Hello and welcome to this Total Motorsport live blog for the F1 2025 Spanish GP from Barcelona as teams and drivers get ready to fight for victory at the third Formula 1 race of the European triple-header in what could be final outing at the circuit.
Oscar Piastri stormed to pole position for the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix, beating McLaren team-mate Lando Norris by over two-tenths of a second in a thrilling qualifying showdown at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Max Verstappen and George Russell ended the session level on lap time (1:11.848), but the Red Bull driver will start ahead in third thanks to setting his lap earlier.
Lewis Hamilton led the charge for Ferrari in fifth, ahead of Kimi Antonelli in the second Mercedes, with Charles Leclerc only managing one Q3 run and settling for seventh. Pierre Gasly delivered another strong qualifying display for Alpine in eighth, while Isack Hadjar continued his impressive rookie season in ninth for Racing Bulls. Home hero Fernando Alonso rounded out the top ten for Aston Martin
Total-Motorsport.com’s F1 2025 Spanish GP live updates for the race will offer fans unparalleled insight into team strategies, reliability concerns, and those in the hunt for the win in Spain.
F1 Spanish GP 2025 LIVE: Latest Updates
Ten second penalty for Verstappen
Max Verstappen gets a 10-second time penalty for that incident with George Russell at Turn 5, where the Dutchman almost crashed them both out of the race as his temper boiled over.
Nico Rosberg, 2016 F1 world champion, thinks the four-time world champion is a lucky boy to only get away with that.
More from the Azerbaijan GP
Catch up with Total Motorsport’s latest Azerbaijan GP coverage, including George Russell’s dramatic Baku victory, the full race classification, the fastest lap result, and the Driver of the Day from the 2026 race.
It’s going to be an interesting round of interviews after.
OSCAR PIASTRI WINS THE 2025 SPANISH GRAND PRIX
Oscar Piastri takes his fifth Formula 1 win of the season by surviving a late safety car to win the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix ahead of Lando Norris as he extends his championship lead.
Eyes turn to Max Verstappen, who is under investigation for crashing into George Russell in the dying embers after he began to struggle on old hard tyres.
Any penalty could effectively take him out of championship contention.
Lap 64/66: Verstappen hits Russell
George Russell tries to overtake Max Verstappen but the Red Bull almost smashes into the side of the Mercedes!
That’s going to be at least one time penalty for the four-time world champion, who’s head is completely gone.
Gianpiero Lambiase tells him to give up the place.
Lap 63/66: Piastri breaks DRS
Oscar Piastri breaks away from DRS by just a couple of tenths ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris, his teammate.
The Australian is poised to win this race.
GREEN FLAG: Verstappen loses third!
Max Verstappen almost crashes at the exit of the last corner and that lets Charles Leclerc get the run on him down the last straight, and the Ferrari picks him off for third!
The Dutchman also has to cut the corner when George Russell makes a bold move into Turn 1 but he keeps the place ahead of the Mercedes.
Naturally he’s complaining about the rest of the drivers instead.
Oscar Piastri leads Lando Norris, who is within DRS range.
Lap 60/66: Safety car in THIS lap
We’ll get some racing very shortly.
Oscar Piastri will decide when he wants to lead the pack away soon, that could be in the last corner.
Lap 59/66: Lapped cars can overtake
The lapped cars can now overtake the leaders and get out of the way, which means we should be ready to go racing again soon in Spain.
Who will win this 2025 Spanish Grand Prix? Will it be Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, Max Verstappen or someone else?
Find out here with Total-Motorsport.com.
Lap 57/66: Your order under the safety car
Oscar Piastri continues to lead the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix ahead of Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc in the top four.
Then comes George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, Isack Hadjar, Nico Hulkenberg, Pierre Gasly and Liam Lawson in the Top 10.
The stricken Mercedes is being lifted by the crane so racing shouldn’t be too far away now.
SAFETY CAR DEPLOYED: Antonelli out of the Spanish GP
Kimi Antonelli has lost it and the young Italian is out of the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix with a trip through the gravel!
That shakes up this order! The pack are going to bunch up very closely and we will have some dramatic racing to the chequered flag when things get back underway.
The top three all pit, with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris taking used softs as Max Verstappen stops for the hard tyres, something he isn’t too impressed with.
Lap 55/66: Piastri comfortable in the lead
We have 11 laps to go in Spain and Oscar Piastri is sitting pretty for the win as long as he keeps it on the road.
The championship leader boasts a 3.6-second advantage over his McLaren teammate, and 6.6 seconds to Max Verstappen behind.
He is set to extend his championship lead in a few moments’ tim
Lap 52/66: Backmarkers almost mess up Norris and Verstappen
Liam Lawson and Oliver Bearman are fighting for track position and both have absolutely no idea the leaders are coming through behind them!
Lando Norris is the first to have his race compromised and then the same thing happens to Max Verstappen just moments later!
“F***ing idiots,” Verstappen says over the radio of the Racing Bulls driver and the Haas.
Lawson gets through on the next lap into Turn 1.
Lap 50/66: OSCAR PIASTRI PITS
Oscar Piastri now comes into the pit lane too, and he’s comfortably ahead of both Lando Norris and Max Verstappen with the advantage he had before pitting.
The gap is 2.9 seconds to the cars behind for the Australian, who needs to keep the pace up but can begin focusing on trying to win the race.
Who will emerge victorious in this three-way fight?
Lap 49/66: LANDO NORRIS PITS
That’s big for the contest of this race as Lando Norris pits for McLaren and he’s just ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen on the soft tyre.
It’s a straight fight between the pair to the chequered flag and the four-time world champion can see the man he wants ahead of him.
We all know how ruthless Verstappen is when he’s got the bit between his teeth.
Lap 48/66: Scary moment for Red Bull at the pit exit
Red Bull didn’t warn Yuki Tsunoda of how close he would be to Max Verstappen at the pit exit and as the sister Red Bull tries to race Esteban Ocon’s Haas, he almost gets in the way.
Fortunately the Japanese star makes way for his colleague, who can try to carry on fighting for this win in Spain.
Lap 47/66: Hamilton pits from fourth
Lewis Hamilton gets his first slow stop for Ferrari! Will anything go right for him in Spain?
He comes out onto the track just ahead of Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar, but he’s now running down in seventh.
He’s on the soft tyres and will need to push on if he wants to get back ahead of George Russell, who he now trails by 13 seconds.
Can he make up that deficit?
Lap 45/66: Russell gets past Antonelli
Kimi Antonelli makes way for George Russell to move through past into sixth place as the Mercedes looks to catch Lewis Hamilton for fourth in Barcelona.
The Brit is yet to pit, but is being reeled in by both Russell and Charles Leclerc in the other Ferrari. A one-stopper is unlikely to work, but they’ve got nothing to lose.
Lap 42/66: Leclerc and Russell pit
Charles Leclerc and George Russell come into the pits in separate laps for Ferrari and Mercedes respectively.
There’s nothing wrong with either stop and both head back out on the medium tyres for Leclerc and softs for Russell.
That’s released Lewis Hamilton into fourth, will he try an ambitious one-stopper or will he be pitting shortly too?
Lap 40/66: What gap does Verstappen need to make up?
Max Verstappen is in play in Spain so what kind of gap does he need to overturn in order to catch the leaders?
The Red Bull is currently 6.9 seconds behind Lando Norris and a further 2.7 behind Oscar Piastri on top of that.
If the McLarens have to pit then he will take over the lead in Barcelona.
Lap 35/66: McLaren are racing Verstappen
Lando Norris’ race engineer tells him that Max Verstappen will be fighting with them towards the latter stages of this 2025 Spanish GP if he can keep up his pace.
Norris is told to push more through the high speed corners, but he insists he can’t do it. Can Red Bull snatch an unlikely win?
The Dutchman is on six-lap old medium tyres and has to take them another 31 laps if he doesn’t plan to come into the pit lane again.
CONTACT: Lap 32: Lawson hits Bearman
Liam Lawson goes for a brave move into Turn 1 but manages to hit Haas’ Oliver Bearman with an optimistic lunge for 10th place.
Sky Sports F1’s Nico Rosberg believes that could be a time penalty for the Kiwi, which would ensure his race comes to an end in terms of fighting for the points.
Lawson is still in 11th, on the medium tyres.
Lap 31/66: Hamilton’s race falls apart
“No rear grip,” says Lewis Hamilton as he comes under pressure from George Russell’s Mercedes as we come up to half-way through this 2025 Spanish Grand Prix.
The Brit had got up to fourth on slap one, but he’s set to shuffle down to sixth position sooner rather than later.
He’s now 12 seconds behind his teammate, Charles Leclerc, who he had led through the opening exchanges.
Lap 29/66: Max Verstappen pits
Max Verstappen pits from the lead for Red Bull and comes out onto the track in fourth place, just ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.
The team did just enough to get him ahead of the 40-year-old. He’s now behind Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc.
The Dutchman is on a three-stop strategy as per McLaren, let’s see how it shapes out for him on these medium tyres.
Lap 28/66: 10-second penalty for Albon
Alex Albon has to now serve a 10-second time penalty, which is delivered when he comes into the pit lane with that broken front-wing still on his car.
He then serves the penalty in the pits, heads back out to do an extra lap, and boxes to retire from the race.
That’s not what Williams had hoped for this weekend, and that’s a pretty miserable afternoon for the 29-year-old.
Lap 26/66: Albon’s race is falling apart
Alex Albon is having a horrific time of things in Spain.
After crashing and damaging his front wing in the Turn 1 frenzy on Lap 1, he’s now under investigation for leaving the track and gaining an advantage in a battle against Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson.
Then on top of that, he gets more damage when Lawosn makes a move into Turn 1 and now he’s had to pit for a second time.
He’s on the softs once again, but he’s now in 17th and a lap down.
Lap 25/66: Your Top 10 in Spain
The order is far from settled in the 2025 Spanish GP as teams run a variety of different strategies based on what their computer simulations have told them works best.
All the same, the front runners have made their stops now so how are things shaping up in Barcelona?
Max Verstappen leads Oscar Piastri by 5.5 seconds in Spain. Then comes Norris, Leclerc, Hamilton, Russell, Antonelli, Hadjar, Gasly and Hulkenberg.
Lap 23/66: Verstappen leads Spanish GP as Piastri pits
Max Verstappen is now into the lead of the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix for Red Bull as Oscar Piastri comes into the pit lane for McLaren.
The Australian is 5.6 seconds back from the four-time world champion, and with a set of fresh mediums, it shouldn’t be too hard for him to make up some places.
Will Verstappen defend, though? And by how much?
Lap 22/66: Norris pits a third of the way through
Lando Norris pits from second at the 2025 Spanish GP as we hit 33% race distance, he comes out behind Max Verstappen in third place.
The McLaren has to make up 10 seconds, which he should be able to do with a set of fresh medium tyres to reel in the Red Bull.
When will Piastri pit?
Lap 20/66: Verstappen working his way up
Max Verstappen is working his way back up the order at this 2025 Spanish Grand Prix and has now cleared Isack Hadjar and both the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.
The Red Bull is third, waiting for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to stop. He should inherit the lead, but he will have considerably worn tyres and won’t be able to keep it.
Can Hannah Schmitz pull off another strategic masterclass for the driver and his team?
Laps 17/18: Both Ferrari cars pit
Lewis Hamilton is called into the box first for Ferrari and has a quick stop, picking the medium tyres, to protect from the undercut as he heads back out into this Spanish Grand Prix in ninth.
Charles Leclerc then follows suit one lap later, and gets a similarly quick stop. He’s back out into seventh and ahead of his teammate in Spain.
The Brit isn’t too happy with how early he was called in. He had hoped to secure a podium today but that’s looking very unlikely now.
Replay: Big mistake by Alonso
Fernando Alonso’s tough 2025 Formula 1 season continues on in Spain, he goes for a trip through the gravel at Turn 5 and just about manages to avoid spinning.
He then comes into the pits shortly later, but is likely out of contention for the points at the moment.
He’s yet to get a single tally next to his name this season.
Lap 14/66: Verstappen pits
Max Verstappen pits to get rid of his soft tyres and seems to be turning his focus to racing George Russell behind.
The Red Bull is back out onto the track on the soft tyres, committing him to a two-stopper.
He’s currently eighth but he will move back up the order when others finally pit.
Lap 13/66: Norris takes second from Verstappen
Lando Norris found the extra couple of tenths he needed and with DRS, manages to blast by Max Verstappen into Turn 1.
The Red Bull didn’t even bother to put up a fight, the McLarens are too quick at this moment in time.
Norris now has to find 4.1 seconds to catch Oscar Piastri for the lead.
Lap 12/66: Norris waiting to pass Verstappen
Lando Norris is waiting to overtake Max Verstappen and is slowly edging closer to the Red Bull ahead.
The four-time world champion is forced to defend into Turn 1.
It doesn’t seem like he will keep the McLaren behind for much longer.
Lap 10/66: Team orders at Ferrari
Ferrari finally tell Lewis Hamilton to let Charles Leclerc through and the Brit duly obliges into Turn 1.
He won’t be happy about that, but he didn’t have the pace to keep up with Lando Norris ahead.
Let’s see what Leclerc can do.
Lap 9/66: Leclerc fights Hamilton!
Lewis Hamilton has been struggling for pace in the opening rounds of this 2025 Spanish GP and Charles Leclerc wants to get through.
He tries a move into Turn 1 but the seven-time world champion fights him off and holds the place! The Ferrari cars are squabbling over fourth place at the moment.
Hamilton has just been given a new engine braking mode to see if he can find some more comfort.
Lap 7/66: Albon pits
Alex Albon pits to take on a new front wing for Williams, he’s now running last in the order and is on the soft tyre. What can he do from there to fight back?
Charles Leclerc has a look at Lewis Hamilton too, but the Brit fends him off for the moment in the Ferrari.
Oscar Piastri leads by three seconds now.
Lap 6/66: Your Top 10 after the rapid start
Oscar Piastri leads Max Verstappen by over two seconds in Spain, with Lando Norris in third place for McLaren.
Then comes Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Kimi Antonelli, Pierre Gasly, Isack Hadjar and Nico Hulkenberg,
Replays show a scruffy Lap 1 with Fernando Alonso/Liam Lawson and Hulkenberg/Alex Albon all involved in contact.
Lap 4/66: Piastri pulls away from Verstappen
Max Verstappen had thought about a look at Oscar Piastri into Turn 1 but thought the better of it and now the Dutchman is dropping back to make sure he can manage his tyres.
The Red Bull is now two seconds behind the McLaren, and that’s well out of DRS range.
Can the four-time champion fight back through strategy?
Lap 2/66: Great racing between Alonso and Hulkenberg
Fernando Alonso is picked off on the main straight by Nico Hulkenberg as the Aston Martin momentarily drops out of the points.
The Spaniard then fights back through Turn 2 and 3 by going around the outside, only for the Sauber to then take a lunge into Turn 4.
Hulkenberg keeps the place and that was an excellent and very fair battle between two of the oldest heads on the grid.
LIGHTS OUT IN SPAIN: Verstappen jumps Norris!
Oscar Piastri absolutely nails his start and disappears away from Lando Norris, who is immediately under pressure from Max Verstappen and drops down to third behind the Red Bull!
George Russell has also lost places to Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, that’s a fantastic start for the Ferrari pair!
DRS will be enabled shortly.
FORMATION LAP BEGINS: We are moments away from action
When could drivers pit at the 2025 Spanish GP? Find out the predicted strategies below.
The soft is quick, but is it a durable enough tyre to make work across 66 laps in Spain at an abrasive Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya?
Can Max Verstappen win the 2025 Spanish GP?
Max Verstappen has won in Spain in 2016, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Can he make it a fifth win at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya?
“I don’t know, to be honest,” Verstappen tells Sky Sports F1. “It’s very hot today but we’ll try our best.
“Not really normally the best [car] in the hot, but we’ll see how it goes.”
Your grid for the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix
It’s Oscar Piastri on pole ahead of Lando Norris, with Max Verstappen and George Russell close behind.
Elsewhere Lance Stroll has withdrawn from the race and Yuki Tsunoda starts from the pit lane.
How did they qualify on Saturday?
How did Piastri take pole?
Find out just exactly where McLaren’s Oscar Piastri made the difference against his teammate, Lando Norris in Saturday’s qualifying.
Just a couple of tenths split them at the chequered flag.
Interestingly, that’s the largest gap we’ve seen in qualifying in this 2025 Formula 1 season.
What are the strategies for the 2025 Spanish GP?
The 2025 Formula 1 Spanish GP is set to be a race of strategy as much as speed, with tyre management at the heart of the battle around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Long-run simulations suggest that McLaren is not only the fastest over a single lap, but also the strongest over race distance — and that could prove decisive on Sunday.
So how could the strategies play out over 66 laps as Oscar Piastri battles for his latest win of the season? Find out below:
35 minutes to go: Pit lane opens in Spain
The pit lanes opens in Spain at the 2025 Spanish GP as the drivers head out for their reconnaissance laps.
They’ll line up on the grids and then their mechanics and engineers will continue making sure everything is okay on the car.
Will we have any late problems before the start of the Grand Prix at 15:00 in Barcelona?
Can George Russell take the lead into Turn 1 again?
George Russell shocked everyone at the 2024 Spanish GP when he made an outrageous double overtake on Lando Norris and Max Verstappen to take the lead into Turn 1 from fourth on the grid.
Can he repeat the feat? He thinks that’s going to be a tall order, and also concedes that he doesn’t expect Mercedes to be racing McLaren in 2025’s race in Barcelona.
“I think last year we caught them by surprise,” Russell told F1 TV. “Everyone has looked at last year, so I don’t think Lando will give us that opportunity again but if the space is there we will go for it.
“But we also have to be realistic. In Imola, I probably pushed too hard and I ultimately paid the price. I ended up finishing seventh when we could have finished fifth.
“So we have to play the long game today. It’s close between all three tyres. The soft is a very good race tyre.”
BREAKING: Lance Stroll out of the 2025 Spanish GP
Lance Stroll has had to withdraw from the 2025 Spanish GP due to persistent discomfort through injuries.
Find out just exactly why he can’t race.
And who replaces him in Montemelo?
Watch out for Max Verstappen into Turn 1
Max Verstappen believes his best chance to win this 2025 Spanish Grand Prix could be to make an audacious move into Turn 1.
He produced a bold overtake at the Emilia Romagna GP in Italy two weeks ago, and never looked back.
Can he repeat those heroics at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya?
READ: How did Piastri take pole in Spain?
Missed qualifying?
Find out just how Oscar Piastri took his fifth pole position of the season at the 2025 Spanish GP, as well as the rest of the action, below:
Welcome to the blog for the 2025 Spanish GP!
It’s Oscar Piastri on pole position ahead of Lando Norris as McLaren lockout the front row of the grid.
Close behind, looking to take advantage of then long run down into Turn 1, is Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ George Russell.
Who will take the lead when the lights go out at 15:00 local time?
Find out here with Total-Motorsport.com.
Where to Watch 2025 Spanish GP?
For viewers in the United States, 2025 Spanish GP will be shown on ESPN, with streaming coverage via ESPN+.
In the UK, all sessions, including 2025 Spanish GP, are available on Sky Sports F1. And fans in Australia can catch all the action from Barcelona on Fox Sports 506, Kayo Sports, and Foxtel.
What time is the 2025 Spanish GP?
Qualifying for the 2025 Spanish GP begins at 3:00pm local time on Sunday in Barcelona. That means a similar start for F1 fans in the UK, where Qualifying begins at 2:00pm on Sunday afternoon.
Over in the USA, the 2025 Spanish GP race begins at 9:00am ET on Sunday morning, which means an early morning 6:00am PT start for those on the West Coast.
