The Mercedes driver led the majority of the session, ending with the fastest time of 1m16.363s to finish ahead of Oscar Piastri by 0.203s.

Charles Leclerc was third, just over half a second behind Russell’s benchmark, with Max Verstappen fourth, while Leonardo Fornaroli and Paul Aron impressed in a rookie-heavy session by finishing fifth and sixth.

The pair were among seven rookie drivers taking part in mandatory rookie FP1 running, with Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull, Audi, Williams and Cadillac all handing young drivers track time during the session.

The session began with minor drama in the pit lane when Carlos Sainz ground to a halt in the fast lane before eventually returning to the Williams garage.

While Sainz was able to join the session shortly afterwards, FP1 teammate Luke Browning endured a frustrating first practice, with a wiring loom issue keeping the rookie in the garage for the entire hour.

Several teams used the early stages for aero work, with Fornaroli heading out in the McLaren with aero rakes fitted as the team gathered data, while Ayumu Iwasa also completed early running for Red Bull with a large array of pitot tubes behind the front wheels.

Russell was the early benchmark on the medium tyres, setting a 1m17.414s before trimming his best to a 1m17.353s as Mercedes completed its initial running.

Piastri also spent much of the opening half of the session on mediums, although the Australian reported a brake vibration over the radio and was told it was not a quick fix unless the car became undriveable.

As the session developed, Verstappen moved to the top on soft tyres with a 1m17.047s, going fastest through the second and third sectors to briefly move clear of Russell.

However, Russell responded once the Mercedes returned to the circuit on softs, eventually lowering the benchmark to a 1m16.363s.

Piastri’s best lap remained particularly eye-catching, with the McLaren driver setting a 1m16.566s on the medium compound to finish second despite being fastest through the first and final sectors.

Leclerc ended the session third for Ferrari with a 1m16.883s, while Verstappen’s earlier soft-tyre lap was enough to leave him fourth, 0.684s away from Russell’s fastest time.

Behind the established frontrunners, Fornaroli produced the strongest rookie result of the session after eventually being released for a push lap on soft tyres.

The Formula 2 champion posted a 1m17.216s to move into fifth, edging fellow rookie Aron, who was sixth for Audi with a 1m17.321s.

Liam Lawson finished seventh for Racing Bulls, ahead of Ferrari rookie Dino Beganovic, Red Bull’s Arvid Lindblad and Alpine driver Franco Colapinto, who completed the top 10.

Oliver Bearman was 11th ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto, who had a scruffy session that included multiple trips through the gravel before later complaining of “zero grip” over the radio.

Sainz finished 13th after his delayed start and was noted for a possible impeding incident involving Lawson, while Frederik Vesti and Esteban Ocon were next in the order.

Pierre Gasly ended the session 17th after pitting late with a suspected suspension issue, with Alpine mechanics seen inspecting the front-left corner of his car.

Valtteri Bottas, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll followed, while Colton Herta finished 21st for Cadillac after surviving a sizeable moment at the exit of Turn 8.

Browning was the only driver not to set a time after Williams was unable to get him on track.

Second practice at Barcelona gets underway at 5pm local time (1am AEST).

Results: Formula 1 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, Free Practice 1

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