11:59
Purple sectors again, and Russell goes to the top with a 1m16.258s. Antonelli goes second, 0.242s behind his Mercedes team-mate.
Norris in Barcelona
© XPB Images
LIVE
F1 Barcelona GP LIVE: Russell fastest in FP3 after Bottas suffers brake trouble
Live coverage of Saturday at the F1 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix
KEY MOMENTS
- Norris fastest on Friday from Russell and 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
11:58
P6 for Hadjar, who falls behind Lindblad by a couple of tenths. Verstappen goes P3 and looks stronger than on Friday. It'd be a stretch to suggest that Red Bull is back in the mix, to be honest.
11:57
P3 for Piastri with a 1m17.281s. It wasn't bad, but there was plenty that could be tidied on that tour. Given how far off the times are so far, maybe we're seeing some sandbagging.
11:55
The Red Bull pair now leave the garage as Piastri begins his first effort. Antonelli, Hamilton, and Russell are the only three drivers yet to be seen.
11:54
P2 for Leclerc, but there were lifts all over the place and a huge oversteer moment as he came across traffic. There is plenty of time to be found as the track rubbers in.
11:54
At the other end of the scale, a 1m20.375s for Stroll. Oh dear.
11:53
Maybe not, as Bortoleto puts in a 1m17.581 on softs, but Norris smashes that with a 1m16.609s.
We're some way off the Friday times still, but that is a decent opening effort.
11:52
Hulkenberg improves on the medium tyres with a 1m18.255s, as Bearman, Ocon and Albon fall short on the soft tyres. That is very interesting! Could the medium be the ideal qualifying tyre?
11:50
Never mind the midfield though, as purple sectors light up the timing screen, here comes Norris.
11:49
Stroll also joins the action for Aston Martin. Soft tyres again.
Alonso and Bortoleto also head out, and softs again.
11:48
What is this? We have even more cars heading out after almost 20 minutes. Both Williams drivers and both Haas drivers head out, all on soft tyres.
11:48
Hold the phone, Hulkenberg comes to our rescue again! Medium tyres still, as he ventures out for a second time after completing a practice start.
It should be said that he missed FP1 as Paul Aron got a rookie run-out.
11:47
And we're back to a completely empty track. The entertainment level of this session is extreme!
Is anyone else thinking of the meme of something being prodded with a stick with the caption, 'Come on, do something'?
11:44
The Cadillac dominance of FP3 is over. Hulkenberg puts in a 1m18.477s effort, 1.485s better than Bottas' soft tyre effort.
11:40
We have a non-Cadillac on the track. Hulkenberg begins a run on medium tyres for Audi.
11:40
The current order makes for good reading for Cadillac, as the team enjoys a one-two with Bottas leading Perez.
The times, however, are nothing to shout about, with a 1m19.962s the benchmark, over four-and-a-half seconds off the Friday best.
11:36
And the track has fallen silent. Hold on, Bottas is back out on the track after a quick front wing flap adjustment.
11:33
With tyre deg so high this weekend and a likely two-stop plan for Sunday, or maybe even three stops, don't expect to see the most running ever in this session.
Only the Cadillac pair of Bottas and Perez are out at the moment, with a mix of soft and mediums tyres being run.
11:30
FP3 begins
Out comes Bottas as the lights go green and FP3 gets underway.
11:27
Three minutes to go before the green lights.
11:26
Alpine will be interesting to watch this weekend. Flying high off the back of a podium for Gasly in Monaco, momentum is a powerful thing in F1, and he will hope to continue this form with more points in Spain.
11:20
We're less than 15 minutes away from the lights going green at the end of the pit lane. Red Bull will hope to edge back into the picture at the front after an average Friday, as will Hamilton. But the pole battle currently looks set to be fought between the Mercedes and McLaren cars.
Yes, I am ready to get egg all over my face when someone else takes pole later this afternoon!
11:13
Why McLaren broke F1 curfew for second weekend running at Barcelona-Catalunya GP
While we're on the topic, McLaren breached the paddock curfew for the second weekend running for "precautionary" work on both cars.
Lewis Larkham has all the details here...
McLaren broke curfew for the second time this season
11:11
F1 Barcelona GP: FP2 Report
Lando Norris pips George Russell as McLaren strikes back in second Barcelona F1 practice
If you missed the Friday action and wanted to catch up on what happened in what was, it's probably fair to say, a somewhat underwhelming day on the track, here is your full rundown of what went on.
Lando Norris, McLaren
11:06
Good morning!
Good morning from Barcelona for qualifying day at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - that is taking a while to get used to saying!
Lando Norris set the pace on Friday, but as we near qualifying, the true picture is likely to become clearer as we progress through the hour.