Granada leads Felbermayr on Day 1 of F1 ACADEMY Navarra Testing
Granada sets the pace at Navarra
Natalia Granada emerged as the benchmark on the opening day of in-season testing at the Circuito de Navarra, setting a 1:46.906 for Sephora to finish quickest overall.
The decisive lap came during the afternoon session, where Granada displaced Emma Felbermayr by 0.187 seconds. The result capped a closely fought day at the front, with the leading times separated by small margins across both sessions. The test follows the F1 ACADEMY Navarra in-season test preview.
Larsen narrowly leads the morning
Running began in dull conditions, although the field was on track early for reconnaissance laps. McLaren’s Lloyd set the first representative time, a 1:50.935, before trading the benchmark with Rodin Motorsport teammate Felbermayr.
Felbermayr then moved to the front with a 1:47.753, but Lisa Billard quickly became the next driver to lead. Two improvements brought the Gatorade driver’s best time down to 1:47.171. Felbermayr responded with two consecutive personal bests, reaching 1:47.118.
Lloyd returned to the top in the final 40 minutes of the session with a 1:47.109. Felbermayr subsequently became the first driver into the 1:46s, before Alba Larsen delivered the morning’s fastest lap: a 1:46.926, just 0.009s ahead of the Austrian.
Lloyd finished third in the morning, followed by Granada, Billard, Ella Stevens and Rafaela Ferreira. Nina Gademan, Jade Jacquet and Rachel Robertson completed the top 10.
Afternoon interruptions fail to halt Granada
Robertson set the early afternoon benchmark at 1:49.070, with Billard, Kaylee Countryman and Felbermayr progressively lowering the pace. Jacquet briefly moved ahead on a 1:47.930, but Felbermayr’s three successive personal bests brought the target down to 1:47.093.
The session was interrupted when Billard’s teammate Jacquet went into the gravel at Turn 14, prompting a red flag. Once running resumed, Granada took control inside the second hour with her 1:46.906.
A second red flag followed with 15 minutes remaining after Billard stopped on track. The field had one final opportunity after the recovery, but nobody could challenge Granada.
Felbermayr and Robertson completed the afternoon’s top three, ahead of Billard and Ferreira. Lloyd was sixth, followed by Jacquet, while Gademan, Larsen and Payton Westcott completed the top 10. Stevens was the busiest driver, completing 77 laps. Alisha Palmowski missed both sessions because of travel disruptions.
Day 2 is scheduled to begin at 08:30 local time on Thursday.
Ciara Gillan
Ciara is a Dublin native, award-winning film producer, podcaster and writer with 20 years of storytelling experience. A lifelong Leinster and Ireland rugby fan, she turned her attention to the grid after moving to Berlin and co-founding Formula Live Pulse. Now, she applies her producer’s brain to Formula 1, navigating the highs of Oscar Piastri’s rise and the unique stress of being an adopted Ferrari fan. She loves talking and talking about F1, if you give her the chance!