2018 Spanish Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Lewis Hamilton took command of the 2018 Spanish Grand Prix, leading Valtteri Bottas home in Mercedes‘ first one-two of the season. At the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Max Verstappen overcame front-wing damage to complete the podium as Ferrari‘s strategy failed to deliver a comparable result.

Pole position
Driver	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Time	1:16.173
Fastest lap
Driver	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing
Time	1:18.441 on lap 61
Podium
First	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Second	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes
Third	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
11 May 2018	Practice 1	11:00 – 12:30
11 May 2018	Practice 2	15:00 – 16:30
12 May 2018	Practice 3	12:00 – 13:00
12 May 2018	Qualifying	15:00 – 16:00
13 May 2018	Race	15:10

All times are local (UTC+02:00). The race time is the scheduled start.

Championship background

Hamilton led Sebastian Vettel by four points after the late twists in Azerbaijan. Barcelona brought the season’s first major European development comparison, with Mercedes looking to turn its narrow championship advantage into a convincing race performance.

Race entries

Robert Kubica drove Sergey Sirotkin‘s Williams in FP1, his first Grand Prix practice appearance since returning to Formula One duties. Sirotkin resumed for the rest of the weekend and carried a three-place grid penalty from Azerbaijan.

Free Practice

Valtteri Bottas led FP1 with a 1:18.148, ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. Mercedes began the weekend with a substantial margin at the top.

Hamilton headed FP2 in 1:18.259, with Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen closest. The teams continued to evaluate their updates in blustery conditions.

Hamilton remained fastest in FP3 with a 1:17.281, just 0.013 seconds ahead of Bottas. Brendon Hartley crashed heavily, and the damage prevented Toro Rosso from preparing his car for qualifying.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2018 Spanish Grand Prix FP1, 11 May 2018

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:18.148	32
2	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.849s	22
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.950s	24
4	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+1.039s	26
5	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+1.351s	19
6	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+1.710s	26
7	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+1.723s	11
8	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.758s	24
9	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	+1.935s	28
10	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	+2.360s	29
11	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+2.489s	28
12	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	+2.517s	23
13	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+2.776s	36
14	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.836s	18
15	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	+2.905s	28
16	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	+2.996s	27
17	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+3.011s	26
18	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	+3.225s	28
19	40	Robert Kubica	Williams	+3.362s	24
20	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	+4.608s	15

Free Practice 2 Classification

2018 Spanish Grand Prix FP2, 11 May 2018

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:18.259	39
2	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.133s	41
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.274s	39
4	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.326s	34
5	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.352s	39
6	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.570s	16
7	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.320s	24
8	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+1.384s	39
9	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	+1.463s	32
10	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+1.703s	28
11	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	+1.765s	38
12	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+1.776s	35
13	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+1.924s	43
14	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	+2.114s	32
15	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.242s	37
16	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	+2.255s	29
17	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	+2.413s	31
18	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	+3.006s	34
19	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	+3.297s	35
20	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	+3.801s	36

Free Practice 3 Classification

2018 Spanish Grand Prix FP3, 12 May 2018

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:17.281	15
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.013s	19
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+0.269s	16
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.300s	17
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+0.700s	16
6	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+1.076s	15
7	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.425s	16
8	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	+1.502s	16
9	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+1.566s	14
10	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	+1.605s	17
11	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+1.624s	16
12	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+1.732s	5
13	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	+1.840s	20
14	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	+1.955s	17
15	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	+2.011s	19
16	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	+2.095s	17
17	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	+2.147s	23
18	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.463s	17
19	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	+2.619s	15
20	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	+2.628s	13

Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton took pole in 1:16.173, with Valtteri Bottas only 0.040 seconds behind. Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen filled the second row, followed by Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo.

Fernando Alonso reached Q3 for McLaren and qualified eighth. Nico Hülkenberg was eliminated in Q1 after a gearbox problem, while Brendon Hartley recorded no time and was permitted to race after repairs.

Qualifying Classification

2018 Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying, 12 May 2018

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:17.633	1:17.166	1:16.173	17
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:17.674	1:17.111	1:16.213	14
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:17.031	1:16.802	1:16.305	16
4	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:17.483	1:17.071	1:16.612	15
5	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:17.411	1:17.266	1:16.816	15
6	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	1:17.623	1:17.638	1:16.818	19
7	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1:18.169	1:17.618	1:17.676	27
8	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:18.276	1:18.100	1:17.721	21
9	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	1:18.480	1:17.803	1:17.790	19
10	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:18.305	1:17.699	1:17.835	26
11	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	1:18.885	1:18.323	—	18
12	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	1:18.550	1:18.463	—	16
13	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	1:18.813	1:18.696	—	18
14	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	1:18.661	1:18.910	—	15
15	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	1:18.740	1:19.098	—	18
16	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	1:18.923	—	—	6
17	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	1:19.493	—	—	9
18	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	1:19.695	—	—	10
19	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	1:20.225	—	—	9
—	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	No time	—	—	0

Sergey Sirotkin received a three-place grid penalty for causing a collision in the previous round.

Brendon Hartley failed to set a Q1 time within the 107% requirement and raced at the stewards’ discretion. He also received a five-place grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change.

What happened in the 2018 Spanish Grand Prix?

Lewis Hamilton retained the lead at the start, while Sebastian Vettel passed Valtteri Bottas. Behind them, Romain Grosjean spun across the track at Turn 3, collecting Nico Hülkenberg and Pierre Gasly. All three retired and the safety car was deployed.

Hamilton quickly established control after the restart. Bottas regained a stronger position through the pit-stop sequence, while Kimi Räikkönen‘s race ended with a loss of power. Ferrari‘s afternoon became increasingly dependent on Vettel’s strategy.

A virtual safety car for Esteban Ocon‘s retirement offered another pit-stop opportunity. Ferrari brought Vettel in for a second stop, but he rejoined fourth behind Max Verstappen and could not recover the position.

Verstappen damaged his front wing against Lance Stroll‘s Williams as the virtual safety car ended. The Red Bull Racing car remained quick enough to continue without repairs, and Verstappen held off Vettel to secure third.

Hamilton won by more than 20 seconds from Bottas. Daniel Ricciardo finished fifth and set fastest lap, followed by Kevin Magnussen, Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso. Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc completed the points.

Mercedes left with a decisive one-two and the constructors’ championship lead. Hamilton’s advantage over Vettel grew to 17 points, providing the clearest sign yet that the defending champions were finding their stride.

2018 Spanish Grand Prix race results

The 2018 Spanish Grand Prix was held on 13 May 2018, with a scheduled start of 15:10 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	66	1:35:29.972	25
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	66	+20.593s	18
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	66	+26.873s	15
4	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	66	+27.584s	12
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	66	+50.058s	10
6	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	65	+1 lap	8
7	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	65	+1 lap	6
8	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	65	+1 lap	4
9	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	64	+2 laps	2
10	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	64	+2 laps	1
11	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	64	+2 laps	0
12	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	64	+2 laps	0
13	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	64	+2 laps	0
14	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	63	+3 laps	0
Ret	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	45	Gearbox	0
Ret	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	38	Oil leak	0
Ret	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	25	Turbocharger	0
Ret	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	0	Spin/Collision	0
Ret	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	0	Collision	0
Ret	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	0	Collision	0

2018 Spanish Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	61	16:42:50	1:18.441	213.638
2	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	61	16:42:30	1:19.128	211.783
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	64	16:46:01	1:19.133	211.770
4	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	62	16:43:47	1:19.422	210.999
5	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	56	16:35:39	1:19.478	210.850
6	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	64	16:47:36	1:20.246	208.832
7	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	64	16:48:17	1:20.727	207.588
8	11	Sergio Perez	Force India	43	16:19:53	1:21.128	206.562
9	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	61	16:44:07	1:21.324	206.064
10	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	63	16:47:34	1:21.439	205.773
11	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	23	15:49:45	1:21.531	205.541
12	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	60	16:43:19	1:22.095	204.129
13	31	Esteban Ocon	Force India	36	16:09:13	1:22.117	204.074
14	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	51	16:30:42	1:22.122	204.062
15	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	50	16:29:38	1:22.487	203.159
16	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	38	16:11:52	1:22.594	202.896
17	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	57	16:40:22	1:22.680	202.685

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear in this table. Time of Day is local time; average speeds are in km/h. No championship point was awarded for fastest lap in 2018.

2018 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings for drivers and teams after the 2018 Spanish Grand Prix.

2018 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes	95
2	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Ferrari	78
3	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes	58
4	Kimi Räikkönen	FIN	Ferrari	48
5	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	Red Bull Racing	47
6	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	33
7	Fernando Alonso	ESP	McLaren	32
8	Nico Hulkenberg	GER	Renault	22
9	Kevin Magnussen	DEN	Haas	19
10	Carlos Sainz	ESP	Renault	19
11	Sergio Perez	MEX	Force India	17
12	Pierre Gasly	FRA	Toro Rosso	12
13	Charles Leclerc	MON	Sauber	9
14	Stoffel Vandoorne	BEL	McLaren	8
15	Lance Stroll	CAN	Williams	4
16	Marcus Ericsson	SWE	Sauber	2
17	Esteban Ocon	FRA	Force India	1
18	Brendon Hartley	NZL	Toro Rosso	1
19	Romain Grosjean	FRA	Haas	0
20	Sergey Sirotkin	RUS	Williams	0

2018 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Mercedes	153
2	Ferrari	126
3	Red Bull Racing	80
4	Renault	41
5	McLaren	40
6	Haas	19
7	Force India	18
8	Toro Rosso	13
9	Sauber	11
10	Williams	4

2018 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2018 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	25 March
2	2018 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	8 April
3	2018 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	15 April
4	2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix	Baku City Circuit, Baku	29 April
5	2018 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló	13 May
6	2018 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	27 May
7	2018 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	10 June
8	2018 French Grand Prix	Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet	24 June
9	2018 Austrian Grand Prix	Red Bull Ring, Spielberg	1 July
10	2018 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	8 July
11	2018 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	22 July
12	2018 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	29 July
13	2018 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	26 August
14	2018 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza	2 September
15	2018 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	16 September
16	2018 Russian Grand Prix	Sochi Autodrom, Sochi	30 September
17	2018 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	7 October
18	2018 United States Grand Prix	Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas	21 October
19	2018 Mexican Grand Prix	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City	28 October
20	2018 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	11 November
21	2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi	25 November