Italy's Princess Maria Carolina crashes ‘headfirst into a wall' in motorcycle accident
Princess Maria Carolina of Italy says she's 'lucky to be alive' after she crashed headfirst into a wall in a harrowing accident while riding her motorcycle.
The 21-year-old royal revealed that she had been hospitalized and is on the road to recovery as she suffered major injuries in the accident.
'I crashed headfirst into a wall whilst riding a motorcycle and ended up in reanimation in the Intensive Care Unit. Surviving this was nothing short of a miracle,' the royal wrote on Instagram.
Advertisement
8 Princess Maria Carolina of Italy says she's 'lucky to be alive' after she crashed headfirst into a wall in a harrowing accident while riding her motorcycle.
Instagram / @carolinadebourbon
The princess said her helmet likely prevented her injuries from being much more severe.
'I wanted to share my own experience as I've realized now more than ever that motorcycles are powerful and thrilling but also unforgiving. Please ride with care. Wear full protection, especially a proper helmet. Mine saved my life.'
Advertisement
The Italian royal, who is the Duchess of Calabria and Palermo in Sicily, also included several images of herself in the ICU following the crash.
Maria Carolina also thanked the hospital and medical staff who had looked after her.
8 The 21-year-old royal revealed that she had been hospitalized and is on the road to recovery as she suffered major injuries in the accident.
Instagram / @carolinadebourbon
8 The princess said her helmet likely prevented her injuries from being much more severe.
Instagram / @carolinadebourbon
Advertisement
'My deepest thanks to the outstanding team at Centre Hospitalier Princesse Grace for their expert care during those critical days, and to the emergency medical team and first responders on the scene,' she wrote to her 172,000 followers on the platform.
'Whose quick and decisive actions in those first moments made all the difference.'
Days before the accident, Princess Maria attended the Grand Prix in Monte Carlo, where she posed for pictures with several athletes, including F1 star Lando Norris.
8 The Italian royal, who is the Duchess of Calabria and Palermo in Sicily, posted several images of herself in the ICU following the crash.
Instagram / @carolinadebourbon
Advertisement
8 Maria Carolina also thanked the hospital and medical staff who had looked after her.
Instagram / @carolinadebourbon
The week before, she walked the red carpet at the opening ceremony of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
'An incredible honor to walk the red carpet at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival opening ceremony,' she wrote on Instagram alongside several snaps from the glamorous evening.
Maria Carolina is the eldest daughter of Prince Carlo, the Duke of Castro and his wife, Princess Camilla, the Duchess of Castro.
Her younger sister, Princess Maria Chiara of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, is 20 years old and carries the additional titles of Duchess of Noto and Capri.
8 Maria Carolina is the eldest daughter of Prince Carlo, the Duke of Castro and his wife, Princess Camilla, the Duchess of Castro.
@carolinadebourbon/Instagram
8 Days before the accident, Princess Maria attended the Grand Prix in Monte Carlo.
WireImage
Advertisement
8 She attended the ritzy F1 event with her younger sister, Princess Maria Chiara of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.
WireImage
Maria made her debut film appearance in 2014 in the Grace Kelly biopic, titled 'Grace of Monaco,' starring Nicole Kidman.
In 2019, the princess made her societal debut at the grand Le Bal des Débutantes in Paris. During the ritzy — and exclusive — evening, Maria was accompanied by Prince Léopold of Nassau, the son of Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Sinner powers into French Open last 16, Pegula and Andreeva advance
World number one Jannik Sinner powered into the last 16 of the French Open on Saturday, punishing outclassed Czech Jiri Lehecka as American Jessica Pegula and Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva both booked their spots in the second week. Sinner won through 6-0, 6-1, 6-2, with world number 34 Lehecka unable to stop the Italian steamroller on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, slumping to his third defeat in as many meetings after a one-hour 34-minute battering. Advertisement "Today I was playing really, really well, especially during (the first) two-and-a-half sets... so very happy," said top seed Sinner. "I don't think there's much I could improve." Three-time Grand Slam winner Sinner next meets Russia's Andrey Rublev, the beneficiary of a walkover to the fourth round after France's Arthur Fils withdrew injured on Friday. Sinner has been finding his feet since his comeback from a three-month doping ban at the Italian Open earlier in May, reaching the final before losing to reigning Roland Garros champion Carlos Alcaraz. And the 23-year-old has continued his fine form on the red clay of Roland Garros where he has not dropped a set, extending his winning streak at Grand Slam events to 17 matches after titles at the 2024 US Open and Australian Open this January. Advertisement German third seed Alexander Zverev, who lost last year's final to Alcaraz, will next face Italian Flavio Cobolli, the world number 26 later in the day. Novak Djokovic faces a Champions League clash as he steps up his pursuit of a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam against Austrian qualifier Filip Misolic in the primetime night session on Court Philippe Chatrier. In the women's tournament, American third seed Jessica Pegula battled into the last 16 with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over Czech Marketa Vondrousova. Pegula, last year's US Open runner-up, will play the winner of the all-French duel between Lois Boisson, ranked 361, and Elsa Jacquemot, 138th, for a place in the quarter-finals. Advertisement The 31-year-old, who missed the 2024 tournament due to injuries, is hoping to better her previous best run in Paris which was a quarter-final appearance three years ago. - Andreeva feeling 'better and better' - Earlier, 18-year-old Andreeva eased into the last 16 with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Kazakh Yulia Putintseva. Sixth seed Andreeva took 78 minutes to dispatch Putinstseva to set up a showdown with Daria Kasatkina, ranked 17. Kasatkina, now playing for Australia after switching allegiance from her native Russia, got past Spanish 10th seed Paula Badosa 6-1, 7-5 in their third round match. Andreeva is competing in just her ninth Grand Slam event, but the teenager has now reached the second week in five of them. Advertisement After a closely-contested first set, Andreeva took control winning nine of the last 10 games of the match. "I felt a little nervous before the match, but overall, throughout I felt like I could do whatever I want on the court," said Andreeva. "Like, you know, I felt free. I felt like even though the match is tight and even though sometimes she plays very tough shots, I felt like as soon as I recover and the point starts again, I felt like I can create what I want. It felt nice, honestly. "I'm happy that with every match I play, I feel better and better. I think that this is a good thing. Advertisement Women's second seed and former finalist Coco Gauff will step up on Court Philippe Chatrier to play Czech world number 47 Marie Bouzkova later Saturday. Three other American women are in action with Madison Keys and Sofia Kenin clashing for a place in the last 16, and unseeded compatriot Hailey Baptiste takes on Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. ea/nf
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
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. Advertisement — 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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. ___ AP auto racing: The Associated Press
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Oscar Piastri beats Lando Norris to pole for Spanish Grand Prix
Oscar Piastri delivered a hammer blow to Lando Norris's bid to win back-to-back races by seeing off his title rival to take a commanding pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix. Piastri holds a three-point championship lead over Norris, and the Australian delivered in qualifying to beat the British driver by an impressive 0.209 seconds at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya - the biggest pole margin of the season so far. Advertisement World champion Max Verstappen took third place for Red Bull, one spot clear of Mercedes' George Russell. Verstappen and Russell set identical times with the former taking the higher grid slot after setting his time first. Lewis Hamilton qualified fifth with Kimi Antonelli sixth for Mercedes and Charles Leclerc, who completed just one quick lap in Q3, seventh. McLaren have won six of the eight rounds so far, and their rivals might have hoped that a clampdown on flexible front wings - which some believe has contributed to the British team's rise - would slow them down. However, the rule tweak has done little to influence McLaren's speed, with Piastri and Norris embroiled in a tense battle for pole. Norris secured top spot in Monaco a week ago before going on to claim his first win since March's season-opening round in Melbourne. Advertisement He ended the first runs here in Q3 holding a slender 0.017 sec margin over his team-mate. Norris enjoyed a tow off Piastri's McLaren with the Australian calling his team-mate's antics 'cheeky'. The McLaren duo returned for a final shot at pole and although Norris improved on his first lap, it was Piastri who lit up the timesheets by taking his fourth pole of the season by two tenths. PA 04:32 PM BST Front-row lockout for McLaren 04:26 PM BST Your starting grid for tomorrow 04:25 PM BST Piastri celebrates taking pole 04:24 PM BST Nico Rosberg on Sky Sports 'Oscar's [Piastri] lap was beautiful, perfect. Under the highest pressure he always delivers the maximum of his potential. 'Lando's [Norris] lap from Turn 1 onwards, he overdid it. He went wide, went off line, got extra snaps and that resulted in two snaps down. 'Pole position was in the head today. Unfortunately, we see over and over from Lando, when the pressure is highest, we see these little mistakes creeping in.' 04:17 PM BST Your top three for tomorrow Oscar Piastri is on pole with Lando Norris second and Max Verstappen third - Juan Medina/Reuters 04:14 PM BST The thoughts of Max Verstappen, who will start from third 04:11 PM BST Quotes from Lando Norris, who starts second tomorrow 04:09 PM BST The thoughts of our polesitter Oscar Piastri 04:07 PM BST Top ten Oscar Piastri (McLaren) Lando Norris (McLaren) Max Verstappen (Red Bull) George Russell (Mercedes) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) Pierre Gasly (Alpine) Isack Hadjar (RB) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) 04:01 PM BST Piastri on pole for Spanish Grand Prix Norris is purple in the first sector but so is Piastri, who is ever so slightly faster in sector one. Norris has not had the best of middle sectors. Did he push too hard? Norris comes across the line and improves but will that be enough? Advertisement Piastri has gone purple, purple, purple and goes two tenths faster than Norris. Can anyone deny McLaren a one-two? No they cannot. Verstappen is third, with Russell in fourth on the same time but as Verstappen completed his lap first he gets third. The McLarens were favourite for pole and they both delivered great laps to lock out the front row. 03:59 PM BST Here we go Norris is the lead McLaren driver on these final runs, with Piastri not far behind him. Verstappen will be one of the last men across the line. Here we go... 03:57 PM BST Big cheers The only one of the two home favourites to have made Q3, Alonso, sets his one and only time in this session and is fifth, but he will likely drop. He was happy with that as he went over team radio. Advertisement Meanwhile, as most of the grid head back out, Leclerc, who is fourth, is out of his car and that looks like he is done. 03:56 PM BST Top five after first runs Norris 1:11.819 Piastri +0.017 Russell +0.256 Leclerc +0.312 Verstappen +0.502 We have just heard Piastri describe Norris getting a tiny tow as 'cheeky' over the team radio. 03:54 PM BST Norris quickest on first runs Piastri sets a time of a 1:11.836. Norris gets a bit of a tow from his teammate as he started his lap. Russell goes second and Verstappen can only manage third. What about Norris? He goes purple in the first sector and is just 0.001 faster than Piastri through two sectors. Norris does go faster than Piastri by 0.017. Nip and tuck between the McLarens, who are a few tenths clear of the rest. Advertisement Leclerc is the last of the frontrunners to set a time and goes fourth, bumping Verstappen down to fifth. 03:51 PM BST First runs The McLarens, Verstappen, Russell and Hamilton have two or more new soft tyres. Leclerc and Antonelli have just one new set. Piastri will be the first of the big hitters to set a lap in Q3. 03:48 PM BST Time for Q3 The final part of qualifying is upon us and the battle for pole is very close. A look at the RB pit wall sees the weather radar screens but any rain that may be coming will not affect this session. Who is going to take pole? A McLaren or can someone cause a shock? 03:42 PM BST Five out in Q2 11. Alex Albon Advertisement 12. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) 13. Liam Lawson (RB) 14. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) 15. Oliver Bearman (Haas) 03:41 PM BST Albon out Albon gets himself out of the bottom five now but will that be enough. Bortoleto cannot knock him out. Can Hadjar make it out of the bottom five? Yes he can as he puts himself into sixth place. What about his RB teammate Lawson? Only good enough for 13th. Bearman is also out and will start 15th. 03:39 PM BST Antonelli on the cusp Antonelli's first sector is not great and his middle sector is ok at best. He moves up one place to eighth but is still at risk. Stroll cannot get out of the bottom five. Can Kimi Antonelli reach Q3? - Joan Monfort/AP 03:38 PM BST Final runs in Q2 How many of the lead runners will feel the need to go out there? Probably not the top five. Gasly in eighth is the highest runner to go out. Will Alonso fill the need to go for another run? Yes he does. Leclerc in sixth is also heading out. Despite offering to give his teammate Antonelli a tow, Russell is still in his garage. 03:35 PM BST Bottom five with five minutes left 11. Bortoleto Advertisement 12. Lawson 13. Albon 14. Stroll 15. Bearman Over team radio, Russell has told his team there are dark clouds in the distance near turn 13. Russell also tells his team he is happy to give Antonelli, who is ninth, a tow if needed. 03:33 PM BST Piastri fastest The Australian comes across the line and is into the 1:11's as he goes quickest. Russell is fourth, with the Ferrari duo of Hamilton and Leclerc in fifth and sixth respectively. Oscar Piastri leads the drivers championship -03:31 PM BST Big hitters set times Verstappen is the first of the big hitters to set a flying lap in Q2. His first lap in this session is a 1:12.358. Norris is next up. He goes purple in the first sector before going purple again in the middle sector. He ends up three tenths ahead of Verstappen. Advertisement Piastri, Leclerc, Russell and Hamilton still to set a lap. 03:25 PM BST Q2 The green light is on and we are ready for action in the second part of qualifying. Albon and Alonso out straight away. Alonso goes around once and then comes straight back into the pits. 03:24 PM BST Nico Rosberg on Sky Sports '[Max] Verstappen is on the fight for a top two position, while [Yuki] Tsunoda is dead last with the Red Bull car. 'Can you believe it? Who can explain that to me? No one can deal with this second Red Bull car.' 03:22 PM BST Five out in Q1 16. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) 17. Esteban Ocon (Haas) 18. Carlos Sainz (Williams) 19. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) 20. Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) 03:19 PM BST Sainz and Tsunoda dumped out Not the qualifying session the Spaniard wanted at his home track. It is also a disastrous session for the Red Bull of Tsunoda, who is plum last. The Japanese driver replaced Liam Lawson at Red Bull after just two races but you feel the pressure is increasing on him, especially after a dreadful session like that. 03:18 PM BST Colapinto out Sainz goes 13th but there are still plenty of drivers left who could push him down. Colapinto has stopped at the pit exit and will go out anyway as he is in the bottom five. Hamilton has done a better lap and will be safe. 03:17 PM BST Final runs incoming Verstappen and Russell are the only two to have remained in the garage but Piastri has now returned to the pits. Advertisement Antonelli has gone fifth fastest. One man at risk is Hamilton; he will need a good final lap. The likes of Tsunoda and Sainz in big trouble. 03:15 PM BST Problem in the pit lane There is a long queue in the pits and now we know why as Colapinto, at the front, reports over his team radio that he has an issue. A yellow flag is waved in the pits allowing those behind to go past him. 03:13 PM BST Top five Piastri 1:12.551 Verstappen +0.247 Norris +0.248 Russell +0.255 Leclerc +0.463 Piastri and Norris are both coming back out on a used set of softs. 03:12 PM BST Bottom five with five minutes left 16. Hulkenberg 17. Ocon 18. Sainz 19. Tsunoda 20. Bortoleto Not the start to this session that one of the home favourites Sainz would have wanted. Also a pretty woeful first effort from Tsunoda in the second Red Bull. 03:11 PM BST Verstappen into second Hamilton can only go P8 whilst his teammate Leclerc is fourth. Verstappen then comes across the line and slots in between the McLarens. 03:09 PM BST Piastri quickest Norris goes purple, purple in the first two sectors to go top of the timesheets. Russell comes across the line and is just 0.007 off Norris' time. Advertisement Piastri was quickest in the middle sector and goes nearly two and a half tenths faster than his teammate Norris. Verstappen, Leclerc and Hamilton yet to set a time. 03:07 PM BST Trundling around With a desire to keep the tyres as cool as possible with the hot air and track temperatures, the drivers are going very slowly on their out laps. 03:05 PM BST Stroll quickest Just the five times set so far but it is the Aston Martin of Stroll who is fastest, just ahead of the Williams of Albon. It is very quiet out on the track but that is about to change as the drivers are starting to head out. It is as if most of teams were watching each other and waiting for the first to move, other than the first five out. 03:02 PM BST Quiet Only five cars out on track currently; Stroll, Colapinto, Ocon, Bearman and Albon. 03:00 PM BST Go, go, go! The green light is showing at the end of the pit lane and qualifying is officially under way. Who will take pole? Can anyone stop the McLarens? Advertisement It is not particularly busy at the end of the pit lane as the green light shows as teams are being patient, feeling they do not need to rush out. 02:55 PM BST Five-minute klaxon Not long to go until qualifying gets going. Ferrari have confirmed that they have not had to change Lewis Hamilton's gearbox. Meanwhile in the Red Bull garage Max Verstappen is catching a word with Barcelona and Poland striker Robert Lewandowski. Lewandowski meets Verstappen -02:51 PM BST Hamilton rubbishes claims of rift with Ferrari race engineer Lewis Hamilton has described speculation that he has a problem with Riccardo Adami, his new race engineer at Ferrari, as 'bull----', describing their relationship as 'great'. Hamilton, 40, has had a number of spiky radio exchanges with the Italian, 11 years older than him at 51, during their short time working together. But speaking ahead of this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, the seven-time world champion dismissed speculation that their relationship was a problem, describing Adami as 'a great guy' and 'amazing to work with'. 'We are both in it together,' Hamilton said. 'We both want to win a world championship together and we are both working towards lifting the team up. So it [the speculation] is all just noise and we are not paying attention to it. It doesn't make a difference to the job we are trying to do.' 02:50 PM BST Christian Horner speaking to Sky Sports 'Based on what we saw in FP3, McLaren have quite an advantage. It could be a battle for the second row. 'But as the rest of the season has told us, you never really know. But it looks pretty ominous.' 02:48 PM BST 'You drive like an Englishman!' – my chastening day on the Ferrari test track A morning spent grappling with the 3.0L V6 Italian stallion has nevertheless been a hoot. It is a privilege to have super-smooth Zani sat alongside me to pass on his nuggets of experience from years racing in the GT3 European Championships. The car itself, in glistening red of course, is an absolute beauty but any vain hope that I might look the part at are dashed immediately as I bang my helmet on the door while awkwardly attempting to stoop into the tightly-fitting driver's cockpit. Zani looks at me and shoots a wry smile as I attempt to work out where the gear stick is. There isn't one. He gets the water sprinklers out for half an hour so we can try out some drifting. I fare better at that, largely drawing on my uncle Blake's lessons in handbrake turns in empty carparks in the 1990s. 02:46 PM BST Bernie Collins on Sky Sports 'McLaren looked stronger than ever in that FP3 session. The proof will be in the pudding now in qualifying, but they do look strong. 'McLaren maybe got a bit of a head start, we knew this rule was coming in, they ran the wing earlier in the year as well, so they are ready for it.' 02:42 PM BST Sky Sports' Nico Rosberg on Lewis Hamilton 'It has been a difficult start so far, a continuation of the form he had last year which was the first time in his career he had a dip in form for the whole season. 'George Russell beat him last year and [Charles] Leclerc has taken over from Russell, always a bit ahead of Lewis, who has not found his way yet. There is something missing. He is not connecting with the car yet and still a bit on the back foot but the car is a handful. 'Lewis' strengths in this stage of his career is his race pace, which we saw in Imola when he started 12th and finished fourth with blistering pace. It was amazing to watch. 'But, he is 40 and at some point, it is all about the speed of processing in our brains, the reaction time in qualifying, because we are in the ragged age. At some point you will get ever so slightly slower and it will happen to Lewis sooner rather than later.' Lewis Hamilton had some gear shift issues in third practice but that seems to have been fixed -02:35 PM BST Results so far this season Australia: 1. Lando Norris 2. Max Verstappen 3. George Russell Advertisement China: 1. Oscar Piastri 2. Lando Norris 3. George Russell Japan: 1. Max Verstappen 2. Lando Norris 3. Oscar Piastri Bahrain: 1. Oscar Piastri 2. George Russell 3. Lando Norris Saudi Arabia: 1. Oscar Piastri 2. Max Verstappen 3. Charles Leclerc Miami: 1. Oscar Piastri 2. Lando Norris 3. George Russell Imola: 1. Max Verstappen 2. Lando Norris 3. Oscar Piastri Monaco: 1. Lando Norris 2. Charles Leclerc 3. Oscar Piastri 02:30 PM BST Last five Spanish GP polesitters 2024 – Lando Norris (McLaren) 2023 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 2022 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 2021 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 2020 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 02:24 PM BST Investigation Sky Sports are reporting that two Ferrari front wings have made their way to the stewards. We will have more on that when we get it. Here is Sky Sports' Bernie Collins on Lewis Hamilton's issues in third practice earlier: 02:20 PM BST Nico Rosberg on Sky Sports 02:16 PM BST Results from FP3 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 1:12.387 Lando Norris (McLaren) +0.526 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.743 George Russell (Mercedes) +0.752 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.988 Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) +0.995 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +1.018 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +1.027 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +1.140 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +1.250 Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) +1.335 Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) +1.346 Carlos Sainz (Williams) +1.371 Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull) +1.505 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +1.517 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +1.567 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) +1.698 Esteban Ocon (Haas) +1.751 Alex Albon (Williams) +1.902 Oliver Bearman (Haas) +2.073 02:11 PM BST Constructors' standings McLaren- 319 points Mercedes- 147 points Red Bull- 143 points Ferrari- 142 points Williams- 54 points 02:05 PM BST Top five in the drivers' standings Oscar Piastri (McLaren)- 161 points Lando Norris (McLaren)- 158 points Max Verstappen (Red Bull)- 136 points George Russell (Mercedes)- 99 points Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)- 79 points 02:01 PM BST Battle for pole in Barcelona We are in Catalunya for round nine of the 2025 F1 World Championship as Barcelona hosts the Spanish Grand Prix for the final time before it switches to Madrid in 2026. The first race here in Barcelona was back in 1991 but today looks set to be the final qualifying in Catalunya. Today it is time for qualifying, which is very important around this circuit with the polesitter taking the victory around 70% of the time. Advertisement The season has been dominated by McLaren so far, top of the constructors standings on 319 points, more than double the number of points as second-placed Mercedes who have 147 points, and McLaren's dominance has continued this weekend thus far. Lando Norris topped the timesheets in first practice before his teammate Oscar Piastri, who leads the drivers championship on 161 points, was fastest in second and third practice. Piastri's set a time of a 1:12.387 in third practice, more than half a second clear of Norris, who did complain in third practice about porpoising, an issue we have not heard much about for a couple of years. The Ferrari of Charles Leclerc was third fastest, more than seven tenths down on Piastri. George Russell was fourth with Max Verstappen in fifth. Can Lando Norris back up his pole last week in Monaco with another pole today? -Just three points separate Piastri and Norris in the drivers' standings, with Verstappen a further 22 points back from Norris, who closed the gap on his McLaren teammate by winning in Monaco last time out, his first win since the opening race in Australia. Norris has two wins to his name this seaosn whilst Piastri has won four times and Verstappen won the other two races. There were concerns at the end of third practice earlier down at Ferrari as Lewis Hamilton, who was ninth quickest in the session, had issues with his gear shift, a day after he claimed his Ferrari was 'undriveable'. This has been a happy hunting ground for Hamilton, with six wins around this circuit, the joint-most alongside Michael Schumacher. For the home favourites, Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso was eighth whilst Carlos Sainz in the Williams was 13th. There were reliability problems for the other Williams of Alex Albon, who finished 19th in final practice having spent the second half of the session in his garage. Advertisement The McLarens are favourites for pole this afternoon but Verstappen cannot be counted out having won four times around this circuit, including the last three in succession and his maiden victory in F1 in 2016. Who will take pole in Catalunya? Qualifying gets under way at 3pm BST. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
