The Mercedes driver set the fastest time of 1:11.567, edging Lando Norris by just 0.041 seconds. Behind the McLaren driver, Charles Leclerc posted the third quickest time, finishing 0.055 seconds adrift of Russell.
Sprint Qualifying took place with track temperatures of around 30°C and ambient temperatures of approximately 22°C. Oscar Piastri will start tomorrow’s Sprint from fourth on the grid after ending the session less than a tenth of a second away from pole position. As stipulated by the regulations, all drivers set their best SQ3 times using a set of C4 tyres.
In SQ2, where drivers were required, as in SQ1, to run the Medium compound, the fastest times came from the two McLaren drivers: Oscar Piastri stopped the clock at 1:12.026, while Lando Norris completed the session in 1:12.189. The Sprint Qualifying Award was presented to Russell by Pirelli Motorsport Director Dario Marrafuschi.
During FP1, all drivers, with the exception of Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson, completed several laps on Intermediate tyres. However, track conditions improved rapidly, allowing the switch to slicks almost immediately, with all three available compounds being tested. Kimi Antonelli topped the session thanks to a lap of 1:12.949. Lando Norris set the second fastest time, while George Russell finished third.
The driver who completed the most laps on the Hard compound was Arvid Lindblad with 24; on the Medium, George Russell led the way with 27 laps, while on the Soft it was Alexander Albon who completed the most mileage, with 22 laps.
SIMONE BERRA – PIRELLI CHIEF ENGINEER
“Excluding a handful of installation laps on Intermediates, the first free practice session was devoted to evaluating all three compounds available for the weekend, with track conditions that, in terms of grip, proved better than expected following the rain. The Medium suffered more from surface abrasion than the Hard, but in general none of the options showed wear levels significant enough to compromise their performance life.
The grip provided by the Soft compound was considerable, also helped by track evolution towards the end of the session. The differing approaches taken by teams, either using a set of Hards during FP1 or keeping both sets in reserve, may offer an early indication that they are considering varying numbers of pit stops. Tyre degradation will play a key role, although at present it appears to be under control thanks to the low temperatures, as will the probability of a safety car, traditionally high at this circuit. In any case, we believe that all three compounds can be utilised in race strategies on Sunday.
The performance gap between the Medium and the Soft is around half a second, in line with our expectations from simulations, although those simulations indicated lap times roughly one second quicker. If the track does not reset overnight, we should therefore see a further improvement in performance as early as tomorrow.”
