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George Russell isn't looking for a major handout heading into round seven in Spain. "Like I said in Monaco, I'm just dying to have a smooth weekend," he said on Thursday. "I'm not asking for the world to give me luck, I just want neutral luck."

Since Russell's opening victory in Australia followed by his sprint win in China, he's had to watch on as his younger team-mate has dominated the campaign. After his latest disappointment in round six - he came away with no points for the second race weekend in a row - he's sticking with his assessment that the title is now way out of reach.

Russell added: "Now I feel the pressure feels off, to be honest. I'm just going to try and enjoy every race, not even thinking about a championship."

Luke Browning is still waiting to get out in the Williams to start his first practice session. Team principal James Vowles tells Sky Sports on the pit wall it's a small electrical issue that is curtailing the Briton's running.

Other rookies are out on track, though, and Mercedes' Fred Vesti has just locked-up at heading into Turn One.

The majority of the field are on the medium tyre, with George Russell top of the timesheets with a 1:17.353 from the McLaren of Oscar Piastri. Title leader Kimi Antonelli is watching on from the sidelines for this opening hour.

Colton Herta is driving Sergio Perez's Cadillac for first practice. The American has been pinned as a future F1 star for a while now, and he's in gis first season in Formula 2 this season.

Herta reaches Turn Eight but he goes over the kerb and does well to save the car from any danger, and tells his pit wall the left-hand side bottomed out.

There's a bit of confusion over at Audi. "Lisa, how is the car?" ask an engineer. "Hello, I'm Gabi!" responds Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto. "Oh, sorry Gabi!".

Who is Lisa?!

Oscar Piastri is out on track early but the Australian driver has news for his pit wall already. "The brakes have a vibration on them," he says. The reply comes and it's basically, sit tight until second practice. "No, it's OK," responds Piastri.

Over at Williams, Carlos Sainz had a steering issue trying to get out of the pit lane, while rookie team-mate Luke Browning is stuck in the garage and nowhere as the mechanics work on his, or Alex Albon's, car.

The tyres selected by Pirelli for this weekend's grand prix are a step softer than usual in Barcelona, with the C2 as the hard, C3 as the medium and the C4 as the soft compound. There is no rain forecast, but the green intermediates and blue full wets are here too.

Explaining their decision, the Italian supplier said: "Given the characteristics of the current compounds, the aim is to encourage a greater number of pit stops and also the inclusion of the hard tyre in race strategies."

Barcelona's 14-corner track features four straight mode zones, with the overtake activation point just before the final turn, leading onto the start-finish straight.

It was announced on Thursday Pirelli will continue as Formula 1's tyre supplier until 2028.

With a decent number of rookies on display in this opening practice session, a few cars - Red Bull's Ayumu Iwasa and McLaren newbie Leonardo Fornaroli - are running aerodynamic rakes so teams can gather some data.

Carlos Sainz is stuck in the pit lane. "It's not switching on," says the Spaniard. Williams copy that, and other drivers go round his stricken car to make their way out onto the Barcelona circuit.

Phew. What a morning already!

Let's get cracking with first practice, shall we?

BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

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British racing driver Alice Powell is on commentator duty this weekend in Barcelona and is joined by 2024 F1 Academy champion Abbi Pulling and BBC F1 correspondent Andrew Benson.

Powell steps up in place of regular lead commentator Harry Benjamin, who is working for Sky F1 in Barcelona.

Pulling, who is racing in the GB3 category this year - reprises the role of co-commentator and analyst she has performed a number of times previously.

"Who would have thought that six-year-old Alice, who would pretend to be Murray Walker commentating on my own little race on my bike in the garden, would be having the chance to lead a BBC commentary many years later?" said Powell.

To tune in to first practice, click the 'listen live' tab at the top of this page, head over to the BBC Sounds app if you're out and about today or ask your smart speaker to "play Sports Extra".

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Barcelona begins the influx of rookies taking part in first practice, as each full-time driver is mandated to give up their seat for a newbie during two practice sessions throughout the campaign.

American Colton Herta is making his Formula 1 debut this weekend, sitting in for Sergio Perez over at Cadillac in the opening hour.

The 26-year-old former IndyCar driver made the move to Formula 2 with Hitech this season and is 13th in the standings.

Also new to FP1 is Leo Fornaroli. The 21-year-old Italian won back-to-back titles in Formula 3 and Formula 2 and has been picked up by McLaren as a reserve driver for the 2026 season, alongside Mexican Pato O'Ward.

Mercedes

Fred Vesti - replaces Kimi Antonelli

Ferrari

Dino Beganovic - replaces Lewis Hamilton

McLaren

Leo Fornaroli - replaces Lando Norris

Red Bull

Ayumu Iwasa - replaces Isack Hadjar

Williams

Luke Browning - replaces Alex Albon

Audi

Paul Aron - replaces Nico Hulkenberg

Cadillac

Colton Herta - replaces Sergio Perez

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Back to the build-up to Barcelona and can Kimi Antonelli keep his title momentum going as we head into the second race on Europe soil? He's now 66 points clear of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton following his fifth win in a row.

His European run last year consisted of four DNFs and a measly three points. This time around, he's in a much healthier position of leading the championship from drivers far more experienced than he is.

"This year it's a different story and you mature a lot after one year in F1 not only as a driver but also as a person," said Antonelli.

"Last year during the difficult period, I got to know myself better. Considering how bad it was in the moment, I am very grateful it happened because it made me grow a lot and taught me a lot about myself. This year I haven't been questioning or doubting myself.

"I feel very lucky to be in the position I am, it requires a lot of effort and commitment and the job is not done."

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Pierre Gasly has just had a chat with Sky Sports. "It's sounds really good," he says when told he now has a Monaco Grand Prix podium.

"I'm extremely happy for the whole team and proud of they way they have fought for all of us for that result.

"I must say, Sunday night, I felt very low. A lot of mixed emotions: proud of the performance but extremely sad about the situation, some injustice in all that situation.

"The team did an amazing job; I'm extremely proud of everyone."

Gasly is now up to eighth in the drivers' championship on 35 points, nine points clear of Red Bull's Isack Hadjar.

Do you think the stewards have made the right decision to reinstate Pierre Gasly's third place at the Monaco Grand Prix?

Is this going to open a giant can of worms moving forward?

The floor is yours. Tell us your thoughts on the Monte Carlo penalties and how the situation has played out while we go along in first and second prctice.

Just select the 'get involved' button on the live page to send us your messages. You can also add pictures now, so if there's anything you want to chat about today, feel free.

Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent

A 'right of review' hearing requested by Alpine established that cars could legally drive a shorter distance in the pit lane than officials had used in their calculations.

The stewards accepted Alpine's argument, backed up by data, that Gasly had never exceeded the 60km/h limit.

The decision is a blow to Mercedes driver George Russell, who was given a drive-through penalty for pit-lane speeding which dropped him from third place at the time to 13th at the finish.

Russell's Mercedes team, as well as the teams of the other drivers who were penalised, did not object to the decisions, even though they believed their drivers had not exceeded the limit.

Gasly committed two 'offences'. The other drivers in addition to Russell were McLaren's Oscar Piastri, Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Gasly's team-mate Franco Colapinto.

Hamilton's penalty did not affect his second place as Ferrari managed to serve it in a way that did not penalise him in terms of track position during a safety-car period.

Piastri, who has been dropped to fifth by Gasly's reinstatement, lost three places in serving his penalty.

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Hot off the press - Pierre Gasly has his first podium of the 2026 season.

The Frenchman received two five-second time penalties for speeding in the pit lane during the Monaco Grand Prix, dropping him from third place down to seventh, and Isack Hadjar taking the podium celebrations instead.

Alpine successfully requested a right of review and this morning, it was announced the stewards have rescinded the two penalties so Gasy regains his third-placed finish.

The Monte Carlo podium is Gasly's sixth of his career, and in a statement, Alpine said: "We would like to thank the FIA and Formula One Management for its transparency and co-operation throughout the Right of Review process and for reaching this decision."

Lorraine McKenna
BBC Sport Journalist

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Hello, folks. The season has arrived in the very familiar setting of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, however, this isn't the Spanish Grand Prix. With Madrid joining the calendar in September, taking over the name, this weekend's event has been given a new title of the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.

We left off in Monaco a week ago with teenager Kimi Antonelli on cloud nine once again, celebrating a fifth consecutive victory of the campaign and pulling a 66-point advantage over nearest rival Lewis Hamilton - not Mercedes team-mate George Russell - in the drivers' championship.

Antonelli also grabbed pole position in Monte Carlo and was able to navigate two safety cars and a red flag on his way to another win. Russell, meanwhile, has slipped down the standings to third following another weekend of woe.

One driver who was heartbroken after Monaco was Pierre Gasly. The Frenchman thought he had third place in the bag and was celebrating in the cockpit. But two separate penalties for speeding in the pit lane saw him fall to seventh spot at the chequered flag.

His frown might turn upside down now, though, following some breaking news this morning...