Hello and welcome to this Total Motorsport live blog for Free Practice 1 at the F1 2025 Spanish GP from Barcelona as teams and drivers gear up for the final Formula 1 race of the European triple-header in what could be final outing at the circuit.
Formula 1 arrives in Barcelona for the 2025 Spanish GP with a fresh layer of intrigue, as long-anticipated changes to the sport’s technical regulations concerning front wing flexibility officially take effect.
The FIA has tightened its scrutiny on components that bend under aerodynamic load, targeting designs that reduce drag at speed without breaching previous deflection tests.
Total-Motorsport.com’s F1 2025 Spanish GP live updates for Free Practice 1 will offer fans unparalleled insight into team strategies, reliability concerns, and potential frontrunners. So stay tuned with us as FP1 at the F1 2025 Spanish GP unfolds live from Barcelona.
F1 Spanish GP 2025 Free Practice 1 LIVE: Latest Updates
CHEQUERED FLAG: Norris lays the marker in FP1
Lando Norris absolutely smashes the times at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to top FP1 by 0.367 ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen at this Spanish Grand Prix weekend.
The McLaren posted a 1:13.718 on the soft tyre to beat the defending champion. Then came Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri, Liam Lawson, Oliver Bearman, Isack Hadjar, Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly in the Top 10.
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Join us for FP2 at 15:00 local time in Spain (CET).
Two minutes to go: Big lock-up for Russell
That’s a big lock-up for George Russell into Turn 10, but it’s nothing too crazy and he continues on his way for Mercedes.
To be fair to him, he has clocked 33 laps on those tyres – that’s half-distance. There’s some good data for the Silver Arrows to look through.
The Brit is still 11th, however.
Eight minutes to go: Drivers focusing on long runs now
Drivers are deep into their long run simulations at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, gathering all important data for Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix.
Lando Norris continues at the top of the board, 0.367 ahead of Max Verstappen. The McLaren talent is the only driver in the 1:13s, an ominous warning for the weekend.
15 minutes to go: Mercedes in trouble?
Mercedes are currently running in 11th and 16th and it’s reported that the front-wing flexing directive introduced by the FIA could have impacted them more than anyone else.
George Russell is over a second off the pace of Lando Norris, fans of the Silver Arrows will hope they haven’t committed to their qualifying simulation work yet.
No time changes at the top at the moment.
20 minutes to go: Ferrari looking solid in Spain
There’s no doubt a lot more to come from Ferrari this weekend but they will be happy with this start on the soft tyres.
Lewis Hamilton is back on track after that early suspected issue with the cooling system and he’s immediately up to third, with Charles Leclerc just behind.
The Brit is 0.009 slower than Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, but they’re both out of touching distance of Lando Norris at the top of the timing sheets.
25 minutes to go: Purple, purple, purple for Norris
Lando Norris lights up the timing boards to put McLaren back on top of the timing boards at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on this Friday afternoon.
His 1:13.718 is an astonishing 0.367 ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in second.
That’s certainly a statement from the Brit following his Monaco GP win last time out.
27 minutes to go: Verstappen goes to the top
Max Verstappen straps on the soft tyre and posts a 1:14.0.85 in Montemelo to clear Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari by a tenth-and-half and George Russell’s Mercedes by 0.666.
Red Bull could be in the fight this weekend.
Can the Dutchman get his championship charge back on track in Spain?
35 minutes to go: Norris continues to lead the way
Drivers look like they’re focusing on long runs for the moment as Lando Norris’ time remains untouched at the top of the pile.
His 1:15.259 leads Fernando Alonso, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri in the top five.
Will the Brit win two races in. row to take the lead of the championship back again?
40 minutes to go: Issues for Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton is stuck in his pit garage as we approach the middle of the session, with a suspected cooling problem on his SF-25 package.
The Brit is currently ninth fastest, 0.721 off the top spot.
At one of his strongest tracks, he won’t be appreciating this set back.
45 minutes to go: Norris leads Alonso
Fernando Alonso is showing signs of life in the Aston Martin team through the early stages, but he’s been pipped at the top of the times.
Lando Norris puts in a 1:15.259 to clear the Spaniard by 0.221.
Will the two-time world champion finally bag his first points of the season this weekend?
53 minutes to go: Hirakawa through the gravel
Ryo Hirakawa heads through the gravel for Haas, running wide at Turn 10 but there’s no serious damage done.
He apologises to his engineer and heads back into the pits for checks. He was just a bit too confident on the brakes.
The Japanese racer is currently running in 15th overall.
New drivers in FP1: Albon and Ocon sit out
Alex Albon (Williams) and Esteban Ocon (Haas) are sitting out this Free Practice 1 session in Spain.
They are replaced by Victor Martins and Ryo Hirakawa respectively. Let’s see how the pair get on. Can they impress their teams?
GREEN FLAG: FP1 begins in Spain
The final ever Free Practice 1 session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is underway as Williams head out onto the track quickly to gather some all-important data.
However, one car is stuck in the garage. That’s not too good for Carlos Sainz who is waiting without his crash helmet on.
Fortunately, a bunch of other cars are sat in the garage too so he isn’t losing any relative running time just yet.
Throwback to 2016…
Remember /that/ Mercedes crash at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix as tensions boiled over between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton once again?
This led to Max Verstappen becoming the youngest ever winner in the history of the sport at just 18 years old, on his debut for the Red Bull team.
Who do you place the blame upon?
Never count the world champ out
Max Verstappen is regarded as one of the greatest drivers of all-time for a reason, and part of that is his blistering record at the Spanish Grand Prix.
The Dutchman won here in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Can he make it four in a row?
In fact, since the 2020 Formula 1 season, ONLY Lewis Hamilton has managed to beat the defending champion.
Count him out at your own peril.
Lewis Hamilton: On for a big result?
Lewis Hamilton has broadly struggled for Ferrari throughout his opening season with the team, but there are signs of life in the 40-year-old that he’s beginning to get on top of the SF-25 package.
And he goes well in Spain, to be fair to him. The Brit has been on pole and won in Barcelona six times in the past, appearing on the podium 12 times overall.
Could this be a chance for him to make a statement?
Can McLaren win in Spain?
McLaren enter as the favourites to win this race and Lando Norris in particular, after his rewarding victory at the 2025 Monaco GP last time out.
Can they claim their first win at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya since 2005?
They will face a tough test from Max Verstappen, who has excelled at high speed tracks with his Red Bull RB21.
Welcome to the blog!
This could be one of the most interesting Free Practice sessions of the entire season as the new FIA flexi-wing directive could mix up the order up and down the pack.
Will it rein McLaren in? How will Mercedes react? Could it be a game changer for Ferrari and Red Bull?
Find out here with Total-Motorsport.com!
Where to Watch 2025 Spanish GP FP1?
For viewers in the United States, 2025 Spanish GP Free Practice 1 will be shown on ESPN2, with streaming coverage via ESPN+.
In the UK, all sessions, including 2025 Spanish GP FP1 are available on Sky Sports F1. And fans in Australia can catch all the action on Fox Sports 506, Kayo Sports, and Foxtel.
What time is FP1 at the 2025 Spanish GP?
Free Practice 1 for the 2025 Spanish GP begins at 13:30pm local time on Friday in Barcelona. That means a similar start for F1 fans in the UK, where FP1 begins at 12:30pm on Friday afternoon.
Over in the USA, the 2025 Spanish GP FP1 session begins at 7:30am ET on Friday morning, which means a very early morning 4:30am PT start for those on the West Coast
