Formula 1: How to watch the Spanish Grand Prix on TV and what to know
MONTMELO, Spain (AP) — Here's a guide that tells you what you need to know about Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix. It's the ninth round of Formula 1.
How to watch the Spanish Grand Prix on TV
— In the U.S., on ESPN.
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— Other countries are listed here.
What is the Spanish Grand Prix schedule?
— Sunday: Spanish Grand Prix, 66 laps of the 4.6-kilometer (2.9-mile) Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. It starts at 3 p.m. local time (9 a.m. EDT / 1300 GMT).
Where is the Spanish Grand Prix taking place?
After the slow and twisty Monaco circuit, F1 is back to full speed at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The first corner at the end of long start-finish straight is the best of relatively few opportunities to overtake. The circuit is under contract with F1 for another year but its long-term future is uncertain because a new track in Madrid joins the calendar next year. Max Verstappen has won the Spanish Grand Prix for Red Bull in the last three seasons.
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What does the starting grid look like?
Oscar Piastri took pole position right ahead of McLaren partner Lando Norris. Max Verstappen will start from third and need a massive performance or a collapse by the McLarens to keep his winning run going. George Russell will start fourth for Mercedes, with Lewis Hamilton in fifth for Ferrari.
What happened in the last race?
Lando Norris won the Monaco Grand Prix for his first victory since the season-opening race in Australia in March and closed in on his teammate and standings leader Oscar Piastri. Norris won from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, with Piastri third and defending champion Max Verstappen fourth. Piastri's lead is three points ahead of Norris and 25 ahead of Verstappen.
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What do I need to know about F1
so far?
Get caught up:
— Piastri earns pole position at Spanish GP ahead of McLaren teammate Norris
— Are we nearing the end of Barcelona's run as an F1 city? Madrid addition puts race in doubt
— McLaren's Piastri and Norris out to break Verstappen's hold on Spanish Grand Prix
— Fernando Alonso says Aston Martin's big bet on 2026 season weighs heavily on his future
— A mundane Monaco? Drivers debate attempt to spice up F1's classic race
— Meet the Madring: New Formula 1 circuit in Madrid gets a name
Key stats
170 — If Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri qualify on pole position Saturday, it would be McLaren's 170th pole. Only Ferrari has more, with 253.
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28 — Mercedes' 28-race streak of scoring points in each Grand Prix ended with George Russell placing 11th and Kimi Antonelli 18th in Monaco.
9 — For only the third time in his career, two-time champion Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin heads into the ninth race of a season without a point. It also happened in 2015 and in his 2001 rookie season.
What they're saying
'We were lacking all weekend compared to them. I'm here, squeezing everything out of the car." — Max Verstappen.
'If you think it's just out of me and Oscar, then I think you're a bit silly. We're racing Max every weekend. He's been on the podium several times. He's won races.' — Lando Norris.
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New York Times
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Click here to join or search for The Athletic/F1 on your WhatsApp. Verstappen responded soon after exiting Turn 4 on the next lap, slowing to let Russell overtake on the outside — only to accelerate again nearing the apex and running into the side of Russell's car. Russell eventually overtook Verstappen going uphill to Turn 12, allowing him to secure fourth position at the checkered flag. But the Briton was left frustrated after the race about the move, saying he was 'crashed into' by Verstappen, a driver whose on-track conduct he has previously criticized for crossing the line. The relationship between the two was left particularly frosty after an exchange last year in Qatar, where Russell claimed Verstappen threatened to deliberately crash into him. Was this move deliberate? Russell certainly thought so. Verstappen himself referred to it as a 'misjudgment', but otherwise refused to elaborate on what had happened. He showed little sympathy for Russell. 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Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Red Bull driver Max Verstappen got into a collision with Mercedes' George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix, an incident Sky Sports Formula 1 commentator Nico Rosberg has deemed "horrible." During a safety car, Red Bull decided to pit Verstappen to give him fresh hard tires, though all of the rest of the cars pitted for soft tires. This left Verstappen vulnerable on track, and he quickly lost a place to Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc once the race restarted. Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing on the grid during the F1 Grand Prix of Spain at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on June 01, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing on the grid during the F1 Grand Prix of Spain at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on June 01, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain Photo by/Getty Images Then, Russell came straight for Verstappen, though they made contact on the overtake. It was unclear who was at fault at the moment, though Red Bull ordered the Dutch driver to give the place to Russell. Verstappen thought that move was unfair, though he looked ready to concede the position and let Russell through, but at the last second, he drove into the Mercedes car for seemingly no reason. Drama in the closing stages of the race! 😱 Max Verstappen drops to P10 following a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with George Russell #F1 #SpanishGP — Formula 1 (@F1) June 1, 2025 Rosberg, who was a part of the commentary team, immediately condemned Verstappen for the collision. "Wow, that's bad, bad, bad," he said on the broadcast. "That is seriously bad. He just rams him, full on. "You need to black flag that, there is no other way. Max was in the right - at first. The team went against Max and caused him to boil over." On the broadcast, Rosberg provides commentary based on his experience as a driver who has won a championship. His analysis tends to be in support of the drivers, trying to explain what someone behind the wheel of an F1 car is thinking. george russell after max verstappen drove into him — tiana ⁴ (@literallylando) June 1, 2025 He is never shy about sharing his opinion and has a clear opinion. "I can tell you how it is. It was Georges's fault," Rosberg added. "He went in too hot. He oversteered out. He tapped into Max, who, of course, has to use the escape road. "Then Max could have stayed in front because that was not the way to do a pass. Because George overcooked it in. "The team messed up saying that George passed. That really annoyed Max because he knows that George rammed him off the track. "In Max's eyes he was 100 percent in the right so why are you telling me to do this? 'That guy just rammed me off, watch this, I will show you what he did!' He slowed down then rammed into [Russell]. "Which is even worse. If you slow down to ram into another driver, that's pretty bad." Verstappen ended up finishing P10 after the FIA stewards handed him a 10-second time penalty for causing the collision. More F1: Max Verstappen Awarded FIA Platinum License for Endurance Racing For more F1, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
