Drama opened the morning for Formula 1 in Barcelona as Pierre Gasly had his two 5-second time penalties removed from the Monaco Grand Prix, elevating him back to 3rd place and his first podium since 2024 in Brazil.The points shakeup was clear in the drivers' minds as they entered their cars in FP1 at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit. This track is one that the drivers and teams have already tested on this year, as it was the first outing for nearly all 22 drivers in pre-season testing for the new regulations era of F1.Colton Herta, Hitech, F2, Australian GP 2026 | Hitech GPIn FP1, though, several of the drivers did not even get in the car, with many reserve drivers getting a chance to run – including Colton Herta, who needs several FP1 runs in order to gain enough Superlicence points to potentially enter F1 next season. Encouraging Runs for McLaren, Ferrari with UpgradesThe session was topped, unsurprisingly, by George Russell in his Mercedes. He was closely followed by Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, and Leonardo Fornarolli in Lando Norris' McLaren.The pace of the McLaren can, of course, be defined solely by Oscar Piastri, but really, where the data should make the McLaren crew feel confident is that on Fornarolli's Formula 1 debut, he is sitting well into the Top 10. The team has only made front wing upgrades.May 2, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc (16) during the F1 Miami Grand Prix Sprint Race at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn ImagesSimilarly, Charles Leclerc, with Ferrari being labeled as the favorites during the Barcelona weekend, sat solidly in P2. The team has brought eight upgrades to the car, including the entire floor, sidepods, and front wing revisions.Even with his strong performance, though, Leclerc is still 5 tenths off the pace of Russell and Mercedes. Similarly, Piastri sits 2 tenths off of Russell's pace. It begs the question of the efficacy of any upgrade packages to challenge Mercedes' pace this season. Reserve Drivers Take to TrackSeven of the eleven teams had one of their drivers sit in the garage or on the pit box for reserve drivers and academy drivers to get their chance to run the car during FP1.McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull, Audi, Cadillac, and Williams all replaced one driver, including our current championship leader, Antonelli, the reigning World Champion, Norris, and 7-time champion, Hamilton.Several of the rookies displayed encouraging pace for their team, namely Fornarolli and Aron, who kept their cars within 1 second of Russell in his Mercedes. This is not only encouraging data for McLaren and Audi, respectively, but a strong signal to the teams that both drivers could step into an F1 seat if needed.May 2, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Williams driver Alex Albon (23) during the Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix qualifications at the Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn ImagesUnfortunately for the Williams outfit, Albon's car, piloted by Browning, experienced a wiring issue that kept the car from taking the track. It is unclear if this issue will be fixed by FP2 with Albon back behind the wheel.F1 Barcelona Grand Prix 2026: FP1 ResultsPositionDriver/ TeamGap[s]1.George Russell / Mercedes1:16.3632.Oscar Piastri / McLaren+0.2033.Charles Leclerc / Ferrari+0.5204.Max Verstappen / Red Bull+0.6845.Leonardo Fornarolli/ McLaren+0.8536.Paul Aron / Audi+0.9587.Liam Lawson / Racing Bulls+1.1098.Dino Beganovic / Ferrari+1.4159.Arvid Lindblad / Racing Bulls+1.44110.Franco Colapinto / Alpine+1.53011.Ollie Bearman / Haas+1.80912.Gabriel Bortoleto / Audi+1.84613.Carlos Sainz / Williams+1.93014.Ayumu Iwasa / Red Bull+1.93515.Fred Vesti / Mercedes+2.00216.Esteban Ocon / Haas+2.00917.Pierre Gasly / Alpine+2.14518.Valtteri Bottas / Cadillac+2.55119.Fernando Alonso / Aston Martin+3.70420.Lance Stroll / Aston Martin+3.95521.Colton Herta / Cadillac+4.33422.Luke Browning / WilliamsNo TimeAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow