Liam Lawson completed both practice sessions at F1's newest track in the top 10 and unscathed, after concerns that the circuit could prove difficult for drivers.
Lawson finished both stints on track in P10, approximately 0.8 seconds behind Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen each time.
In preparation for the newest addition to the F1 calendar, the interim Red Bull driver highlighted the need to get out and put time in on track.
"On a track like this, you want to have as much time on track as possible," Lawson said.
"When you go to tracks like Monza and other places we've been there plenty of times, they're pretty simple tracks, and it's not so important. You can spend a bit more time, maybe long running or a bit more time with setup changes."
The Kiwi was also outpaced by his usual Racing Bulls team, with British driver Arvid Lindblad trumping Lawson in both sessions, despite a crash in the second.
This follows Verstappen's comments about the regulations introduced to Formula One this year, with the Dutchman pointing out the close competition between the two Red Bull-owned teams.
“No disrespect. And I hope no one picks up on this. But look at Yuki. He jumps in the car. Never driven the car before. Immediately competitive," Verstappen pointed out.
“Liam jumps from the Racing Bulls to the Red Bull — immediately competitive. It’s because these cars are numb to your driver inputs. Of course, yes, you still have to do a good lap. And you still have to commit. The fastest drivers will always come out on top. But it’s really, really limited.”
Kimi Antonelli kept his momentum on the Madrid track, leading the way in practice in the return of Formula 1's Spanish Grand Prix to Madrid.
Antonelli, the points leader coming off an epic comeback win in Monza, set the fastest time at the hybrid circuit that proved difficult but didn't yield many major incidents on the first day of track action.
Arvid Lindblad's crash prompted the first red flag of the weekend. He lost control of his Racing Bull on a turn and hit the barriers.
“It is a very cool circuit to drive around,” Antonelli said. “It is a real challenge for us as drivers, with lots of high-speed corners and walls close by. You need to be very precise with your lines and good on the brakes.
"It is very easy to lock up as there are a lot of places where you are braking and turning at the same time. It is a fun challenge and one that I am enjoying. We’ve had a good first day here."
Some drivers went off the track, and a few brushed the walls at the unforgiving layout, which mixes city roads and purpose-built sections. Many struggled to avoid track limits, and traffic was an issue as the layout produced few overtaking opportunities.
Qualifying was likely to be key in determining the winner of F1's first race in Madrid in 45 years.
“Overtaking is likely going to be a real challenge,” Antonelli said. “That makes our single-lap work tomorrow morning even more important. We will focus on that overnight, but also looking to ensure we have a good race car for Sunday.”
Drivers said tyre degradation would likely be an issue. Teams said the tyres were tricky to get into the correct operating window as grip was surprisingly good.
“There’s a big question mark over the tyre degradation," Antonelli's Mercedes teammate George Russell said. "With the tyre degradation we all had, we think a six-stop race would probably have been the fastest way. I don’t think anybody’s going to do a six-stop race on Sunday and I’m sure tyre deg will be better, but with that big long corner, it really hurts the tyres. That’s going to be a real challenge for everyone.”
Russell was fastest in the first practice, followed by Antonelli, who is looking to keep his momentum and add to his points lead after rallying from 19th on the grid to win his home Italian GP in Monza last weekend.
Ferraris show good pace as well
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were second and third in the second session, respectively, both about a tenth of a second behind Antonelli. Lindblad was fourth despite his crash, ahead of Russell and Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
“I’m really sorry, I lost it super early,” rookie Lindblad told his team over the radio.
McLaren's Lando Norris had his run cut short early in the second session because of a gearbox problem.
Last weekend's victory gave the 20-year-old Antonelli a 66-point lead over Russell with 10 races remaining.
The Spanish GP ends the European part of the season.
Exciting new track
The 5.4-kilometre Madring track, the newest addition to the F1 calendar since Las Vegas’ debut three years ago, combines high-speed zones, heavy-braking areas, changes of gradient, blind turns and high-load corners that should give drivers little margin for error.
Cars from F2 and F3 were the first to take to the track, with a fiery crash involving F2 driver Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak after he hit the barriers and his car caught fire.
Spanish drivers struggle
Organisers said tickets for the Spanish GP were sold out, with 350,000 people in total expected to attend over the three days of racing.
But it was unlikely they would be celebrating a victory for one of the two Spanish drivers as Fernando Alonso's Aston Martin and Carlos Sainz's Williams remained off the pace.
Alonso missed parts of the second practice because of a clutch problem. He ended 15th in the first session and 17th in the second. Sainz was 17th fastest in the first session and 16th in the second.
- Additional reporting by Associated Press
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