15:08
Soft tyres for everyone now. Even the Haas pair have made the switch after their first efforts.
Norris in Barcelona
© XPB Images
LIVE
F1 Barcelona GP LIVE: Q1 underway in Spain
Live coverage of Saturday at the F1 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix
KEY MOMENTS
- Russell fastest in FP3 from Piastri
- Antonelli looks to make it six wins in a row
- McLaren breached Friday curfew for precautionary reasons
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 McLaren and Lando Norris who led the way on Friday, with George Russell second from Oscar Piastri. Antonelli was fifth in FP2, behind Charles Leclerc, but Lewis Hamilton could manage only ninth place after scoring back-to-back podiums in Canada and Monaco.
Aston Martin appears set for perhaps its worst weekend of the season so far, with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll at the foot of the time sheet, with the latter over four seconds off the pace, and home hero Alonso not much better off.
2026 Monaco Grand Prix Friday schedule
FP3 11:30pm BST - 12:30pm BST
Qualifying: 3:00pm BST - 4:00pm BST
13 Jun 2026
15:07
Here come the big hitters now. McLaren are leaving it later than most to take to the track. 12 minutes remain in Q1.
15:05
Stroll has continued to show absolutely zero pace, with the Aston Martin driver over seven-tenths back on team-mate Alonso. The Canadian has been over four seconds off the lead pace for the majority of the weekend.
15:04
Medium tyres for the Haas drivers, and they are on the pace, as Sainz goes fastest with a 1m18.107s for Williams. Ocon and Bearman are in the top three for Haas, with Ocon less than a tenth off the pace.
15:03
Those expected to struggle have headed out so far, with the Williams, Haas, Cadillac and Aston Martin pairings first out. For those teams, burning an extra set of tyres may be seen as a risk worth taking.
15:00
Q1 begins in Barcelona
But back to the F1, and the green light shows at the end of the pit lane. Q1 is go!
14:57
The music has played, and now is the time to get serious. The front row has hosted the race winner on all but three occasions in Barcelona, so qualifying here is arguably more important than in Monaco!
14:50
10 minutes before we get things going!
14:46
Another hot topic has been the penalty and appeal of Alpine and Gasly. The Frenchman was moved back into the Monaco top three after his pit lane speeding penalties were overturned, but Red Bull and McLaren intend to appeal this, on the grounds that in-race penalties should not be subject to appeal.
There is an overwhelming feeling that F1 has opened a can of worms with this decision.
14:35
The weekend has so far been defined by the high temperatures and high level of tyre wear. The drop off between a first and second hot lap on a set of the soft tyres has been between 2-4 tenths, but you could see some of the front-running teams attempt to sneak through Q1 on the medium tyres, with the rubber holding on better, and not missing too much pace.
14:30
Qualifying time!
Good afternoon, and welcome back to Barcelona for qualifying. The battle looks set to be fought between Mercedes and McLaren, but practice showed that a single error can carry a high cost, with tyres lasting just one lap.
13:23
Alpine F1 penalty fallout continues as rival backs McLaren-Red Bull appeal
Alpine F1 penalty fallout continues as rival backs McLaren-Red Bull appeal
Williams team principal James Vowles has backed Red Bull and McLaren's appeal against Pierre Gasly's reinstatement to the Monaco Grand Prix podium after his pit speeding penalties were overturned.
The topic that has dominated the F1 discourse across the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix so far has taken another turn.
Gasly in Barcelona
© XPB Images
12:53
George Russell fastest in final F1 Barcelona GP practice as Valtteri Bottas suffers brake failure
George Russell fastest in final F1 Barcelona GP practice as Valtteri Bottas suffers brake failure
Mercedes’ George Russell headed McLaren’s Oscar Piastri to set the benchmark pace in final practice at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
The 28-year-old Briton was 0.214 seconds seconds quicker than Oscar Piastri, and 0.243s clear of Charles Leclerc, who edged out McLaren’s Lando Norris to the third-fastest time.
George Russell, Mercedes
12:52
2026 F1 Barcelona Grand Prix - Final Practice Results
2026 F1 Barcelona Grand Prix - Final Practice Results
George Russell topped the final Formula 1 practice session at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver returned to the top of the time sheets in FP3, leading Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc.
Gasly in Barcelona
© XPB Images
12:31
Top 10 in FP3
Here is your top 10 from final practice:
- Russell
- Piastri
- Leclerc
- Norris
- Hamilton
- Verstappen
- Antonelli
- Hadjar
- Hulkenberg
- Lindblad
12:30
Chequered flag
FP3 comes to a close, and Russell will head into qualifying full of confidence.
12:29
One minute remains, and Russell will end FP3 as the fastest driver from Piastri, Leclerc, Norris, and Hamilton.
12:25
Replays show that Antonelli came across significant traffic at Turn 10. There was a Haas parked on the kerb on the inside of the corner, and other drivers just dawdling around. This has been an issue for so many years, and there has never been a solution.
12:23
Antonelli goes again after his earlier problem - caused by Lance Stroll sitting on the line at Turn 2. He bails on the effort and returns to the pits.
12:22
Verstappen slots in behind Hamilton in P5, but neither driver seems to be in the pole conversation, with the pair 0.702s and 0.755s off the pace.
12:21
Hamilton improves to P4 with a 1m16.381s.
12:21
Antonelli has backed out of his effort. It looks like an error in Turns 1 and 2 was to blame.
12:20
Norris can't match Piastri. He's 0.246s back on Russell and sits P3.
12:20
Piastri is the next heavy hitter across the line and he goes second, 0.214s off Russell.