Giles Richards was in Barcelona to see it all unfold.
Spanish GP results
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
3. George Russell (Mercedes)
4. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
6. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
7. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
8. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
9. Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)
10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
The socials.
LEWIS: “What an awesome crowd. What a result for our team. The Bulls are still a bit ahead but we’ll keep chasing them down”#SpanishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/7FDTRddK9w
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 4, 2023
GEORGE: "Kudos to the team for giving me a really great car today. That was a fun race for us starting in P12 and coming all the way to P3. Hopefully a sign of things to come for us" #SpanishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/v4qrskrxIA
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 4, 2023
Max Verstappen: “It’s a big pleasure to drive with a car like this and it showed again today.”
Lewis Hamilton: “What a result for our team. I want to thank everyone back in the factory.”
George Russell: “It’s a sign of things hopefully to come.”
Updated
That’s seven wins from seven races this season for Red Bull.
Updated
“Well controlled, Max, that was mega, a masterclass,” says Christian Horner to the young world champion, headed for the title again.
“Well done, Lewis,” say the Merc team. “Mega job, guys,” says Hammo.
MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE SPANISH GRAND PRIX!!! 🏁🏆🎉#SpanishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/joTJtLClnW
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 4, 2023
Updated
Max Verstappen wins the Spanish Grand Prix!
66/66: Feels like Perez has run out of road and time in chasing down Russell. Will DRS come into play? Nope. And Verstappen claims another win, from wire to wire with pole and fastest lap. A perfect weekend. Hamilton claims second, and Russell completes the podium.
Updated
65/66: That Perez and Russell gap is three seconds. Russell must negotiate the traffic of the backmarkers.
64/66: Verstappen driving serenely now. Hamilton and Perez are chasing that fastest lap.
63/66: “Now can you bring it home within the white lines,” Red Bull tell Max. “Yeah, yeah,” says the Stapmeister.
62/66: Verstappen sets a fastest lap when his team had told him to take no risks. Meanwhile, Red Bull tell Perez to go “all out now”.
61/66: Perez losing a bit of time as he gets stuck with the backmarkers.
60/66: “Zero risk,” says Alonso, just a place behind Lance Stroll in sixth and seventh for the Aston Martin.
59/66: Verstappen is shown a black and white flag for going off again – the third time. “No risks required,” say his team.
58/66: Perez is taking it to Russell, and he’s claimed a fastest lap.
57/66: Guanyu Zhou and Yuki Tsunoda clash in the battle for 10th. “He’s pushed me off, man,” says the Chinese driver. Hmm, maybe not. Felt like Tsunoda had right of way.
56/66: George Russell is being readied for the imminent attack by Sergio Perez. Checo meanwhile is being told to preserve his tyres for the final fling.
Updated
55/66: Verstappen’s lead on Hamilton is over 16 seconds now. No more pits to come. The tyres are all set for the extra point for a fastest lap.
54/66: Perez has passed Sainz as he sets sail on catching up with the Mercedes pair, and perhaps that will be the excitement that awaits at the end of this race.
53/66: Max Verstappen pits for the last time, he’s been complaining about the tyres for a while.
Anne Williams: “I don’t miss 2021 Grand Prix. Too many dangerous crashes and a lot of bitterness to end the season.”
52/66: Ocon and Alonso almost have a prang around the pit lane, and to cheers and boos. That looked a little dangerous.
51/66: Hamilton pits, as does Perez, and that means Sainz passes Perez in pursuit of Russsell in third.
50/66: George Russell asking the Merc team whether he will be able to catch Perez. The answer is in the affirmative.
49/66: Russell sets a fastest lap as he chases Perez. Yuki Tsunoda is passed by Alonso for ninth while complaining loudly to his team.
48/66: The race is on – for third – Russell, Perez and Sainz. Lewis Hamilton looks to have second sewn up.
47/66: Perez is in third now that Russell is pitted, and the Briton must hope Perez needs another pit.
46/66: Max seems to be using more of the circuit than he realises.
45/66: Verstappen has another lap deleted for going beyond the limits. Naughty boy. He’s probably bored. “What?!” He kept missing turn 5.
44/66: Edwin gets in touch: “I really do feel for Lewis. I hope Mercedes can get him a car that can compete before he retires. None of these guys can compete with Max. Really miss the 2021 rivalry.”
Think the sport does, yes.
43/66: Verstappen says the front of his car is overheating when his Red Bull team offer him the option of changing tyres. “Maybe a few more laps.” Might Mercedes risk a lesser-stop strategy?
42/66: Leclerc, up to eighth, pits and then drops to 14th and is lapped by Verstappen. This weekend has not gone well for Ferrari.
41/66: About that rain – turns out to to have been George Russell’s sweat.
I said it was odd - Russell now realises it is probably sweat inside his own helmet. The team tells him nobody else reporting it so he's probably right #F1 #SpanishGP https://t.co/vB4i4SddpV
— Chris Medland (@ChrisMedlandF1) June 4, 2023
40/66: Verstappen has lapped Norris, and then got a telling-off for using the limits of the track.
39/66: Hamilton is 15 seconds behind Verstappen on his medium compound. Any attack on the leader, should it arrive, will happen later in the race.
38/66: Back in 18th, Lando Norris, who was third on the grid in his McLaren. The Mac revival has not happened this weekend, after all.
37/66: The Ferrari team have their plan devised for Carlos Sainz: “stop Checo.”
36/66: “Solid work,” the pit lane tells Russell. “Just solid?” he asks.
35/66: Perez seems set to overtake Sainz, now can he catch up one of the Mercedes.
34/66: Russell blazes past Sainz and it’s two Mercedes on the tail of Verstappen.
33/66: The halfway point, and the question is how far ahead Verstappen can stay of the Mercedes.
32/66: Russell has the fastest lap, and it looks like Red Bull and Mercedes are streets ahead, and a bit more even than before.
31/66: Sergio Perez is motoring down the pack.
30/66: Verstappen heading for the grand slam of pole and leading every lap.
29/66: Verstappen claims back fastest lap, only to lose it to Russell again;
28/66: George Russell suggests there will be rain soon. He briefly holds the fastest lap/
27/66: Verstappen pits and still retains the lead…
26/66: It’s the Red Bull pair in the lead now and Verstappen will soon have the pace to take a pit stop.
Updated
25/66: Hamilton has pitted, dropping down to fifth which leaves Russell closing in on Verstappen…..No, he pits, too.
Updated
24/66: Gasly is whipping along while Leclerc in that Ferrari is struggling back in 16th.
23/66: Pierre Gasly, on those hard tyres, sets aa fastest lap.
22/66: “Keep on pushing on,” is the Mercedes strategy according to their man in the box.
21/66: Russell is campaigning for a one-stop strategy. The Mercedes garage don’t seem so sure.
20/66: Alonso, the only Spaniard to have got a podium on this track, pits his Aston Martin and drops to tenth.
19/66: Russell is telling his Mercedes team that the soft tyres are Ok for now.
18/66: The tyres strategy appears key here, as it is for everyone bar Verstappen who can idle along in front.
17/66: Leclerc goes in and changes to a hard compound tyre.
16/66: Those podium positions are Verstappen, Hamilton and Russell. The Mercedes camp seem delighted with their car.
Updated
15/66: Hamilton is right behind Sainz, looking to overtake any minute now. Ferrari are looking to change Sainz’s tyres. And he goes in, granting Hamitlon second place.
14/66: Ocon in the Alpine, decides to change his tyres, and that looks early.
13/66: Hamilton moves up on Sainz now, Mercedes chasing second and the two podium places until Perez arrives down the field.
12/66: Verstappen, riding his own race, has just set a fastest lap…only for Hulkenberg to break it, feeling the benefit of new tyres.
11/66: Russell goes after Ocon and has no problems whatsoever. Mercedes look full of form. Russell has gone from 12th right down to fifth.
10/66: With Red Bull flying away, the intrigue lies in Ferrari v Mercedes though it will take some time for Leclerc to come into the picture.
9/66: Perez goes up to eighth place, and Russell has escaped investigation for his early piece of improv.
8/66: Hamilton blazes past Stroll, DRS used. The Mercedes seems to have real straight-line speed.
7/66: Russell is up on Ocon’s shoulder in sixth, Hamilton, in fourth.
6/66: Perez, looking to make up for his poor start, whips past Hulkenberg in the Haas. Verstappen’s lead edge up to three seconds. At the back, Leclerc, after starting in the pit lane is up to the 17th.
5/66: Hamilton following Stroll into third.
4/66: Hamilton tells the Merc team his car is in good order despite that clash with Norris. George Russell has been cited for picking up five places by going wide. He’s in seventh.
3/66: Stroll did well at the start where Pierre Gasly seems to have dropped back to 14th. It was a chaotic start for all but Verstappen. Norris is back in 20th, poor lad.
2/66: A rather shaky pit for Norris and he has to accept his place right down the pack.
And away they go....
1/66: The lights go up and….Verstappen gets away well, and he holds off Sainz. Hamilton and Norris make contact, and Stroll overtakes Hamilton. Russell goes too. Norris tells his team he has damage on his McLaren. He will need a new front wing and goes into the pits. Verstappen, Sainz and Stroll are the leading three.
Updated
The celebs have departed and the engines are revving. It’s hot and humid, and the garage crews are waved off, too. Off they go on the formation lap.
The portentous music tells us that we are just about to go in Barcelona, as we await the formation lap, and the rain, too.
They’re playing this Camp Nou classic now.
Updated
Mason Mount breaking news:
Martin Brundle to Mason Mount: "He said you're going to #mufc" [@SkySportsF1] pic.twitter.com/829avPMo9Z
— utdreport (@utdreport) June 4, 2023
In the pit lane, Martin Brundle is chatting to Neymar, who says he is “happy to be here”. Mason Mount – Manchester United-bound? – is also spotted. And a bloke who is mates with the Bridgerton cast. It’s rather packed in there, and Brunds is struggling for content. But grabs Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Their lad, Brandon is there too. Zeta’s accent has strayed far from South Wales, it has to be said. Mercedes seem full of cheer. Toto Wolff on Lewis H: “Good to have him feisty.” Lando Norris: “All good for now. The main job is today.” Kev Magnussen wonders whether it will rain. Max Verstappen: “Maybe a bit of rain but it will be OK.” Flavio Briatore says he is ready for a “super race…a little bit of rain…fantastico…..”
And here come the national anthems…
George Russell had a slight mishap but no harm done is the word from the Merc team. “Just pushing the limits, car’s fine, car’s fine,” he says. “I’ll do my best and see what comes.”
George Russell takes a trip through the gravel 🪨 pic.twitter.com/0QBu74xHEW
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 4, 2023
Two drivers are starting in the pit lane.
It's a suspension set-up change for Leclerc that mandates a pit lane start, and he doesn't lose a position because Sargeant has done the same (as well as brake cooling) so both start from the pit lane #F1 #SpanishGP
— Chris Medland (@ChrisMedlandF1) June 4, 2023
He brings the rain…it’s expected to downpour at the start.
Nice to see you, @KMbappe 👊#SpanishGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/h4jngoyOfx
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 4, 2023
Lando Norris in third on the grid the first sign of McLaren being a progressive outfit?
After an impressive third in 2020, the sheen has come off their resurgence. In 2021 they finished fourth; in 2022 under the new regulations and with hope of a real step forward, they emerged with a car off the pace and ended up fifth.
This year has been even worse, with Norris and his new teammate, the talented Australian Oscar Piastri, returning best finishes of sixth and eighth respectively in Melbourne. The downward slide continuing, McLaren are currently sixth in the constructors’ championship.
Giles Richards is our man in Barcelona.
Lewis Hamilton and his fellow Mercedes driver, George Russell, hit one another on track, the first time the pair have clashed since becoming teammates in 2022.
The incident was unintentional, Wolff said, and a failing on behalf of the team. “It’s all down to miscommunication because drivers in the same team don’t want to crash into each other on their final lap in qualifying,” he said. “It was just an unfortunate situation. It looks silly.”
Russell, who had aborted a flying lap and was looking to start another, did not know Hamilton was behind him and approaching at pace to begin his own hot lap when he moved over on the straight. Hamilton was forced on to the grass to avoid Russell but clipped him, taking damage to his front wing in the process.
Hamilton accused his teammate of backing off, saying: “That is really dangerous.”
Preamble
Max Verstappen is going for three in a row, five from seven, Red Bull continue to go for a clean sweep. That’s about the size of it, though this time Verstappen does not have Sergio Perez for company on the front of the grid. The Mexican is 11th where he has George Russell for company after the Mercedes mixup/prang. Let’s see how tensions are in the Mercs while Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris in the Ferrari and McLaren respectively, look best equipped to try and stop the runaway Red Bull. It seems likely most of the fun will be in midfield with the likes of Charles Leclerc, Sainz and Russell trying to make their way up.
Lights out at 2pm UK time, 3pm Catalunya time.
Final Times after Qualification:
1 Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1min 12.272secs,
2 Carlos Sainz Jr (Spa) Ferrari 1:12.734,
3 Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 1:12.792,
4 Pierre Gasly (Fra) Alpine 1:12.816,
5 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:12.818,
6 Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin 1:12.994,
7 Esteban Ocon (Fra) Alpine 1:13.083,
8 Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Haas F1 Team 1:13.229,
9 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Aston Martin 1:13.507,
10 Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren 1:13.682,
11 Sergio Perez (Mex) Red Bull 1:13.334,
12 George Russell (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:13.447,
13 Guanyu Zhou (Chn) Alfa Romeo Racing 1:13.521,
14 Nyck de Vries (Ned) Scuderia AlphaTauri 1:14.083,
15 Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) Scuderia AlphaTauri 1:14.477,
16 Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Alfa Romeo Racing 1:13.977,
17 Kevin Magnussen (Den) Haas F1 Team 1:14.042,
18 Alexander Albon (Tha) Williams 1:14.063,
19 Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 1:14.079,
20 Logan Sargeant (USA) Williams 1:14.699
