F1 LIVE: Result as Verstappen wins Spanish Grand Prix and Hamilton and Russell have great day for Mercedes

Max Verstappen recorded another dominant victory at the Spanish Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished second and third on a positive day for Mercedes.

Verstappen led all 66 laps at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya to record his fifth win from the opening seven rounds and extend his championship lead.

Hamilton started fourth but finished runner-up, with team-mate Russell completing the podium places on a strong afternoon for the Silver Arrows. Sergio Perez finished fourth after moving ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz with a dozen laps remaining.

Verstappen’s title lead over his Red Bull team-mate Perez now stands at 53 points with a week off before the next round in Canada on June 18.

Relive all the action from Barcelona with our live blog as the F1 season continues:

Spanish Grand Prix race updates

• Max Verstappen wins the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona

• RESULT! Verstappen goes wire to wire for victory as Hamilton and Russell take 2nd and 3rd on good day for Mercedes (Lap 66/66)

• PODIUM BATTLE! Verstappen and Hamilton look secure as top two but Russell and Perez battling for 3rd (Lap 57/66)

• MERCEDES FLYING! Russell passes Sainz and Mercedes running 2nd and 3rd behind Verstappen (Lap 35/66)

• HAMILTON CLIMBING! Hamilton up to 2nd as he overtakes Sainz (Lap 28/66)

• COLLISION! Norris and Hamilton make contact and Norris forced to pit, dropping to last from third (Lap 1/66)

• AND THEY’RE OFF! Verstappen holds off Sainz to lead off the starting grid (Lap 1/66)

Verstappen speaks after his victory

16:45 , Ben Fleming

“It’s a big pleasure to drive a car like this. I think it showed again today. We had quite a lot of different strategies out there. For most of the race we were on the right one but a win here, it’s incredible.

On the start against Sainz, he said: “I had the harder compound so I knew the start would be a bit tricky. Going around the outside at Turn One is always quite difficult but luckily nothing happened.

“We had another strong weekend and that’s what I like to see from myself and the team, so hopefully we can keep that up throughout the year.”

Russell explains rain confusion

16:40 , Ben Fleming

At one point, George Russell thought he had caught the first drops of rain. It turns out it was just sweat from his helmet.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he explained: “That was a bit of confusion. At the start of the race, I knew my hair wasn’t in my balaclava. So my hair was dangling out which was quite annoying.

“The next thing is, I started to brake and I saw the rain drops on my visor but I soon learned it was a bead of sweat dropping down from my hair, and when I braked it was flicking onto the visor.

“I got a little bit excited at one point.”

Sergio Perez after finishing fourth

16:25 , Ben Fleming

“I think it was damage limitation today. It was difficult to follow the Mercedes especially when we’re on the same tyre age. If we wanted more, we should’ve taken a risk in lap one like George did.

“I generally felt that we were not quite there this weekend - this is something we will hopefully fix before Canada.”

Alonso speaks after seventh-place finish

16:24 , Ben Fleming

“We didn’t have the pace. We were not fast enough with the soft or hard. I don’t think it was a thing with the strategy or anything, just a lack of pace today. Let’s see why and try to get better for Canada.”

Speaking on Mercedes who moved above Aston Martin in the Constructors’ Championship, he said: “They are fast. They are a concern for us and have been all year long. They have very consistent drivers as well.

“We have a fast car, but they seem to score with only one car or have more trouble in the race. Mercedes are always there and will be a very tough competitor.”

Red Bull team principle speaks to Sky Sports

16:15 , Ben Fleming

Christain Horner speaking after the race: “Sergio Perez lost out in the early laps. He didn’t have a great start. George Russell managed to get away with running off track, not getting a penalty for that.

“I think that was the difference at the end of the day. Perez was getting stronger and stronger. That last stint in particular he was coming back very strong. Just not enough laps to get that podium.”

Speaking on Mercedes’ improvement, he said: “It was still 23 seconds behind at the end of the race. They made a good step. But we’ve got some stuff in the pipeline. They have had a big upgrade and we have got some bits coming later in the season.

“They are a quality team and will be putting us under pressure in the second half of the year.”

Constructors’ championship standings - Mercedes into second

16:06 , Ben Fleming

And here is how the team standings look after the race with Mercedes moving above Aston Martin:

1) Red Bull - 282 points

2) Mercedes - 152 points

3) Aston Martin - 134 points

4) Ferrari - 100 points

5) Alpine - 40 points

6) McLaren - 17 points

7) Haas - 8 points

8) Alfa Romeo - 8 points

9) AlphaTauri - 2 points

10) Williams - 1 point

Driver Standings - Verstappen leads by 53

16:04 , Ben Fleming

Here is how the standings look in the Drivers’ championship after today:

1) Max Verstappen - 170 points

2) Sergio Perez - 117 points

3) Fernando Alonso - 99 points

4) Lewis Hamilton - 87 points

5) George Russell - 65 points

6) Carlos Sainz - 58 points

7) Charles Leclerc - 42 points

8) Lance Stroll - 35 points

9) Esteban Ocon - 25 points

10) Pierre Gasly - 15 points

11) Lando Norris - 12 points

12) Nico Hulkenberg - 6 points

13) Oscar Piastri - 5 points

14) Valtteri Bottas - 4 points

15) Zhou Guanyu - 4 points

16) Yuki Tsunoda - 2 points

17) Kevin Magnussen - 2 points

18) Alex Albon - 1 point

19) Nyck de Vries - 0 points

20) Logan Sargeant - 0 points

Mercedes CEO, Toto Wolff speaks to Sky Sports

15:59 , Ben Fleming

“Let’s keep our expectations real. There’s such a long way to go in order to catch Red Bull. We just need to grind away.

“It’s a good moment to see that the development direction is right.”

Celebrations underway

15:56 , Ben Fleming

The top three take to the podium. Verstappen has got very used to that feeling over the course of this season but a welcome return to the podium for the Mercedes pair:

VERSTAPPEN WINS SPANISH GRAND PRIX

15:54 , Ben Fleming

Max Verstappen recorded a dominant victory at the Spanish Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished second and third for Mercedes.

Verstappen led all 66 laps at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya to record his fifth win from the opening seven rounds and extend his championship lead.

Hamilton started fourth but finished runner-up, with team-mate Russell completing the podium places on a strong afternoon for the Silver Arrows.

Read the full race report below:

Max Verstappen wins Spanish GP as Lewis Hamilton and George Russell make podium

Spanish Grand Prix: Full results

15:51 , Ben Fleming

The final standings from Barcelona:

“A sign of things to come” - George Russell

15:50 , Ben Fleming

Speaking after his third-place finish, Russell said: “Kudos to the team for giving me a really great car today. That was a fun race for us starting in P12 and coming all the way to P3. Hopefully a sign of things to come for us.

“We know we brought some more downforce to the car and are in a better window, so just happy to be on the podium.”

Hamilton full of praise for team after second-place finish

15:48 , Ben Fleming

A wonderful day in Barcelona for the Mercedes drivers who take second and third.

Speaking to former teammate Nico Rosberg, Hamilton said: “What a result for our team. We definitely didn’t expect to have the result we had today, so I just really want to take my hat off to my team and say a big thank you to everyone back at the factory for continuing to push and bring us a little bit closer to Red Bull.

“They are still a bit ahead, but we’ll keep chasing them down. This is an amazing result - George Russell did a great job as well.

“If we can get close by the end of the year, that would be awesome. If not, next year.”

Verstappen speaks after his victory

15:44 , Ben Fleming

“It’s a big pleasure to drive a car like this. I think it showed again today. We had quite a lot of different strategies out there. For most of the race we were on the right one but a win here, it’s incredible.

On the start against Sainz, he said: “I had the harder compound so I knew the start would be a bit tricky. Going around the outside at Turn One is always quite difficult but luckily nothing happened.

“We had another strong weekend and that’s what I like to see from myself and the team, so hopefully we can keep that up throughout the year.”

VERSTAPPEN WINS SPANISH GRAND PRIX

15:42 , Ben Fleming

Having started 11th, Perez was unable to move back up into the podium spots and the Mexican has to settle for fourth. Carlos Sainz started on the front row in front of his home crowd but comes home fifth in the end.

Stroll is in sixth with home-country favourite Alonso in seventh. Ocon, Zhou and Gasly round out the top ten after Tsunoda drops out following his time penalty.

VERSTAPPEN WINS SPANISH GRAND PRIX

15:37 , Ben Fleming

Here is how the top ten pans out in the end:

1. Max Verstappen

2. Lewis Hamilton

3. George Russell

4. Sergio Perez

5. Carlos Sainz

6. Lance Stroll

7. Fernando Alonso

8. Esteban Ocon

9. Zhou Guanyu

10. Pierre Gasly

MERCEDES 2-3 FINISH

15:35 , Ben Fleming

Hamilton comfortably gets into second and Russell holds on for third! Neither were particularly confident heading into the week here in Barcelona but perhaps those car upgrades that they made before Monaco have already started to come to fruition.

“Mega job guys, mega job,” Hamilton says over the radio.

“Thank you so much to everyone at the factory, continuing to push This is a real showing for all your hard work so thank you. Let’s keep pushing. Mega job to George as well.”

Russell started in 12th but he surged up the leaderboard early and held off the late charge from Perez.

VERSTAPPEN WINS SPANISH GRAND PRIX

15:32 , Ben Fleming

Nobody has got close to him today and Verstappen cruises over the finish line for his third victory in a row. Commanding performance from the Red Bull driver who extends his lead at the top of the Drivers’ Championship.

Gasly and Leclerc battle for 11th (Lap 66/66)

15:31 , Ben Fleming

With Tsunoda’s penalty, Leclerc and Gasly’s battle for 11th could be worth a point. Gasly holding on as things stand in the final lap.

Russell leads by three over Perez (Lap 65/66)

15:31 , Ben Fleming

It is getting awfully close for Russell as he now leads by just three seconds but Perez has just three seconds to eat up that remaining time - will that be enough?

Top ten currently: Verstappen, Hamilton, Russell, Perez, Sainz, Strol, Alonso, Ocon, Tsunoda, Zhou.

Five-second penalty for Tsunoda (Lap 63/66)

15:28 , Ben Fleming

Officials have given Tsunoa a five-second penalty after that back-and-forth with Zhou. That would more than likely drop him out of the points.

Fastest lap for Max (Lap 63/66)

15:27 , Ben Fleming

Verstappen records the fastest lap as he begins his final laps to victory.

“All out,” Perez is told over the team radio as he looks to take third from Russell.

Top ten currently: Verstappen, Hamilton, Russell, Perez, Sainz, Strol, Alonso, Ocon, Tsunoda, Zhou.

Perez continues pursuit of Russell (Lap 61/66)

15:25 , Ben Fleming

Five laps to go and Verstappen and Hamilton look comfy in first and second. The real contest is for third and Perez is now just 5.6 seconds behind the Mercedes driver. This could go right down to the wire!

Verstappen given final warning (Lap 59/66)

15:23 , Ben Fleming

The black and white flag comes out for Max around turn ten as he exceeds track limits again. That’s a final warning and he will be given a five-second penalty if he does it again.

“No risks required,” the team tells him over the radio but with an 18-second advantage, a penalty should hardly affect his lead.

Zhou and Tsunoda tussle (Lap 57/66)

15:21 , Ben Fleming

Turn one has presented all the drama in this race so far and it provides some more as Zhou and Tsunoda battle it out. The AlphaTauri plays an aggressive with his defensive line and Zhou has to bail out but is not best pleased.

Perez hunts down Russell (Lap 55/66)

15:17 , Ben Fleming

Perez breezes past Sainz and now sets his sights on Russell in third. He is 7.5 seconds behind the Mercedes driver but the Red Bull is gaining every lap on the new soft tyres.

Close call for Ocon and Alonso (Lap 54/66)

15:16 , Ben Fleming

The former teammates nearly come together down the straight as Ocon makes a last-minute move to defend his position. Alonso gets out of the way but eventually does get the overtake to move into seventh.

Top ten currently: Verstappen, Hamilton, Russell, Perez, Sainz, Strol, Alonso, Ocon, Tsunoda, Zhou.

Hamilton and Verstappen pit (Lap 53/66)

15:14 , Ben Fleming

Lewis goes into the pits for a second time and comes out with the softs. Verstappen follows him shortly afterwards having toiled with the hard tyres for a while. He’s back on the softs.

Verstappen remains in control (Lap 51/66)

15:12 , Ben Fleming

Max remains in control and he leads by 16 seconds over Hamilton. Barring anything disastrous, you feel that both of these two will hold on to the top two positions.

An intriguing battle is emerging for that final podium spot as Russell hunts down Perez.

“We’ll catch him easily,” the Mercedes engineers say to Russell over the radio and he’s immediately ahead of the Red Bull driver as Perez pits.

Gasly overtakes Piastri (Lap 49/66)

15:10 , Ben Fleming

Gasly finished fourth in qualifying but was hit by a six-place penalty and started tenth. He now overtakes Piastri and moves into 11th. His target will now be Zhou in tenth and a crucial point.

Second warning for Verstappen (Lap 48/66)

15:08 , Ben Fleming

A second warning for Max for track limits at turn five. The Dutchman seems a bit perplexed but he’ll have to be careful or he could incur a time penalty.

Alonso pits again (Lap 47/66)

15:06 , Ben Fleming

The Spaniard seeks some inspiration as he pits for the second time with the hards going on. Russell also heads into the pits so I guess that answers the question of where their race strategy is at - more a job of keeping Perez at bay than gaining on Verstappen.

Top ten currently: Verstappen, Hamilton, Perez, Russell, Sainz, Strol, Ocon, Tsunoda, Zhou, Alonso.

“The front is overheating” - Verstappen (Lap 44/66)

15:03 , Ben Fleming

Max clearly not happy with how these hards are performing at the minute. Could Hamilton and Mercedes try and stay out there and force some kind of pressure on Verstappen if he pits again?

Sainz and Leclerc pits (Lap 42/66)

15:01 , Ben Fleming

Sainz spoke to his radio and wants a plan to beat Perez. Well, into the pits and onto the hards he goes as he looks to usurp the Red Bull.

Leclerc went onto the softs after starting with the hards but pit again and he is back on the hards.

Verstappen laps Norris (Lap 40/66)

14:58 , Ben Fleming

Lando joked yesterday that he could be lapped two or three times today. Well, it happens for the first time today but certainly not in the scenario he would have imagined. A disaster of a race for the McLaren which all fell apart with that collision on the first lap - he sits in 16th as things stand.

Leclerc into top ten (Lap 37/66)

14:55 , Ben Fleming

Zhou heads into the pits and drops down to 15th. With that, Leclerc now moves up into ninth.

Top ten currently: Verstappen, Hamilton, Russell, Sainz, Perez, Alonso, Piastri, Gasly, Leclerc, De Vries.

Russell into third (Lap 35/66)

14:52 , Ben Fleming

Given all the trouble Russell had in practice and qualifying, he has clearly saved his best for race day. He is flying now and cruises past Sainz on the straight before overtaking into turn one.

Mercedes 2-3 as things stand with Hamilton in second!

Verstappen cruising at the halfway stage (Lap 33/66)

14:50 , Ben Fleming

Death, taxes and Verstappen dominating. The Red Bull driver leads by almost 14 seconds as we approach the halfway stage. Perez overtakes Ocon just before the end of lap 33 and he is now up into sixth.

Top ten currently: Verstappen, Hamilton, Sainz, Russell, Stroll, Perez, Ocon, Tsunoda, Alonso, Zhou.

False rain alarm (Lap 32/66)

14:48 , Ben Fleming

“Is anyone else reporting rain or is it just sweat from inside my helmet?” Russell asks his engineers.

It appears it may be the latter, George, and maybe a false alarm with the rain.

Perez overtakes Alonso (Lap 31/66)

14:46 , Ben Fleming

It’s not been the race Alonso or his home crowd would be hoping for and he’s easily overtaken by Perez before the first turn. The Red Bull moves up into eighth.

Verstappen 12 seconds ahead (Lap 30/66)

14:44 , Ben Fleming

Fast approaching the halfway point in this race and it’s the Red Bull and Mercedes cars who are performing best. Verstappen now has a twelve-second lead over Hamilton with Sainz clinging on to the final podium spot.

Top ten currently: Verstappen, Hamilton, Sainz, Russell, Stroll, Ocon, Tsunoda, Alonso, Perez, Zhou.

Russell reports rain (Lap 28/66)

14:41 , Ben Fleming

“Rain at turn five,” Russell says. Could that add some drama to the race? Perez drops into the pits and switches to the hards. He drops down to ninth and Hamilton is back up in second after a great overtake on Sainz.

Russell and Verstappen pits (Lap 26/66)

14:40 , Ben Fleming

Russell follows his Mercedes teammate into the pits shortly after. He drops into sixth before Verstappen pits and moves onto the hards but he’s still got a six-second advantage over Perez who is now in second.

Hamilton pits (Lap 24/66)

14:37 , Ben Fleming

Right on cue, Hamilton pits and switches to the medium tyres. He drops to fifth behind Sainz.

Top ten currently: Verstappen, Russell, Perez, Sainz, Hamilton, Stroll, Ocon Tsunoda, Alonso, Zhou.

Russell queries one-stop race (Lap 24/66)

14:36 , Ben Fleming

The top three of Verstappen, Hamilton and Russell are yet to pit and Russell asks over the team radio whether it could be a one-stop race.

“It’s not impossible,” his engineer replies.

Ten second lead for Verstappen (Lap 23/66)

14:34 , Ben Fleming

No change at the top as Verstappen now leads by a mammoth 10 seconds over Hamilton.

Alonso pits (Lap 21/66)

14:33 , Ben Fleming

Alonso heads into the pits but overtakes Zhou shortly after to move back into ninth.

Top ten currently: Verstappen, Hamilton, Russell, Perez, Sainz, Stroll, Ocon Tsunoda, Alonso, Zhou.

Positive signs from Mercedes (Lap 20/66)

14:31 , Ben Fleming

Both Russell and Hamilton seem very happy with the state of their cars and tyres. They remain on the softs with only Leclerc using them as well but the their occupying the final two podium spots as things stand.

Verstappen leads by eight seconds (Lap 19/66)

14:30 , Ben Fleming

It’s still Verstappen’s race to lose and he now leads by eight seconds over Hamilton in seconds. Commanding stuff so far from the Red Bull driver.

Leclerc into pit (Lap 17/66)

14:27 , Ben Fleming

Leclerc needs to make an almighty move up the board but it hasn’t happened so far in the hard tyres. The Ferrari heads for a pit and looks to put on the softs and make his move.

Hamilton into second (Lap 16/66)

14:25 , Ben Fleming

Sainz is called into the pits by his team. “Why,” he responds over the radio. Regardless, he drops down the leaderboard and Hamilton is up into second as a result.

Stroll into the pit (Lap 15/66)

14:24 , Ben Fleming

Stroll is the latest to head into the pits as he moves onto the hards. Russell now into fourth as Hamilton continues to bear down on Sainz.

Verstappen opens up six-second lead (Lap 13/66)

14:21 , Ben Fleming

A dominant start from Verstappen who opens up a six-second lead over Sainz in second. Hamilton continues his pursuit of Sainz and is 1.2 seconds behind the Ferrari.

Russell into fifth (Lap 11/66)

14:18 , Ben Fleming

Zhou and Bottas both head into the pits replacing their soft tyres with the hards. Elsewhere, Russell continues to gain ground - he’s now up into fifth as he takes Stroll on the first corner.

The top five as things stand:

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

2. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

3. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

4. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

5. George Russell (Mercedes)

Russell cleared after investigation (Lap 9/66)

14:16 , Ben Fleming

Word coming in that George Russell has been cleared after his exiting off the track on the first lap. The Mercedes driver remains in sixth ahead of Alonso and Perez.

Hamiton into third (Lap 9/66)

14:15 , Ben Fleming

Into turn one and Hamiton just about squeezes bast Stroll - he’s up into third now. Verstappen now leads by four seconds over Sainz.

Verstappen leads by 3 seconds (Lap 7/66)

14:13 , Ben Fleming

A routine start from the Red Bull in pole and he now leads by three seconds with his lead always growing. Russell is now into sixth having overtaken Alonso.

Russell into 7th but under investigation (Lap 6/66)

14:11 , Ben Fleming

Russell had some drama on the first lap and it appears he had to take evasive action to avoid a collision. The Mercedes is up into seventh but there’s an investigation underway. Perez overtakes Hulkenberg and he’s up into ninth.

Verstappen leads Sainz and Stroll (Lap 4/66)

14:10 , Ben Fleming

Verstappen now leads by over two seconds into this fourth lap. Sainz remains in second with Stroll still holding onto third over Hamilton.

Norris and Hamilton collide

14:09 , Ben Fleming

Here’s a look at that contact between Norris and Hamilton on the first turn:

Perez into top ten (Lap 3/66)

14:08 , Ben Fleming

Sergio Perez begins his move up the board and he’s now in the top ten. Stroll also makes a move into the top three while Gasly has slid down the leaderboard after his six-place penalty.

Damage for Norris! (Lap 1/66)

14:06 , Ben Fleming

It appears to be damage to the front wing of Norris and he’s into the pit. What a disaster for the McLaren driver who also has the hard tyres put on.

LIGHTS OUT! (Lap 1/66)

14:05 , Ben Fleming

And we’re off! Verstappen just about holds off Sainz at the first corner but there’s contact between Norris and Hamilton as Russell goes off the track! Drama at the start.

Here we go!

14:01 , Ben Fleming

All cars have left the grid cleanly on their formation laps. Verstappen on the mediums while Sainz, Norris and Hamilton are on the softs just behind him.

The start is moments away!

Ten minutes to go!

13:50 , Ben Fleming

Laura Andres performs the National Anthem time with a piano solo and we’re underway in just under ten minutes.

P2 up for grabs

13:49 , Ben Fleming

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff quickly chats to Sky Sports: “Depending on the cloud cover or not, depending on degradation, everyone can play for P2.”

He’ll certainly be hoping Lewis Hamilton will be one of those in the mix.

Work underway on Lando’s car

13:44 , Ben Fleming

As Martin Brundle makes his way through the grid, there appears to be plenty of mechanics working on Lando Norris’ car - doesn’t make for a promising visual that is for sure.

“All good for now - they’ve not told me anything. That’s either a good thing or a bad thing, I don’t know,” Norris says as he’s caught quickly by Brundle.

Russell into the gravel

13:39 , Ben Fleming

A closer look at Russell’s spin-off into the gravel a moment earlier.

“Car is fine” - Russell

13:28 , Ben Fleming

It appears George Russell’s car has come out of that trip into the gravel unscathed.

“All good, the car is fine,” Russell says speaking to Sky Sports trackside just now.

“Just pushing the limits. I was trying some wide lines because when you’re racing you’re often not on the racing line.

“Hopefully not too many other drivers so what happened to me and it happens to them on Lap One.”

Rain in the air?

13:26 , Ben Fleming

It looks hot down at trackside, but the weather radars are certainly suggesting the possibility of some dark clouds and rains which could certainly make tyre strategy a bit more intriguing as we head towards the back end of the race.

Russell in the gravel

13:25 , Ben Fleming

Far from the ideal start for the Mercedes driver, who ends up off the track after turn five of his practice lap to the grid. The same gravel caused serious trouble for Fernando Alonso in qualifying yesterday and caused noticeable damage to the bottom of his Aston Martin car.

No doubt the Brit will head back into the pit to get that checked out before we start.

Can anyone stop Verstappen?

13:21 , Ben Fleming

The Red Bull driver stormed to pole position in qualifying and looks set to dominate the race from the onset.

The reigning world champion has won four out of six races this year and looks well placed to make that five from seven with his teammate and closest rival, Sergio Perez, languishing in 11th.

Lando Norris expects to be lapped despite third-place start

13:15 , Ben Fleming

Perhaps the biggest surprise from qualy yesterday was the performance of Lando Norris. The McLaren took full advantage of mistakes elsewhere and set his own impressive time to finish third.

Despite that, the Brit isn’t exactly confident of his chances heading into today’s race.

Speaking to media yesterday, he said: “It’s going to be a tough one, not just with Red Bull, they’re probably the easy people to race against. It’s going to be the Ferraris, the Astons, the Mercedes, the Alpines, the Haas… the grid.

“Those cars are probably too quick for us and Sergio Perez is going to cruise past everyone and probably be P2 by lap 10 and we’ll get lapped twice. I’m optimistic when I say that, could be three times.

“So, I think we’re still in a tight race with people but our race is not necessarily the Red Bulls.”

Carlos Sainz on the front row

13:10 , Ben Fleming

Fernando Alonso may not have been able to pull off any heroics in qualifying but his fellow Spaniard gave the home crowd something to cheer about yesterday and will start just behind Max Verstappen today.

Speaking earlier to Sky Sports he said: “I’m feeling good. It’s been a good weekend so far. I feel really charged up for today.

“With this crowd, it’s impossible not to. I’m going to enjoy it as much as possible and try to give them the best result.”

Steiner reprimanded over steward comments

13:05 , Ben Fleming

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has escaped with just a reprimand following a meeting about comments he made after the Monaco Grand Prix.

The Italian described stewards as “laymen” after driver Nico Hulkenberg received a penalty for an overtaking attempt.

The stewards were said to be satisfied with his apology, while an FIA statement read: “Mr Steiner stated that if he had meant to insult or offend anyone he would have used much different words. The Stewards do not dispute this.”

Sounds about right.

13:00 , Ben Fleming

Hamilton will start in fourth today but it could have been much worse after a collision with teammate George Russell.

Both Mercedes men started their hot laps in the closing moments of Q2, Hamilton moved to his left and out of Russell’s tow to assume the racing line for the first right-hander corner.

But the seven-time world champion was forced to take to the grass after Russell, pre-occupied with Sainz ahead of him, closed the door.

Read more including what Hamilton had to say below:

Lewis Hamilton accuses George Russell of ‘dangerous’ driving

Car updates galore

12:55 , Ben Fleming

We saw plenty of these changes in action during practice and qualifying on Friday and Saturday, but a reminder of the car updates put forward by each team ahead of this race week in Barcelona.

Aston Martin - Front wing, front wing endplate, nose, rear wing endplate, beam wing.

Ferrari - Rear wing, engine cover, floor body.

Alpha Tauri - Rear wing, rear wing endplate.

Red Bull - Floor edge, diffuser.

Williams - Front wing, engine cover.

Mercedes - Sidepod, diffuser.

McLaren - Front cover.

What are the changes to the track at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya?

12:50 , Ben Fleming

This year has seen a slight change to the ending of this Barcelona track. Here’s a detailed look at those changes:

Leclerc and Sargent to start from pit lane

12:45 , Ben Fleming

It was a qualifying to forget for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who last year secured pole position in the Spanish Grand Prix qualifying.

Leclerc exited in Q1 having finished 19th but will now start from the pit lane having made numerous changes to his car overnight.

Williams driver Logan Sargent finished below Leclerc in last after Q1 but will also start from the pit lane having made changes to his suspension setup and brake cooling system overnight.

Pierre Gasly hit with six-place grid penalty

12:40 , Ben Fleming

The news we were expecting came in late yesterday afternoon as Alpine’s Pierre Gasly was hit with a six-place penalty after he impeded both Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen in qualifying.

The Frenchman was set to start in fourth but will now begin in tenth with Lewis Hamilton moving up to take his place behind Verstappen, Sainz and Lando Norris.

Here are the clips of the two incidents yesterday:

Constructors’ Championship

12:35 , Ben Fleming

In the constructors’ standings, Perez will look to surge up the leaderboard and help out his Red Bull teammate Verstappen. They already lead by a mammoth 129 points and look set to extend that further by the end of action today.

1) Red Bull - 249 points

2) Aston Martin - 120 points

3) Mercedes - 119 points

4) Ferrari - 90 points

5) Alpine - 35 points

6) McLaren - 17 points

7) Haas - 8 points

8) Alfa Romeo - 6 points

9) AlphaTauri - 2 points

10) Williams - 1 point

Driver Standings

12:30 , Ben Fleming

With Verstappen on pole and Perez back in 11th, the reigning champ has a great opportunity to extend his 39-point lead at the top of the driver standings. Here’s how they look in full:

1) Max Verstappen - 144 points

2) Sergio Perez - 105 points

3) Fernando Alonso - 93 points

4) Lewis Hamilton - 69 points

5) George Russell - 50 points

6) Carlos Sainz - 48 points

7) Charles Leclerc - 42 points

8) Lance Stroll - 27 points

9) Esteban Ocon - 21 points

10) Pierre Gasly - 14 points

11) Lando Norris - 12 points

12) Nico Hulkenberg - 6 points

13) Oscar Piastri - 5 points

14) Valtteri Bottas - 4 points

15) Zhou Guanyu - 2 points

16) Yuki Tsunoda - 2 points

17) Kevin Magnussen - 2 points

18) Alex Albon - 1 point

19) Nyck de Vries - 0 points

20) Logan Sargeant - 0 points

Spanish Grand Prix: starting positions

12:25 , Ben Fleming

Here is how the drivers will lineup then after yesterday’s qualifying:

1) Max Verstappen

2) Carlos Sainz

3) Lando Norris

4) Lewis Hamilton

5) Lance Stroll

6) Esteban Ocon

7) Nico Hulkenberg

8) Fernando Alonso

9) Oscar Piastri

10) Pierre Gasly

11) Sergio Perez

12) George Russell

13) Zhou Guanyu

14) Nyck De Vries

15) Yuki Tsunoda

16) Valtteri Botas

17) Kevin Magnussen

18) Alexander Albon

19) Charles Leclerc

20) Logan Sargeant

Spanish Grand Prix: Qualifying recap

12:20 , Ben Fleming

It was a second successive pole for Max Verstappen as the Red Bull driver continued his dominance this season. But Saturday’s qualifying was not without its drama, elsewhere, with shock early exits for Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez as well as a collision between Mercedes’ drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.

Read below for a full recap of the action:

Hamilton and Russell collide as Verstappen claims Spanish GP pole

Spanish Grand Prix: How to watch

12:10 , Ben Fleming

We have just under a couple of hours to go until lights out at 2pm BST.

Here’s all the information you need to know on how to watch:

What time does the F1 Spanish Grand Prix start today?

Spanish Grand Prix

11:56 , Luke Baker

Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of the Spanish Grand Prix from Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.

A dramatic qualifying on Saturday saw Mercedes teammates Lewis Hamilton and George Russell collide to leave Russell starting in 12th, although Hamilton recovered to take fourth.

In less surprising scenes, Max Verstappen took pole position once again as he looks to continue his dominance of the Drivers’ Championship, with Carlos Sainz second and Lando Norris an impressive third in his McLaren.

Stick with us for full live coverage.