The 2025 Formula 1 season hit a pivotal moment as it arrived at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the Spanish Grand Prix — the final stop in the European triple-header. Traditionally, a proving ground for upgrades, this year’s race carried added weight: a mid-season regulation tweak promised to stir the competitive order and test the adaptability of teams already locked in a fierce title battle. With temperatures rising both on and off the track, all eyes were on McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and his team-mate Lando Norris, whose resurgent Monaco win had cut the championship gap to just three points heading into Round Nine.
But there was a sense of farewell in the air, too. The Spanish Grand Prix would relocate to Madrid in 2026, trading the flowing corners of Montmeló for a brand-new 5.47km street-style circuit looping around the Ifema exhibition centre near Barajas airport. As Formula 1 looked to blend heritage with a forward-looking, fan-focused approach, the future of Barcelona on the calendar remained uncertain. For now, the iconic circuit played host to one of the most unpredictable and consequential weekends of the 2025 campaign — a race that could shape the trajectory of the title fight and mark the end of an era in Spanish motorsport.
Race Guide
Season: 2025 F1 World Championship
Race weekend: 30 May 2025 – 1 June, 2025
Race date: Sunday, 1 June, 2025
Race start time: 15:00 local time
Circuit: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Laps: 66
Circuit length: 4.675km
2024 winner: Max Verstappen
| Pole position | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | TBC | TBC | |
| Time | TBC | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver | TBC | TBC | |
| Time | TBC | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | TBC | TBC | |
| Second | TBC | TBC | |
| Third | TBC | TBC | |
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya had been a mainstay on the Formula 1 calendar since 1991, and its technical complexity continued to make it one of the sport’s most respected testing grounds. Located just outside Barcelona, the 4.657km track is a demanding blend of high-speed sweepers, long-radius corners, and a punishing final sector that was reprofiled in 2023 to favour flow and rhythm over the once-maligned stop-start chicane.
Aerodynamic efficiency remains king here. With extended high-speed corners like Turn 3 and the reworked Turns 13 and 14, teams need a car that’s not just fast in a straight line but stable through sustained lateral loads. The main overtaking opportunity remains the long DRS-assisted run into Turn 1, but positioning for a pass requires balance, grip, and tactical precision through the preceding corners. Weather rarely throws a curveball at this circuit — with no wet Spanish Grand Prix (as of writing) this century, the 2025 weekend was expected to follow suit with dry, sun-soaked conditions and air temperatures hovering around 27°C.
Circuit stats
The 2025 Spanish Grand Prix marked the 55th running of one of Formula 1’s most historic events — a race with deep roots and a shifting identity across decades. Long before settling at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in 1991, the Spanish GP toured the country’s iconic circuits, from the leafy boulevards of Montjuïc Park and Pedralbes in Barcelona to the twisty confines of Madrid’s Jarama and the southern sunshine of Jerez. Spain has also played host to seven European Grands Prix — two in Jerez and five on the Valencia street circuit — underscoring its long-standing role in shaping F1’s European summer calendar. As the sport prepared to shift the Spanish Grand Prix to a new venue in Madrid for 2026, this weekend served as both a celebration of the event’s legacy and a signpost toward its evolving future.
When it comes to dominance in Spain, two names tower above the rest: Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton. Before the 2025 race both had secured six Spanish Grand Prix victories. Schumacher edged ahead in total wins on Spanish soil thanks to an additional European GP triumph at Jerez in 1994. He also held the record for the most pole positions (7), while both he and Hamilton shared the highest number of podium finishes (12). Ferrari, too, has left an indelible mark with 12 Spanish GP victories, 14 poles, and 38 podiums, more than any other team. The race has also been the launchpad for breakthrough moments, delivering maiden F1 wins for legends and surprise stars alike — including Niki Lauda (1974), Jochen Mass (1975), Pastor Maldonado (2012), and Max Verstappen in 2016, as of this weeekend, who became the youngest-ever Grand Prix winner that day.
Weekend schedule
| Date | Session | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| 30 May 2025 | Free Practice 1 (FP1) | 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm local time |
| 30 May 2025 | Free Practice 2 (FP2) | 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm local time |
| 31 May 2025 | Free Practice 3 (FP3) | 12:30 am – 1:30 pm local time |
| 31 May 2025 | Qualifying | 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm local time |
| 1 June 2025 | Race | 3:00 pm local time |
In Saturday qualifying…
Come Sunday’s race…
Championship background
The 2025 season had already delivered an unexpected but thrilling narrative, with McLaren emerging as the team to beat. Lando Norris’ commanding win in Monaco not only narrowed the title gap to within three points of team-mate Oscar Piastri but also cemented McLaren’s dominance at the top of the 2025 Constructors’ Championship. Piastri’s consistency, paired with Norris’ growing momentum, had created a fascinating intra-team rivalry — one that was defining the early stages of the season. Reigning world champion Max Verstappen remained within reach, sitting 25 points behind Piastri, while Mercedes’ George Russell, already 62 points adrift, faced a critical juncture in his campaign.
Yet despite McLaren’s six wins from the first eight rounds, the tide could be turning. A key technical regulation change on wing-flexing came into force in Spain, offering fresh hope to challengers like Ferrari. Team principal Frederic Vasseur openly touted the update as a potential “gamechanger” — a much-needed spark for the Scuderia after a lacklustre start to 2025. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with its blend of low-, medium-, and high-speed corners, has always been a traditional benchmark for car performance. If a team finds speed here, it often translates across the calendar — which is why this weekend could prove decisive in reshaping the competitive order for the rest of the year.
Race entries
The lineup of drivers and teams remained the same as the 2025 season’s entry list, apart from:
- A driver swap at the sister teams, Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls, where Yuki Tsunoda moved up to the parent Red Bull team and Liam Lawson headed in the opposite direction back to Racing Bulls, for round three at the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix.
- Jack Doohan stepping out of the race seat at Alpine (post Miami), beginning with the following round, the 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. The team confirmed that former Williams and Alpine reserve driver, Franco Colapinto, would take his place alongside number one driver, Pierre Gasly.
Williams also confirmed that Frenchman Victor Martins would participate in an F1 race weekend for the first time by getting behind the wheel of the FW47 during Free Practice 1.
Aside from these changes, all the drivers from the start of the season took to the track during FP1, FP2, FP3, Qualifying, and the Grand Prix.
Tyre choices
After the last two rounds of the season featured Pirelli’s softest compounds, the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix brought a return to the hardest trio in the range — C1 (Hard), C2 (Medium), and C3 (Soft). While the layout had remained unchanged since 2023, the tyres hadn’t: Pirelli’s latest revisions, particularly to the C2, aimed to bring performance gaps between the compounds closer together. That opened up strategic options and could make the Medium and even the Soft viable choices for longer race stints in 2025.
Barcelona’s signature right-handers, especially the high-load Turns 3, 9, and the revamped final two corners, pile on the stress — especially to the front-left tyre, which bears the brunt of the circuit’s punishment. Historically, this race had leant heavily toward a two-stop strategy, and last year’s event saw most of the field deploy all three compounds, with Softs playing a key role in the final stints. That pattern may well repeat, but with teams having less real-world testing time than ever, every bit of tyre data is precious. It’s no surprise, then, that Pirelli chose this venue for a third in-season test in less than a year — with Mercedes, Racing Bulls, and Red Bull all contributing to tyre development for 2026 on the Tuesday and Wednesday following the Grand Prix.
FIND OUT MORE
Free Practice
In FP1…
During FP2…
In FP3…
Free Practice 1 Classification
FP1 was held on 30 May 2025 from 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm local time.
Free Practice 2 Classification
FP2 was held on 30 May 2025 from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm local time.
Free Practice 3 Classification
FP3 was held on 31 May 2025 from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm local time.
Qualifying
In qualifying…
Full Qualifying Report
Qualifying Classification
Qualifying was held on 31 May 2025 from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm local time.
2025 Spanish Grand Prix Starting Grid
The Grand Prix starting grid, with or without penalties, after the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying session.
What happened in the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix?
Report post-race.
2025 Spanish Grand Prix race results
The 2025 Spanish Grand Prix Race was held on 1 June 2025 at 3:00 pm local time.
2025 Spanish Grand Prix Fastest Laps
Results post-race.
2025 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings
Championship standings for Drivers’ and Teams after the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix.
2025 Post-Race F1 Drivers’ Championship Standings
Results post-race.
2025 Post-Race F1 Constructors’ Championship Standings
Results post-race.
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