George Russell smashed the FP3 pace on the Barcelona track, clocking the fastest lap of the session.
Mercedes seal a dominant one‑two lead
After a slow opening run, “le pacesetter” Lando Norris posted a 1:16.609, topping the early charts.
Russell soon eclipsed Norris by 0.109 seconds, topping the time sheets with a 1:16.258 set half an hour into the hour.
The German driver then outpaced teammate Charles Leclerc by 0.242 seconds, creating a 1‑2 finish ahead of the Cambridgeshire‑based rivals.
Leclerc and Piastri duel for second place
Oscar Piastri narrowly missed Russell, his McLaren clocking 1:15.893, just 0.214 slower than the Mercedes.
Leclerc walked the line in 1:15.922, slightly edging out his Alfa‑Romeo partner Lewis Hamilton, who was six-tenths faster than Max Verstappen.
Drivers consistently posted times on the soft compound, with only the Cadillacs clearing new braking pads.
Red‑flag turmoil shakes the starting grid
Valtteri Bottas spun into the gravel at Turn 10 on the third lap, announcing he’d lost his brake pedal and triggering a red flag.
Nicole Hulkenberg and Lance Stroll also faced difficulties: Hulkenberg struggled to leave a clean exit, and Stroll backed his second tour after a first‑lap collision.
The incident forced teams to pause and re‑evaluate their strategy before the session’s final 20 minutes.
Final lap battles & top ten roundup
In the closing minutes, Russell managed a 0.579‑second improvement on his first lap, down to 1:15.679, setting a new benchmark for the afternoon.
Kimi Antonelli aborted his first lap after confronting Stroll at Turn 10, settling for a 1:16.500 on his last attempt.
The top ten featured Russell, Piastri, Norris, Leclerc, Hamilton, Verstappen, Antonelli, Isack Hadjar, Arvid Lindblad, and Hulkenberg.
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