Oscar Piastri delivered a near-perfect weekend at the Spanish GP, converting pole position into a commanding race victory ahead of teammate Lando Norris in a dominant McLaren 1-2. The Australian’s consistency across all sessions helped him to victory, while things fell apart for Max Verstappen in the closing stages of the race. Read more about the F1 Spanish GP weekend in our roundup below.
The Chronicle Headlines
- Piastri and Norris delivered a front-row lockout in qualifying, McLaren’s first in Spain since 1998. They followed it through for a 1-2 finish in the race.
- Four out of five P1 classifications this weekend went to Piastri; the Australian was fastest in FP2 and FP3, claimed Pole in qualifying, and won the race to bolster his Championship lead to ten points over Norris.
- A Safety Car for Antonelli’s retirement bunched the field, setting up a tense sprint to the finish and multiple collisions among the front runners.
- Despite briefly leading the race, Verstappen’s three-stop strategy left him vulnerable at a Safety Car restart. Tension boiled over and he collided with Russell, dropping him to P10 after a 10-second penalty.
- Charles Leclerc capitalised on Verstappen and Russell’s scuffle to finish third, keeping Ferrari’s points tally strong.
- Nico Hulkenberg delivered a strong drive, climbing from 15th to fifth in a standout drive this weekend for Kick Sauber.
- Fernando Alonso secured his first points of the season for Aston Martin, coming home in P9.
FP1: Norris Maintains Monaco Momentum
Lando Norris carried the confidence of his Monaco win straight into the Spanish Grand Prix weekend by topping the timesheets in Free Practice 1. The McLaren driver posted a fastest lap of 1:13.718, outpacing Max Verstappen by 0.367s and Lewis Hamilton by 0.378s in warm and sunny conditions at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Friday morning also saw fresh faces on track, as F2’s Victor Martins made his F1 weekend debut by replacing Alex Albon at Williams for a session, while Ryo Hirakawa took over Esteban Ocon’s Haas for his second FP1 appearance. Hirakawa ran through the gravel early in the session, and Martins ended the hour down in P19.
There were sharp performances from Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar in P6 and P8 respectively, and Ollie Bearman showed solid pace in P7. At the close, Norris held P1 from Verstappen and Hamilton, with Leclerc and Piastri rounding out the top five. Alonso struggled to 13th, while Sainz finished P15 in a low-key session for Williams.
FP2: Piastri Responds with Commanding Afternoon Display
Oscar Piastri responded to Norris’ morning form with a dominant performance in FP2, going quickest with a 1:12.760. He led Mercedes’ George Russell by nearly three-tenths, while Max Verstappen and Norris both set identical lap times of 1:13.070. Verstappen classified ahead due to setting his time first – but it was a foreshadowing for some fierce competition to come this weekend.
As track temperatures continued to rise, the session started off with a flurry of action – all 20 cars were on track in the early minutes. Colapinto returned for Alpine after hydraulic issues in FP1, while Esteban Ocon took back control of his Haas after Hirakawa’s morning run.
Ollie Bearman suffered a spin at Turn 3 and spent a chunk of the session in the garage, while Isack Hadjar complained of excessive traffic, later echoed by Alonso. George Russell led the way early with a 1:13.046 on soft tyres before being surpassed by Piastri’s late flyer. Ferrari endured a tricky session, with Leclerc sliding during his lap and Hamilton finishing a distant P11.
Behind the top five of Piastri, Russell, Verstappen, Norris, and Leclerc came Antonelli, Alonso, Gasly, Hadjar, and Lawson. Hamilton, Hülkenberg, Tsunoda, Sainz, and Albon completed the top 15, while Bearman, Stroll, and Colapinto all struggled for rhythm.
FP3: Piastri Sets the Benchmark Once More
Oscar Piastri continued to dominate the weekend, setting the fastest time in FP3, a 1:12.387 that left him over half a second clear of Norris. Leclerc was third, just ahead of Russell, while Verstappen had to settle for fifth, nearly a second adrift.
In cooler conditions, running started slowly with Franco Colapinto the first on track. Yuki Tsunoda was early to the top but was quickly leapfrogged by Norris and then by Russell. Verstappen, suffering from low grip and porpoising, complained on the radio and aborted an early flying lap.
Liam Lawson and Ollie Bearman both had hairy off-track moments, briefly visiting the gravel. Norris, chasing top spot, suffered a snap of oversteer and had to take the escape road at Turn 9. Piastri, on the other hand, showed the pace of the McLaren, going fastest by some margin. Isack Hadjar continued his impressive rookie campaign with P6, ahead of fellow rookie Antonelli, Alonso, Hamilton, and Lawson. Piastri’s consistency through all three sessions made him the man to beat heading into Qualifying.
Qualifying: a McLaren Front-Row Lockout
Oscar Piastri captured his fourth pole of the season with a sensational final lap of 1:11.546 in Q3, denying teammate Lando Norris a second consecutive pole by just over two-tenths. The result marked McLaren’s first front-row lockout in Spain since 1998.
Piastri had led Q1 and Q2, but it was Norris who briefly took provisional pole with a 1:11.819. However, Piastri delivered in the dying moments to reclaim the top spot, showcasing his composure under pressure. Norris, on the other hand, failed to produce after over-driving in the first sector and paying the price for the rest of the lap.
Behind the McLaren duo, Verstappen and Russell set identical times for the second time this weekend, this time a 1:11.848. Verstappen would start ahead after he posted the lap time first, with Russell behind. Hamilton slotted into fifth for Ferrari, followed by Antonelli, Leclerc, Gasly, Hadjar, and Alonso.
Q1 saw a dramatic exit for Carlos Sainz at his home race, along with Nico Hülkenberg, Esteban Ocon, Franco Colapinto, and Yuki Tsunoda. In Q2, Alex Albon missed out on Q3 by just 0.03s, expressing frustration with Ollie Bearman for slowing ahead of him.
Stroll Withdraws Due to Injury
Lance stroll would not start the race on Sunday – it was announced that the Aston Martin driver had been suffering from pain in his wrist, thought to be caused by a pre-2023 season accident.
Race – Piastri Prevails Amidst Safety Car Drama
Oscar Piastri sealed his fifth win of the 2025 season with a composed and commanding drive to victory in Barcelona. The Australian held off teammate Lando Norris in a McLaren 1-2 finish, extending his lead in the Drivers’ Championship as the team strengthened their grip on both title fights.
Piastri led away from pole and survived early pressure from Max Verstappen, who jumped Norris off the line and briefly led after the first round of pit stops. However, McLaren regained control as Verstappen committed to a three-stop strategy that backfired late in the race.
The race took a dramatic turn with a late Safety Car triggered by Kimi Antonelli’s retirement. In the final sprint to the finish, Piastri and Norris managed their restart perfectly, while chaos erupted behind. Verstappen and Russell collided twice, the second incident earning the Red Bull driver a ten-second time penalty and demoting him to P10.
Championship Progress for Some
Charles Leclerc took advantage of the scuffle to snatch third for Ferrari, while Russell recovered to finish fourth despite damage. Nico Hülkenberg delivered a standout performance for Kick Sauber in fifth after starting 15th, securing the ailing team some much-needed points.
Hamilton, Hadjar, Gasly, Alonso, and a penalised Verstappen rounded out the top 10. Notably, Alonso scored his first points of the season at home, and Lawson narrowly missed out after a drive fraught with on-track scraps. Sainz struggled to 14th on a difficult day for Williams – both drivers suffered damage, and Albon retired early in the race. The Thai driver was involved in two collisions, damaging both front wings.
With the result, Piastri now holds a ten-point lead over Norris in the standings, with Verstappen a further 39 points behind after his disastrous Spanish GP Sunday. The Championship momentum remains firmly with McLaren as F1 heads to Canada from the 13th to 15th of June.
Featured Image: McLaren Racing / Mark Thompson/Getty Images