Russell Warns of High Risks at New Madrid Circuit

Mercedes driver George Russell indicated that the new Madrid circuit is considered "very high risk" following the crash of British rookie Arvid Lindblad during Friday practice at the Spanish Grand Prix. Lindblad, driving for Racing Bulls, was the only driver to collide, although several others brushed the wall while familiarizing themselves with the new track. The 19-year-old lost control into Turn 13, sliding sideways into the wall, which resulted in damage to his front and rear suspension as well as a broken front wing. Despite the incident, Lindblad managed to finish the session with the fourth fastest time, just 0.228 seconds behind Kimi Antonelli, the fastest driver in a Mercedes. Charles Leclerc of Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton followed in second and third place respectively, both slightly over 0.1 seconds behind Antonelli. Russell placed fifth, ahead of Max Verstappen from Red Bull and Oscar Piastri of McLaren. Notably, reigning world champion Lando Norris did not set a time in his McLaren due to a gearbox issue.

Russell remarked, "Without doubt, it is a circuit of very high risk, and probably all the drivers were giving that bit of margin today. Let’s see tomorrow." Lindblad reflected on his pace prior to the crash, acknowledging the challenges of the track, stating, "It’s not an easy track, so we’re all pushing to find the limits. It’s new for all of us and I just made a bit of mistake and overdid it a little bit in Turn 13." He expressed regret for the extra work caused for the mechanics but remained positive about his speed, claiming he was running P4 on merit and only 0.2 seconds from P1.

Russell also noted significant tyre degradation issues on the new surface. He explained, "The grip is very high but you are sliding quite aggressively. With the (tyre) degradation we had in P1, a six-stop race would be the fastest way. P2 was slightly better. I’m sure the race will be better again but that is the biggest question mark."

Leclerc described the track as "very exciting, very challenging," and highlighted its difficulty, predicting that "qualifying is for sure going to be the key moment of the weekend" due to the challenges in overtaking during P2. Russell aimed to address concerns regarding the track, explaining that it offered less margin for error compared to Monaco due to its higher speeds. He singled out several key corners that presented challenges similar to those faced in Baku.

In the backdrop of the practice session, a serious incident occurred during Formula 2 practice involving Thai driver Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak, although he emerged uninjured.