Russell leads final practice in Barcelona; Sainz 14th, Alonso 21st

George Russell of Mercedes topped the timesheets in the final free practice session for the Formula One Spanish Grand Prix at Montmeló. The British driver completed the 4.657-kilometer circuit in 1 minute, 15.679 seconds on soft tires.

Russell's pace put him ahead of Oscar Piastri of McLaren, who was second quickest, and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, who finished third. Spanish drivers Carlos Sainz, driving for Williams, and Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin, qualified 14th and 21st respectively. Sainz was over two seconds slower than Russell, while Alonso, a two-time world champion who has won twice at the circuit in 2006 and 2013, was over three seconds adrift.

The session was characterized by low mileage as most teams opted to save tires for the upcoming qualifying session. Ambient temperatures reached 31 degrees Celsius with the track surface at 50 degrees. The practice was briefly halted by a red flag when Valtteri Bottas of Cadillac encountered a brake issue and stopped in the gravel.