2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - Friday

FP1 saw Paul Aron deputising for Nico Hulkenberg, as required by the young driver FP1 regulations, and the Estonian did a fine job to finish the session sixth fastest – on is first outing in a 2026 car. Gabriel Bortoleto’s precious set-up work helped set the foundations for the remainder of the weekend, and he closed FP1 with the 12^th time.

Gabi was joined by a returning Nico for FP2, and the team made another step forward towards qualifying – the Brazilian breaking into the top ten (P8), with Nico getting to grips with the track and setting the 11^th fastest time.

This performance is a solid first step in the weekend: the team’s engineers will crunch the data and aim to unlock more performance during this evening’s data analysis, with the clear objective of places in Q3 for tomorrow’s qualifying session.

Nico Hulkenberg (Car 27):
FP1: Did not take part
FP2: 11^th / 1:16.934 (31 laps)

"It was a reasonable day overall. With just the one session for me, the priority was to get through the programme and get a first read on the car around this circuit, which we managed to do without any issues. The conditions were still quite hot in the late afternoon, as you'd expect here in Barcelona, so that added another element to consider. We'll go through the data overnight, understand where the opportunities are, and make sure we come back with a good plan for tomorrow and Sunday."

Gabriel Bortoleto (Car 5):
FP1: 12th / 1:18.209 (28 laps)
FP2: 8th / 1:16.611 (27 laps)

“FP2 was definitely an encouraging step. FP1 felt a bit strange for me, as I wasn't feeling very comfortable with the car: we made a few changes between the sessions, and that helped bring my confidence back. The balance improved, the pace was there and, overall, the feeling was much better. There's still some fine-tuning to do ahead of tomorrow, but we're in a more positive window heading into the rest of the weekend.”


Paul Aron (Car 97):
FP1: 6th / 1:17.321 (24 laps)
FP2: Did not take part

“It was a very successful FP1 for me with the Audi Revolut F1 Team. It was my first opportunity to drive a 2026 car under the new regulations, and while we had prepared extensively, nothing quite compares to experiencing it in the real car for the first time. There was a lot to learn and adapt to, but I was very happy with how the session went.

“We completed the full run plan, which was important for the team, and to finish the session with competitive pace was a nice bonus. I was pleased with my performance and, most importantly, able to give the team all the data they were looking for.

“A big thank you to Nico for trusting me with his car – I made sure to take good care of it – and also to Audi and Alpine for working together to make this opportunity possible. Every lap in a Formula One car is valuable experience, and I am grateful for the chance to continue building that experience. It has been a hugely enjoyable week, and I am already looking forward to getting back in the car in Austria.”