George Russell made the perfect start to Formula 1’s first visit to Madrid, topping the opening practice session at the new Madring circuit and leading Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli to a one two finish.

Russell set the benchmark with a 1:34.077, finishing 0.286 seconds ahead of Antonelli as the Mercedes drivers immediately showed strong pace on the brand new circuit.

The session marked the first official Formula 1 running at the Madring, with drivers getting their first chance to experience the 22 corner circuit in competitive conditions. Despite the unfamiliar layout, Russell quickly found his rhythm and ended the session at the top of the timesheets.

Antonelli continued his impressive form after his sensational victory at Monza last weekend. The championship leader finished second and once again showed that Mercedes remain the team to beat as the title battle moves into its next stage.

Ferrari also started strongly, with Charles Leclerc taking third and Lewis Hamilton fourth. The Ferrari pair were separated from Russell by less than half a second, giving the Tifosi plenty of reason to remain hopeful after their disappointing home race at Monza.

Max Verstappen finished fifth for Red Bull, ahead of reigning world champion Lando Norris in sixth. Arvid Lindblad impressed on his first competitive outing at the new Madrid circuit by taking seventh, followed by Oscar Piastri, Nico Hülkenberg and Liam Lawson.

The session was largely clean, although Fernando Alonso brushed the wall while Carlos Sainz struggled for pace and finished 17th. Several drivers also complained about traffic around the tight sections of the circuit, highlighting how difficult overtaking and finding a clear lap could be at the Madring.

The new circuit had already seen drama earlier in the day during Formula 2, when Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak crashed heavily and his car caught fire. The driver escaped unharmed, but the incident caused a lengthy interruption before Formula 1 took to the track.

For Russell, however, the focus was entirely on performance. After Antonelli’s dominant run of form, the Mercedes driver has made an early statement that he is not giving up on the championship fight.

With Antonelli leading the championship by 66 points heading into Madrid, Russell will need a strong weekend to begin closing the gap.

The first session at the Madring has already delivered a Mercedes one two. But with Leclerc, Hamilton, Verstappen and Norris all close behind, the battle is only just beginning.