Why the conditions could benefit McLaren
Follow live reaction to FP1 and FP2 as Barcelona hosts Round 9 of the 2025 Formula One season Getty Images
McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were quickest in the two Friday practice sessions ahead of the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix.
Norris, who trails Piastri by three points in the World Championship standings after eight of 24 rounds, set a best time of one minute and 13.718 seconds at the Circuit de Catalunya in FP1.
Piastri then improved on that in FP2, with a time of one minute and 12.760 seconds.
The action resumes with FP3 on Saturday, at 11.30am BST / 6.30am EDT. Join the conversation: live@theathletic.com
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Lando Norris is resurgent, but his biggest test yet arrives in Spain Connections: Sports Edition Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Getty Images
Hello from the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya! Compared to Monaco, it's so, so much hotter and there's a total lack of breeze at the track, meaning this is set to be a more challenging weekend.
It wouldn't be a surprise to me if the McLarens end up with an edge over the field — depending on the impact of the new technical directive, naturally... — given how much of an advantage the team has built with tire management and preventing overheating this year.
That said, this is also a track that should better-suit Red Bull and Max Verstappen than Monaco, where all they could muster was P4 after a hail mary strategy. Getty Images
Lando Norris has moved back to the top of the leaderboard.
He overhauls Fernando Alonso with an impressive 1:15.259.
Everybody is running on the hard tyres at the moment with the notable exceptions of Lance Stroll and Franco Colapinto, who are giving the medium compounds a whirl. Getty Images
There are two unfamiliar names in the cars for this session: Williams junior Victor Martins is in for Alex Albon, with Ryo Hirakawa temporarily replacing Esteban Ocon at Haas. Hirakawa has actually popped up before this season - when he drove what was then Jack Doohan's Alpine at Suzuka. Hirakawa promptly left Alpine's pile of reserve drivers after his home F1 event and was signed officially as Haas' reserve driver, with the American team in a technical partnership with Toyota, where Hirakawa has raced in sportscars since 2022. Getty Images
The home fans love that!
Fernando Alonso, the darling of the crowd, punches in a 1:15.480 to go quickest.
Moments before Ryo Hirakawa drove his Haas wide and into the gravel. 'I'm sorry, sorry, sorry,' he quickly said on the team radio. Getty Images
There is going to be a lot of chat this weekend about flexi-front wings, with the FIA clamping down on an F1 technology (aeroelasticity to be really specific) area where McLaren is said to be really strong and Red Bull has been lobbying about. It's a complex but important topic, but Madeline Coleman has distilled all the noise down to the absolute essentials you need in this article, the latest in our 'Between the Racing Lines' explainer series.
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What are F1 flexi-wings and why do new FIA tests matter so much this season?
Lando Norris has already gone top, with a 1m 16.095s.
He's followed by his McLaren team-mate, Oscar Piastri, who is 0.009 seconds slower. Getty Images
Victor Martins' Williams is the first car out on track.
Most drivers are out on the hardest tyre compound, as expected.
It's an absolutely beautiful day in Barcelona: bright sunshine with 0% chance of rain in the session. The track temperature is a boiling 47C. Getty Images
Let's have ourselves some practice.
Two driver changes to tell you about today: Victor Martins will make his Formula 1 debut, coming in for Alex Albon at Williams, while Ryo Hirakawa switches in for Esteban Ocon at Haas.
Martins, 23, was named best rookie in Formula 2 last season. Getty Images
Lando Norris isn't getting carried away after winning the Monaco Grand Prix. One third of the way through the 2025 Formula One season, he still trails McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in the points standings.
💬 'What I felt this weekend was a small step forward,' Norris, the pre-season favorite, said after clinching Monaco glory. 'But it's not it. It's not like I've nailed it now and everything's back.'
Norris's Monaco victory was magic — but it was only his second grand prix win of a campaign his McLaren team has dominated. Piastri has won four races.
Simply put, Norris's bounce-back win in Monaco will mean little if he lets the points gap swell back up from three at the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend. But the pressure is also on his ice-cool teammate. In 2024, Barcelona was the scene of one of Piastri's biggest defeats to Norris. While his teammate started on pole and pushed Max Verstappen for victory, Piastri qualified 10th and finished over 30 seconds down. It was the sort of result that often leads Verstappen's Red Bull to be declared a one-car team.
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Lando Norris is resurgent, but his biggest test yet arrives in Spain Getty Images
Joe E: 'It still baffles me how F1 can't find another circuit to host testing which isn't on the calendar, it prevents what has become of this track in recent years … an absolute borefest.'
Mike T: 'I've found that this is a race where the best cars win out. Last year I think Russell and Perez had poor qualifiers but still finished top 5. You want to outqualify the people in your weight class, but if you're in a Mercedes and qualify behind a Haas, you are overtaking that Haas.'
… and remember, you can get involved today by emailing live@theathletic.com. Sign up to our Prime Tire newsletter
Prime Tire is with us throughout the 2025 season and it is well worth your attention.
The latest edition of our F1 newsletter sees staff editor Patrick Iversen enjoy the heat being turned up in the drivers' championship and tries to pick a way through the Monaco debris so the race can be preserved (which isn't easy).
You can take in our latest Prime Tire newsletter below — and if you like what you read, why not sign up to the twice-weekly missive that you will receive directly in your inbox?
You can subscribe to that for free right here.
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F1 drivers' championship fight regains momentum. Plus, what to do about Monaco Formula 1
In the teams' championship, McLaren now has more than double the points total of its closest rival.
That makes sense with Red Bull, given Max Verstappen has scored 136 of its 143 points. Mercedes are only four more points up the road in second, with Ferrari a solitary point behind the fizzy drinks cars.
Aston Martin is the team that will be looking for some big strides over the coming races. They sit P8, with just 14 points — all of them scored by Lance Stroll. Formula 1
Having seen his McLaren teammate win in Monaco from pole, Oscar Piastri's lead in the drivers' championship over Lando Norris is down to just three points.
Max Verstappen remains in the hunt behind too, especially if his Red Bull benefits from upgrades and updates now Barcelona has arrived.
Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso arrives at his home race without a single championship point this year. The same can be said for Sauber rookie Gabriel Bortoleto and Alpine's Franco Colapinto — although Liam Lawson did finally get on the board with four points and P8 in Monaco. Getty Images
Lando Norris won the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix from pole, ahead of home hero Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri in the second McLaren — but the race's story was dominated by a new rule requiring every driver to do two pit stops.
The rule was introduced after the 2024 Monaco race was a lifeless procession following a red flag on Lap 1, and it did produce talking points across the field this year.
Several teams employed tactics that meant one driver helped their teammate by slowing down rivals behind, while fourth-place finisher Max Verstappen stopped for the final time ahead of the final lap, well out of sync with the other leaders.
Our experts, Luke Smith and Madeline Coleman , were in Monaco and you can grab their takeaways from last weekend below.
GO FURTHER
Monaco GP: Lando Norris wins hectic race, Mercedes frustrated by Williams tactics Getty Images
We are rattling through the races in 2025, with our first European races done and dusted.
A trip to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix follows this weekend, before the real meat of the European season arrives: 1: Australia — NORRIS (Win & Pole)
2: China — PIASTRI (W&P)
3: Japan — VERSTAPPEN (W&P)
4: Bahrain — PIASTRI (W&P)
5: Saudi Arabia — PIASTRI W (Verstappen P)
6: Miami — PIASTRI W (Verstappen P)
7: Emilia-Romagna — VERSTAPPEN W (Piastri P)
8: Monaco — NORRIS (W&P)
9: Spain (Barcelona) — IN PROGRESS
10: Canada (Montreal) — Jun 13-15
11: Austria (Spielberg) — Jun 27-29
12: Britain (Silverstone) — Jul 4-6
13: Belgium (Spa) — Jul 25-27
14: Hungary (Hungaroring) — Aug 1-3
15: Netherlands (Zandvoort) — Aug 29-31
16: Italy (Monza) — Sep 5-7
17: Azerbaijan (Baku) — Sep 19-21
18: Singapore (Marina Bay) — Oct 3-5
19: United States (Austin) — Oct 17-19
20: Mexico (Mexico City) — Oct 24-26
21: Brazil (São Paulo) — Nov 7-9
22: Las Vegas (Nevada) — Nov 20-22
23: Qatar (Lusail) — Nov 28-30
24: Abu Dhabi (Yas Marina) — Dec 5-7
We are already a third of the way through this season. Getty Images
We are here for all your second screen needs and F1 insights, but we love watching sport and we know live pictures have their place too.
So here's where you can watch the track narratives unfold over the course of the Barcelona sessions, alongside our live coverage: U.S.: ESPN
ESPN UK: Sky Sports
Sky Sports Canada: TSN
TSN Australia: Fox Sports, Kayo
Fox Sports, Kayo Global: F1.tv Getty Images
The end of a European triple header following Emilia-Romagna and Monaco, these session times should feel a little familiar by this point.
Our first hour of free practice is on the way shortly, with the green light for FP1 scheduled for 7:30 a.m. ET. That is 4:30 a.m. on the west coast and 12:30 p.m. in the UK.
FP2 then takes place from 11 a.m. ET, which is 8 a.m. PT and 4 p.m. BST.
Come Saturday it's a 6:30 a.m start on the east coast for FP3, so 3:30 a.m. PT and 11:30 a.m. in the UK — ahead of a crucial qualifying at 10 a.m. eastern; which is 7 a.m PT and 3 p.m. BST.
All of which paves the way for Sunday's race, with lights out at 9 a.m. ET, 6 a.m. PT and 2 p.m. in the UK.
How lovely it is to have the semblance of a routine.
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