George Russell tops final Barcelona practice - Antonelli faces investigation

George Russell ended final practice in Barcelona at the head of the timesheets, giving Mercedes the strongest immediate platform before qualifying after a disrupted and unusually slow-building 60-minute session.

Russell sets the benchmark for Mercedes

The contrast within the Mercedes garage was sharp. Kimi Antonelli endured a far less straightforward run, particularly as traffic compromised his qualifying simulations near the end of the session. His frustrations were compounded by a post-session stewards investigation after officials deemed that he may have driven erratically.

Piastri and Leclerc complete mixed top three

Oscar Piastri finished second for McLaren, two-tenths away from the session benchmark, while Charles Leclerc placed Ferrari inside the top three. With Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari represented at the sharp end, the final practice order offered a varied picture ahead of the grid-deciding session.

Lando Norris was fourth in the second McLaren, ahead of Lewis Hamilton. Max Verstappen was sixth as the leading Red Bull, while Antonelli ended up between the two Red Bulls. Isack Hadjar placed eighth but reported understeer during the session, underlining that Red Bull’s preparation was not without discomfort.

Audi also maintained its positive momentum, with Nico Hulkenberg taking ninth place. Rookie Arvid Lindblad completed the top 10.

Bottas brake issue triggers red flag

The session was slow to ignite. Drivers showed little urgency to leave the garages in the opening minutes, with the Cadillacs the only cars to appear early on. It took around 20 minutes before the wider field began to head out and refine their cars for qualifying.

Cadillac later became central to the session’s only stoppage. With 20 minutes remaining, Valtteri Bottas suffered a brake failure and became stranded in the gravel, bringing out the red flag. Once the session resumed, drivers returned to complete their final preparations.

Aston Martin struggles continue

Aston Martin endured another difficult hour, running significantly off the pace. Lance Stroll finished slowest overall, 4.4 seconds down on Russell, leaving the team with clear work to do before qualifying.