Winners and losers from F1 Madring practice

The first day of proper Formula 1 on-track running at the Madring didn't produce the predicted chaos.

But it did provide some early winners and losers...

Winner: Madring

A first day of F1 track action at a venue is always scary times, especially for a track that was tipped to be an immediate cauldron of chaos.

This was largely true in Formula 3 and Formula 2 - but the Formula 1 grid by and large kept things tidy, and first impressions up and down the field seem seriously positive.

This has to be caveated with the note that, as always, it's in everyone's best interest to speak highly of the new race, and there are serious question marks over the quality of race action on Sunday - though unexpectedly high tyre wear might help.

But the track is getting early approval.

"We've seen street circuits come and go in Formula 1 - and it feels already like this is one that's here to stay," rejoiced Mercedes deputy team boss Bradley Lord.

"I think putting the perfect lap together tomorrow in qualifying is going to be a real challenge and that's exactly what it should be."

"I think it's a very, very impressive facility," said Racing Bulls chief Alan Permane. "It doesn't feel like a new street track they've just sort of slapped down in a car park, it really feels like they've taken some time and effort and put together a really interesting circuit. Really impressed."

Drivers weren't necessarily unanimous (Max Verstappen, for instance, just doesn't care for street circuits in principle, as he admitted), but there was significant praise on that end, too, with Pierre Gasly saying he "really loved it" and Charles Leclerc appreciating a "commitment" track with higher grip than expected. - Valentin Khorounzhiy

Loser: Arvid Lindblad

OK, not everybody kept it clean - with Lindblad the outlier, triggering a long slide that ended with a right-rear-first smack into the Turn 13 barriers.

"It looked quite bad, but actually the impact was not very hard," he said afterwards. "Charles did it in much more spectacular fashion in Monza! 

"Yeah, there's a bit of damage, it's a good amount, quite a lot, but nothing that's not repairable. So I just apologise to the engineers, but especially the mechanics, because they've got a bit of extra work tonight, unfortunately." - VK

Winner: Arvid Lindblad, also

Even with the crash, both Lindblad and his boss Permane were remarkably, tellingly bullish - believing his mere 0.228s deficit to the front was a genuine signal.

"It's not really mixed emotions, I'd much rather be in 4th place with a damaged car than 18th place with a car with four wheels on," enthused Permane. 

"It's not ideal of course, and we certainly can't do that every weekend - but we can accept that. 

"There's no doubt the car is quick, very quick, it's properly P4 pace today, and I don't say it'll be P4 pace tomorrow afternoon, but it'll be right up there, I think."

Lindblad said: "We were P4 on merit. Every lap we did in FP2 we were fast, so that's the most important thing." - VK

Loser: McLaren

Golden rule at a new F1 track: get as many laps in during practice to make sure you're prepared.

Sadly, McLaren couldn't follow that rule as a gearbox failure ruled Lando Norris out of any meaningful running in FP2. A big opportunity to get the car and driver in the right window.

If that wasn't bad enough, Oscar Piastri, who did get the two practices in, said that the team is "lacking pace".

We've seen McLaren turn things around from difficult Fridays before, but the usual Mercedes juggernaut and what looks like a resurgent Ferrari certainly make this look like a tough event ahead. - Jack Benyon

Winner: Haas 

The upgrade Haas debuted on both cars at Monza was always expected to work better at the Madring and the early on-track evidence supports that. 

Esteban Ocon was ninth in FP2, calling it a “very good day” after practice, with early indications suggesting he doesn’t have the car inconsistency issues that limited him at Monza.

“There doesn't seem to be the inconsistency that we had in Monza,” Ocon said.

“We've changed many parts on the car again, and now it seems to be working quite well.

“We need to have a deep dive tonight to see what has improved exactly, but so far, driving the car, I'm not feeling that today there was an issue. 

“We need to obviously keep that going for tomorrow. Overall, it's been pretty good.” 

He also suggested the prevalence of tyre graining at this circuit is good news for Haas, which suffers less from it than its rivals do. - Josh Suttill

Loser: Red Bull

The best part of Red Bull's day was Verstappen's retort when asked if he would have wanted more given where Lindblad (fourth in FP2) was, and Max's hilarious reply was "I don't drive that car, so I don't know how fast it is".

Verstappen merely pointed to needing to improve the balance, while team-mate Liam Lawson complained of a lack of rear grip. Still, it was a complicated day, as even though Verstappen finished higher up the order in FP1, in fourth, he was closer to the Mercedes' pace in FP2 when he was sixth.

It's fair to say we haven't got a clear picture of where the Red Bull/McLaren/Ferrari picture lies, but Ferrari certainly seems to have the upper hand at the moment, and Red Bull might be F1's fourth-best team, again. - JB

Winner: Mercedes 

Such a tough track still has the potential to catch 2026’s benchmark team out, but for now Mercedes looks reasonably comfortable out front with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli topping a practice session each. 

“We started well in FP1, and the car was strong from the off,” FP1 pacesetter Russell said. 

“We made some set-up changes for FP2, but I’m not sure they improved the car, so we may row back on them overnight.” 

From the limited long-run data, there’s nothing to suggest Mercedes doesn’t head into the rest of the weekend as the marginal favourites once again. - JS