Spanish GP: George Russell reveals fears over tyre wear at new Madring track in Madrid for Sunday’s race | F1 News

George Russell has revealed fears about tire wear for Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix after the first day’s run at the new Madring.

The high-speed turns at the new track in Madrid are putting a lot of energy into the tires, especially at the 12th turn of “La Monumental” where the drivers perform high speed on a 13.5 degree roast.

Russell led the first practice session and his Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli was fastest in second practice with Saturday’s 3pm qualifying, live on Sky Sports F1, set to be crucial given the expected difficulty of overtaking in the race.

“There is a big question mark over tire degradation. In FP1 with the tire degradation we all had, we thought a six-stop race would be the fastest way!” half joking Russell.

“I’m sure the tire degradation will be better on Sunday, but with the big long La Monumental, it really takes a toll on the tires and it will be a challenge for everyone.”

Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord confirmed tire temperatures at the hot Madrid circuit and the lack of straights could create problems for teams in the race.

“You can see some unusual tire effects because they’re so hot and you have a lot of cornering sequences without a real chance for the tires to get a breather,” he said.

“It’s corner by corner. How the tires cope with that will be crucial. Although it’s a smooth surface and tire wear may not be as high as we expect, we can see some other thermal effects that the computers in advance might expect you to do.”

Ferrari will ‘change focus’ after practical lessons

Ferrari were Mercedes’ closest challengers on Friday as Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were both within two-tenths of Antonelli’s pace in second practice.

Leclerc, who is yet to win a pole position this year, says he is “looking forward to try and do something good in qualifying”.

“It’s been a very interesting day. A completely new track for everyone and it’s very challenging. I think qualifying will be exciting,” he said.

“A lot of work ahead of us to improve the car for tomorrow, but the day went well. We went through our program and maximized the amount of laps we could do, which was one of the main objectives.”

Both Ferrari drivers attempted the downhill braking zone of Turn 17, stalling several times, which team principal Frederic Vasseur suggested was due to the ever-changing conditions.

He also hinted that Ferrari are very focused on long-term pace and need to make up time over a lap as track position will be crucial in the race.

“The long synth was as expected. It’s very difficult to pass. That means positions on the right track at the start will be crucial,” said Vasseur.

“It also means we have to change the focus a bit. Of course, it’s better to have good pace for the race, but the qualifying position will be like that. Overall it was a good Friday.”

Sky Sports F1 Spanish GP live schedule

Saturday, September 12
10am: F3 Sprint
11:00: Third Practice of the Spanish Grand Prix (session starts at 11.30)
13:10: F2 Sprint
14:15: Qualifying preparation of the Spanish Grand Prix
15:00: QUALIFICATION OF THE SPANISH GRAND PRIX*
16:55: F3 Feature Race 1
18:00: Ted’s qualifying notebook

Sunday, September 13
8.40am: F3 Feature Race 2
10.20: F2 feature race
12:30 p.m.: Grand Prix Sunday: Preparation for the Spanish GP
14:00: Spanish Grand Prix
16:00: Checkered flag: Spanish GP reaction
17:00: Ted’s notebook

*also on Sky Sports Main Event

Formula 1 is in Madrid for the Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring circuit with Sunday’s race at 2.30pm (build-up from 12.30pm), live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime