F1 next rolls on to Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix and the last edition of the event to take place in Catalunya.
The Spanish GP will relocate to Madrid next year, though Barcelona is expected to finish its current contract with a final race in 2026.
Lando Norris won last time out in Monaco, reducing the gap in the world championship to leader and teammate Oscar Piastri to just three points. Charles Leclerc finished in second for Ferrari’s second podium of the season.
Max Verstappen, who finished fourth in Monaco, won last year’s race in Spain while Lewis Hamilton will be eyeing further improvement, particularly in light of a new FIA clampdown on flexi-wings this weekend.
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F1 SPANISH GRAND PRIX - LATEST UPDATES
- The Spanish GP grid will be decided as qualifying kicks off at 3pm BST
- Qualifying comes after the final practice session which saw Oscar Piastri go fastest
- McLaren reigned supreme in Friday's sessions with Piastri and Norris setting the pace
Top 10 in FP3
12:40
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Will Castle
1. Piastri
2. Norris
3. Leclerc
4. Russell
5. Verstappen
6. Hadjar
7. Antonelli
8. Alonso
9. Hamilton
10. Lawson
Hamilton struggles continue
12:36
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Will Castle
Lewis Hamilton finishes the third and final practice in ninth, over a second off the pace.
He leaves the track struggling to get out of gear as his Ferrari woes continue...
Piastri fastest in final practice!
12:35
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Will Castle
It’s McLaren dominance once again as Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris top the final practice timesheet ahead of qualifying!
Norris may have set the pace in the early session yesterday, but with a time of 1.12.387, Piastri goes back-to-back as fastest in practice.
Sainz hits the gravel
12:28
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Will Castle
Just a few minutes to go.
Sainz just went onto the gravel, but at the top end of the timesheet, McLaren may be running away with this.
The likes of Hamilton and Russell are still off the pace, with the former now down in ninth.
Piastri takes top spot a second after Norris sets the pace
12:23
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Will Castle
The fight is still on between the two McLaren drivers!
Verstappen was in top spot momentarily, but Norris and Piastri come back out with a vengeance.
Norris sets a flying lap, before Piastri goes fastest by another half a second with a time of 1:12.387.
Searing pace!
Norris goes off!
12:16
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Will Castle
Norris just went way too wide as he got caught with a snap of over-steer on the chicane.
Luckily, no harm done to him or the car.
Verstappen back in the garage
12:14
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Will Castle
Max Verstappen comes off the track and into the garage as Red Bull check over his setup.
He’s back out now, with just over 15 minutes left of the final practice session.
Antonelli joins Russell at the top of the pack
12:07
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Will Castle
Kimi Antonelli has just done his first flying lap on the soft tyre and jumped into second, still behind Mercedes teammate George Russell.
Russell sets the pace as Norris improves
12:01
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Will Castle
George Russell goes to the top of the timesheet!
A 1:13.396 on the soft tyres from the Mercedes driver pips the Ferraris by half a second.
Lando Norris also gone ahead of the Ferraris but is behind Russell, still on his medium tyres.
Ferrari storming up time sheet after Sainz success
11:54
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Will Castle
Carlos Sainz rose to the top of the timesheet on the soft tyres, but he didn’t stay there long!
Charles Leclerc goes fastest on the soft, but Lewis Hamilton is only a tenth off his team-mate on the medium tyre - which is arguably more impressive.
Norris gets out on the track and immediately stamps mark
11:52
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Will Castle
Lando Norris hits the track and immediately goes straight to the top of the timesheet with a 1:14.540 on the medium tyre.
The fastest time we had yesterday was a 1:12.760 from McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.
Alonso cheered out as final practice starts slowly
11:45
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Will Castle
Fernando Alonso got a big cheer as he made his way out for final practice. Other than that, still not much to speak of.
Borteleto has the fastest lap time to speak of at the moment, but it’s just the four drivers out of the garage.
Off we go!
11:32
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Will Castle
And we’re off for FP3!
As is often the case with final practice, it’s pretty quiet on the track to start - just the Alpine of Franco Colapinto out there for now.
Final practice session about to get underway
11:28
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Will Castle
Not long until the final practice session gets underway in Catalonia!
Let’s see if McLaren’s rivals are able to keep pace.
Friday's practice recap
11:20
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Will Castle
Oscar Piastri knocked Lando Norris off top spot in practice as McLaren set the pace for Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix.
Five days after Norris won in Monaco to reignite his stuttering title charge, the British driver soared to first place in the opening running at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya.
However, championship leader Piastri, who Norris trails by three points, bounced back in the day’s concluding session to finish fastest.
What is F1’s new flexi-wing clampdown?
11:10
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Will Castle
The FIA are introducing a new regulation regarding flexible front-wings this weekend at the Spanish Grand Prix, which could shake-up the 2025 season pecking order.
A third of the way through the 2025 F1 season, McLaren are the dominant team, with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris the frontrunners for the world championship.
Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari have been languishing in their wake but are all hopeful that this weekend in Barcelona could represent a key turning point.
How to watch Spanish GP qualifying
11:00
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Will Castle
The Spanish Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom - and ESPN in the United States. Sky’s coverage of Saturday’s qualifying starts at 3pm (BST).
Sky Sports subscribers can watch all the action in Barcelona on the Sky Go app. If you’re not a Sky customer, you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the Spanish Grand Prix then you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help.
Today's schedule
10:45
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Will Castle
Saturday 31 May
- Free practice 3: 11:30am
- Qualifying: 3pm
F1 Spanish GP qualifying LIVE
10:30
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Will Castle
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of qualifying ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.
It’s the last edition of the race in Catalonia, with the Spanish GP set to relocate to Madrid next year, though Barcelona is expected to finish its current contract with a final race in 2026.
McLaren came out on top in the first two practice sessions on Friday - Norris in FP1, Piastri in FP2 - with the two season frontrunners eyeing to set themselves nicely for tomorrow’s race.
Follow all the build-up and action, right here.