Overview
- Mercedes looked strongest in Friday practice with newly crowned champion Andrea Kimi Antonelli fastest on single laps and long runs, positioning the team as the weekend favorite.
- George Russell has a confirmed grid penalty after Mercedes replaced a power‑unit component, a change that will drop his starting position for Sunday.
- Ferrari held private talks between drivers but reported balance problems and energy‑delivery faults in the SF‑26 and is likely to introduce new power‑unit elements that would bring further grid penalties.
- Haas will run Brazilian rookie Rafael Camara in place of Esteban Ocon, a move that removes Camara from concurrent Formula 2 rounds and could cost him the F2 title fight.
- Audi suffered an electrical defect that left Nico Hülkenberg without any practice laps, while McLaren’s upgrade showed promise and a tight midfield battle for positions is forming between Racing Bulls, Audi and Alpine.