to go. Meanwhile, Aston Martin continued their tough start to the season, with Lance Stroll finding himself at the bottom of the timesheets and Fernando Alonso not even participating in the first session.

Ferrari finished FP1 at the top of the timesheets, with Leclerc and Hamilton first and second respectively. Red Bull was not far behind, with Verstappen third and Isack Hadjar making an impressive showing to slot into fourth. Rookie Arvid Linblad also impressed on his debut to finish fifth for Racing Bulls. Piastri managed sixth after a difficult session start, while Russell and Antonelli finished seventh and eighth for Mercedes. Gabriel Bortoleto slotted into ninth for Audi, and his teammate Nico Hulkenberg rounded out the top ten.