14:26
Bottas will retire, and Sainz is being looked at for a starting infringement, just as team-mate Albon.
Hadjar in Barcelona
© XPB Images
LIVE
F1 Barcelona GP LIVE: Russell leads as Hamilton holds back Antonelli
Live coverage of Sunday at the F1 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix
KEY MOMENTS
- Russell starts from pole with Hamilton and Antonelli behind
- Antonelli looks to make it six wins in a row
- Monaco fallout continues with Red Bull and McLaren looking to appeal Gasly podium
The seventh round of the 2026 Formula 1 season takes place at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
There is perhaps no track on the F1 calendar better known to the drivers than the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with the pre-pre-season behind-closed-doors test having taken place at the Spanish venue earlier this year, and endless tests having taken place on the circuit across the years.
With long straights and several major braking zones, overtaking is certainly possible on the 4.65km layout, but the action can be somewhat muted, with few viewing the venue as a favourite.
After the build-up to the weekend was dominated by Alpine's appeal against penalties handed to Pierre Gasly in Monaco, the Frenchman was returned to the podium positions on Friday morning. Red Bull and McLaren have now registered an intent to appeal that decision, meaning the topic continues to rumble on.
As for the on-track action, Kimi Antonelli is looking to further extend his championship lead with a sixth victory in succession. He has already equalled Lewis Hamilton's career-best winning streak, and could surpass that marker on Sunday. Highlighting the achievement, only Max Verstappen (10), Sebastian Vettel (9), Nico Roseberg (7), Michael Schumacher (7), and Alberto Ascari (7) have won more than five in a row.
But it was George Russell who took pole position on Saturday, with former team-mate Lewis Hamilton joining him on the front row, this his first in Ferrari colours. Antonelli starts third.
The battle for the podium is set to be fierce, with Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, Isack Hadjar, and Oscar Piastri all showing strong pace in qualifying.
Follow all the action LIVE with Crash.net.
2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix Sunday schedule
Grand Prix: 2:00PM BST - 4:00PM BST
14 Jun 2026
14:26
Leclerc is extending his stint while leading. Russell is closing back on him, but Leclerc is thinking about the long game.
14:25
Other than Albon, who will be investigated after the race, the stewards have deemed no further investigation for the infringements so far.
14:24
Russell has questioned the decision from Mercedes to pit him, fearing that the team has "exposed me to Kimi".
That fear is removed, as Antonelli stops on lap 15 and comes out some distance behind his team-mate.
14:22
Russell appears to have survived the scare. Norris pits now, but could Antonelli try a two-stop plan to counter these three stop runs?
14:21
Russell stops for hard tyres, as does Verstappen. Hamilton is just behind Russell but his tyres are up to temperature already.
14:20
A dreadful stop for Lawson from P7. He's back out in P19, and points will now be difficult.
14:20
Hamilton pits for hard tyres on Lap 12. It's an ok stop.
Mercedes will have to have to react on the next lap. Hamilton returns to the track in P7.
14:18
Antonelli has dropped 2s off Antonelli, with Norris about the same margin being the Mercedes driver. That is likely being dictated by cooling issues.
However, pit early, and 2s is about the margin a driver will gain with an undercut.
14:17
A starting procedure infringement has been noted for Albon. At least it's not pit lane speeding this week!
14:16
This is spicy, Lindblad is being ultra-aggressive in his defence against Hadjar over the final points-paying position. There are no murky tactics in this battle!
14:15
More work for the stewards, as Bearman, Hadjar, Ocon, and Bortoleto are noted for forcing another driver off the track.
14:15
Leclerc is on fire today. Around the outside of Turn 3, he sweeps across onto the racing line for Turn 4 to snatch P6 from Piatstri. The Ferrari looks a far stronger car than the McLaren today.
14:12
On the hards, Stroll comes into the pits. Lots of brake smoke, and he is retiring after five laps. A dismal weekend for the Canadian ends in a fitting fashion.
14:11
On the replay, Lindblad used the correct runoff, while Hulkenberg didn't. Given the close proximity to the Racing Bulls car, it could easily be argued he made the safer decision. Both returned to the track in the same positions in which they left the track.
We'll see what the stewards think soon enough.
14:10
Both Lindblad and Hulkenberg's issues have been elevated from simply being noted, to being investigated by the stewards.
14:09
Russell appears composed at the front with a 2.4s lead already. Antonelli is 1s behind Hamilton, but his temperatures will be going through the roof.
14:07
Hulkenberg and Linblad have been noted already for leaving the track and gaining an advantage at Turn 1 on the opening lap.
14:06
Hamilton has fallen outside the one-second overtake mode window already. Leclerc has made a fantastic start, climbing three places from his P10 grid slot already.
14:05
Russell is scampering away from Hamilton, and Antonelli has foiled the early pressure from Norris. Hadjar had a dreadful start and has dropped to P14.
14:04
Russell covers from Hamilton, and the top six remain as they started but Piastri is looking all around the Red Bull of Verstappen.
14:03
We are racing in Barcelona!
Lights out, and we are racing in Barcelona!
14:02
The field return to the grid, and we are ready to go.
14:02
Ferrari is going aggressive. Hamilton is starting on the soft tyre, while Russell, Antonelli, and Norris start on mediums.
Other soft runners are Verstappen in P5, Hulkenberg in P10, Colapinto in P13, Sainz in P16, Ocon in P17, and Perez in P19.
All others are on mediums, other than the Aston Martin pair, who start on hards.
13:59
Unsurprisingly, the risk of rain is 0%.