F1 Spanish Grand Prix LIVE: Practice updates and results from FP2

The Formula 1 roadshow reaches Barcelona after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen survived a mid-race downpour to win the Monaco Grand Prix ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso last weekend.

The Dutchman now leads Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez in the drivers’ championship by 39 points after the Mexican had a disastrous, point-less weekend.

Fernando Alonso came second in Monaco and will be eyeing a 33rd F1 victory - and his first for 10 years - at his home race as the paddock takes to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the Spanish Grand Prix.

The Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will be eyeing an improved weekend too in their revamped cars after Hamilton admitted the changes ‘were not the step forward’ they’d been hoping for in Monaco.

Follow all the action from Barcelona as the teams go through their practice runs:

Spanish Grand Prix

• The F1 paddock arrives in Barcelona for the opening two practice sessions ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix

• Fernando Alonso eyes statement home victory, a decade on from his last triumph

• Max Verstappen fastest in FP1 but Esteban Ocon impress for Alpine

• Lewis Hamilton toils in 12th as Max Verstappen and Red Bull dominate in Spain

• Max Verstappen quickest in FP2 with Fernando Alonso second

• Max Verstappen sets the pace again but little to cheer for Lewis Hamilton

Fernando Alonso eyes statement home victory, a decade on from his last triumph

Friday 2 June 2023 17:12 , Mike Jones

How different did 2013 really look in the life of Fernando Alonso? Driving a competitive car, buoyed by thousands of Spanish supporters, the two-time Formula 1 world champion looked – in eagerness bordering on desperation – to haul in the championship lead of a Red Bull driver out in front.

Sound familiar? A decade on, the tune of the day feels decidedly identical.

Yet plenty has happened in the 10 years in-between. Alonso has loved, left, and fallen back in love with the sport. Red Bull’s champion-of-the-day back then, Sebastian Vettel, would wrap up the 2013 world title, the last of four crowns. By the end of last year the German, six years younger than Alonso no less, retired and vacated an Aston Martin seat swallowed up by the Spaniard. Now Red Bull’s de facto No 1 is Max Verstappen, who incredibly 10 years ago at 15 years of age was just 18 months away from his F1 debut.

Fernando Alonso eyes statement home victory, a decade on from his last triumph

Max Verstappen sets the pace again but little to cheer for Lewis Hamilton

Friday 2 June 2023 17:32 , Mike Jones

Max Verstappen completed a practice double for Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton finished only 11th on a disheartening day for the seven-time world champion and his Mercedes team.

As Verstappen predictably set the pace for Red Bull at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, Hamilton, 12th in the day’s first running, ended second practice six tenths off the pace.

Home favourite Fernando Alonso raised hope that he could challenge Verstappen and his all-conquering Red Bull team after he finished second for Aston Martin, just 0.170 seconds back.

Max Verstappen sets the pace again but little to cheer for Lewis Hamilton

Max Verstappen quickest in FP2!

Friday 2 June 2023 17:07 , Mike Jones

Full results from FP2:

Max Verstappen quickest in FP2!

Friday 2 June 2023 17:04 , Mike Jones

Leaderboard top five:

Max Verstappen, Red Bull - 1:13.907

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin - 1:14.077

Nico Hulkenberg, Haas - 1:14.177

Sergio Perez, Red Bull - 1:14.219

Esteban Ocon, Alpine - 1:14.242

Spanish Grand Prix - FP2

Friday 2 June 2023 17:00 , Mike Jones

The chequered flag is out with Max Verstappen’s 1:13.907 the fastest lap of this practice session. The Dutchman went quickest through the first two sectors with Fernando Alonso beating him in the final one.

Alonso finishes +0.170 seconds behind.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP2

Friday 2 June 2023 16:55 , Mike Jones

Williams have been struggling today. They were P19 and P20 earlier and take up the final two positions again in FP2 as it stands.

This track doesn’t look to suit their car, which is a shame for Logan Sargeant who was keen to show a bit more of what he is capable of.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP2

Friday 2 June 2023 16:50 , Mike Jones

10 minutes to go in FP2. There’s quite a bit of tyre management happening out on track as Max Verstappen continues to lead the way ahead of Fernando Alonso.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP2

Friday 2 June 2023 16:49 , Mike Jones

George Russell radios in to say he thinks there’s a touch of rain happening around turn nine.

Lando Norris is trying to get something extra out of his McLaren but is having a frustrating day so far.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP2

Friday 2 June 2023 16:46 , Mike Jones

Lewis Hamilton is outside of that top 10 though.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP2

Friday 2 June 2023 16:41 , Mike Jones

20 minutes of FP2 to go as Sergio Perez heads into the pits for a check up.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP2

Friday 2 June 2023 16:37 , Mike Jones

Fernando Alonso goes fastest through the final sector but can’t quite match Verstappen’s run.

The Spanish two-time world champion goes within two-tenths of Max Verstappen’s quickest time. The Aston Martin was on a set of softs and clocks a 1:14.077.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP2

Friday 2 June 2023 16:33 , Mike Jones

Mercedes’ upgraded W14 is not showing the supposed better performance that was expected.

iGeorge Russell is running in sixth, with Lewis Hamilton down in ninth.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP2

Friday 2 June 2023 16:31 , Mike Jones

New top three alert!

The soft tyres seem to be a bit of a game-changer as Max Verstappen shoots back to the top of the leaderboard with the first sub 1:14 lap.

There’s more joy for Esteban Ocon who gets up to third but Nico Hulkenberg surprises for Haas with a time just two tenths slower than Verstappen’s 1:13.907.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP2

Friday 2 June 2023 16:24 , Mike Jones

Carlos Sainz asks the Ferrari team to check the floor of his SF123 because he felt as though he was losing the rear on the previous lap.

That doesn’t stop the Spaniard from blitzing in a 1:14.274 to move to the top of the leaderboard.

He’s not there for long though as his teammate Charles Leclerc comes through on his heels two hundreths of a second quicker!

Spanish Grand Prix - FP2

Friday 2 June 2023 16:22 , Mike Jones

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell continue to struggle even though they are running the medium tyres. Russell is eight tenths of a second slower than Verstappen with Hamilton over a second behind.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP2

Friday 2 June 2023 16:18 , Mike Jones

Spanish Grand Prix - FP2

Friday 2 June 2023 16:16 , Mike Jones

On the medium tyres now, Max Verstappen eases around the Barcelona circuit for a time of 1:14.968 which is a couple hundreths of a second fastest than Carlos Sainz.

Fernando Alonso is up to fourth too for Aston Martin, also on the medium tyres.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP2

Friday 2 June 2023 16:14 , Mike Jones

Alpine have given both Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly a set of C1 hard tyres to test out around the Barcelona circuit in this session. Ocon has placed himself nicely in eighth with his quickest lap on them.

No prizes if you can guess who’s just jumped to the top of the leaderboard though.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP2

Friday 2 June 2023 16:10 , Mike Jones

It’s a one-two for Ferrari early in this session as Charles Leclerc shoots into second place to get ahead of Max Verstappen.

Mercedes’ George Russell has radioed to complain of bottoming with the cars all experiencing bouncing through the final corner.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP2

Friday 2 June 2023 16:05 , Mike Jones

All the drivers are out on track but only the Ferrari’s of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have come out on soft tyres. Sainz is going for an early quick lap.

He goes fastest with a time of 1:14.999, Max Verstappen is second in these opening stages but he’s using the prototype hard tyres.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP2

Friday 2 June 2023 16:01 , Mike Jones

We’re underway! There was a bit of bouncing heading into the final turn earlier so we’ll see how the drivers approach this session.

Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso are two of the six current drivers to head out onto the track straight away.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP2

Friday 2 June 2023 15:58 , Mike Jones

Free practice 2 is about to get going. The weather conditions are decent but the clouds have come in which may just slow the cars down at touch.

Max Verstappen was the fastest in FP1, will he be so again in FP2?

Constructors’ Championship

Friday 2 June 2023 15:49 , Mike Jones

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

Friday 2 June 2023 15:41 , Mike Jones

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

Lewis Hamilton has shut the door on Ferrari – will he come to regret it?

Friday 2 June 2023 15:32 , Mike Jones

Comment by Kieran Jackson

The denials came from all angles on media day in Monaco. Speculation that Lewis Hamilton could move to Ferrari next year, in a £40m deal no less, has ramped up this week but was quickly quashed on Thursday by both Hamilton and Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur.

In fact, Hamilton went further, revealing his representatives are “almost there” in agreeing a new deal with Mercedes. The 38-year-old’s current contract with the Silver Arrows – where he has won six of his seven world titles since joining in an inspired decision a decade ago – expires at the end of this season. Despite the wait, the noise from both the Brit and team boss Toto Wolff has been that an extension is a simple inevitability. Not a case of if, but when.

Read full piece below:

Lewis Hamilton has shut the door on Ferrari – will he regret it?

Spanish Grand Prix latest odds

Friday 2 June 2023 15:20 , Mike Jones

BonusCodeBets has Max Verstappen as the outright favourite to win the Spanish Grand Prix after his impressive showing in FP1. Here are the latest odds:

Spanish GP Outright Winner

Max Verstappen 2/5

Sergio Perez 7/2

Fernando Alonso 8/1

Charles Leclerc 25/1

Carlos Sainz 33/1

George Russell 33/1

Lewis Hamilton 33/1

Lewis Hamilton toils in 12th as Max Verstappen and Red Bull dominate in Spain

Friday 2 June 2023 15:12 , Mike Jones

Lewis Hamilton finished only 12th in opening practice for the Spanish Grand Prix.

As Max Verstappen predictably set the pace for Red Bull at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, Hamilton ended the one-hour running 1.2 seconds behind the Dutchman.

Sergio Perez finished second, seven tenths adrift of his Red Bull team-mate, with Esteban Ocon, fresh from his podium at last weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, third for Alpine. Home favourite Fernando Alonso was sixth.

Lewis Hamilton toils in 12th as Max Verstappen and Red Bull dominate in Spain

Fernando Alonso eyes statement home victory, a decade on from his last triumph

Friday 2 June 2023 15:00 , Mike Jones

How different did 2013 really look in the life of Fernando Alonso? Driving a competitive car, buoyed by thousands of Spanish supporters, the two-time Formula 1 world champion looked – in eagerness bordering on desperation – to haul in the championship lead of a Red Bull driver out in front.

Sound familiar? A decade on, the tune of the day feels decidedly identical.

Yet plenty has happened in the 10 years in-between. Alonso has loved, left, and fallen back in love with the sport. Red Bull’s champion-of-the-day back then, Sebastian Vettel, would wrap up the 2013 world title, the last of four crowns. By the end of last year the German, six years younger than Alonso no less, retired and vacated an Aston Martin seat swallowed up by the Spaniard. Now Red Bull’s de facto No 1 is Max Verstappen, who incredibly 10 years ago at 15 years of age was just 18 months away from his F1 debut.

Fernando Alonso eyes statement home victory, a decade on from his last triumph

'Best driver in the world’ needs more than just a Formula One title, claims rival championship boss

Friday 2 June 2023 14:45 , Mike Jones

Formula One has long been the established championship at the pinnacle of motorsport racing, but that is now all changing in the eyes those involved in another series.

Alejandro Agag is chief of the Formula E championship which is now in its ninth season, running a third generation all-electric racecar.

Over the weekend, the famous streetrace of Monaco hosted the ninth race of 2023 - just past the midway point in the campaign - and Agag feels the new vehicle is perfectly suited for such an historic and prestigious track. Moreover, Agag says the championship as a whole has progressed to such an extent over the past couple of years that it can now lay serious claim to being a requirement for the best drivers to conquer.

F1 title not enough to be ‘best driver in the world’: Formula E boss

Lewis Hamilton declares Mercedes car upgrade ‘definitely not the step forward we hoped for’

Friday 2 June 2023 14:30 , Mike Jones

Lewis Hamilton has admitted that Mercedes’ upgrade is “definitely not the step forward” he was hoping for ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.

The seven-time world champion said after May’s Miami Grand Prix he was “counting down the days” for the upgrade he hoped would propel him back to the front, and he was given his first taste of Mercedes’ revamped machine at last weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.

Hamilton qualified sixth in Monte Carlo before making up two places in the rain-hit race. Team-mate George Russell finished one spot behind Hamilton in fifth, while Max Verstappen raced to his fourth win of the season.

Hamilton declares Mercedes upgrade ‘not the step forward we hoped for’

Fernando Alonso: Hamilton can win eighth title but Verstappen can break records

Friday 2 June 2023 14:15 , Mike Jones

Fernando Alonso believes Lewis Hamilton can still win an eighth world championship – but has warned that Max Verstappen is ready to break the British driver’s records.

Hamilton will head into Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix on a 30-race losing streak following Mercedes’ failure to provide him with a winning machine.

He is already 75 points behind Max Verstappen in the standings, with the Dutchman on course to secure his third world title in as many years.

Fernando Alonso: Hamilton can win eighth title but Verstappen can break records

F1 Spanish Grand Prix: When is practice on Friday in Barcelona?

Friday 2 June 2023 14:00 , Mike Jones

The Formula 1 paddock heads to Barcelona next for the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend.

Max Verstappen continued his red-hot form in Monaco, sealing a brilliant pole position before cruising to another victory on Sunday. His Red Bull team-mate, Sergio Perez, had a disastrous, point-less weekend though - the gap between the top-two in the championship is now 39 points.

Fernando Alonso came second in Monaco and will be eyeing a dream 33rd F1 victory - and his first for 10 years - at his home race. The Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will be eyeing an improved weekend too in their revamped Mercedes cars.

F1 Spanish Grand Prix: When is practice on Friday in Barcelona?

Spanish Grand Prix - FP1

Friday 2 June 2023 13:48 , Mike Jones

Here are the full results from the first of today’s practice sessions:

Spanish Grand Prix - FP1

Friday 2 June 2023 13:40 , Mike Jones

Logan Sargaent and Pierre Gasly came together right at the end of the practice session but there doesn’t seem to be any lasting damage for either of the cars.

Max Verstappen fastest in FP1!

Friday 2 June 2023 13:34 , Mike Jones

Leaderboard top five:

Max Verstappen Red Bull - 1:14.606

Sergio PerezRed Bull - 1:15.374

Esteban Ocon, Alpine - 1:15.418

Nyck de Vries, AlphaTauri - 1:15.504

Pierre Gasly, Alpine - 1:15.545

Max Verstappen fastest in FP1!

Friday 2 June 2023 13:31 , Mike Jones

He dominated from the start of the session to the very end and finished seven tenths of a second above teammate Sergio Perez. Red Bull take a one-two from the opening practice session with Esteban Ocon taking third!

Spanish Grand Prix - FP1

Friday 2 June 2023 13:29 , Mike Jones

Esteban Ocon flies above Nyck de Vries to go third quickest in the Alpine with a 1:15.504 on the red tyres but seems worried about the weather.

His Alpine pit wall reassures the Frenchman that there’s nothing to be concerned about yet.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP1

Friday 2 June 2023 13:25 , Mike Jones

Russell’s first lap on the soft tyres puts him right in the middle of the table over a second slower than Max Verstappen.

The Alpines, AlphaTauris and Ferraris will all be pleased with what they’re seeing this afternoon but none of them have really been able to get close to the two Red Bulls.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP1

Friday 2 June 2023 13:21 , Mike Jones

10 minutes to go in the session. The Red Bulls are dominant as usual with the two Mercedes bottom of the leaderboard.

They’ve been running on the test tyres for a while though and George Russell is just now going out for a lap on the softs.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP1

Friday 2 June 2023 13:18 , Mike Jones

Sainz’s quick lap on the soft tyres sees him a second or so slower than Max Verstappen who is still at the top of the leaderboard with a time of 1:14.606.

Nyck de Vries jumps above him for AlphaTauri though! What a lap this is from the Dutchman, he’s eight tenths of a second behind the leader.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP1

Friday 2 June 2023 13:14 , Mike Jones

The real test of Ferrari’s new setup come now as Carlos Sainz heads out onto the track with a fresh pair of soft tyres. Can he get close to the Red Bulls?

Fernando Alonso is still using the medium compounds for Aston Martin. He’s down in 11th place with a touch over 15 minutes to go in the first practice session.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP1

Friday 2 June 2023 13:10 , Mike Jones

Sergio Perez held on to the fastest lap for about half a second before Max Verstappen flew back to the top with his first quick lap on the soft tyres.

The real danger for the other teams is that it doesn’t seem like Red Bull are really pushing themselves yet.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP1

Friday 2 June 2023 13:08 , Mike Jones

Current leaderboard top five:

Max Verstappen, Red Bull - 1:14.606 (soft tyres)

Sergio Perez, Red Bull - 1:15.374 (s)

Kevin Magnussen, Haas - 1:16.321 (s)

Pierre Gasly, Alpine - 1:16.363 (medium tyres)

Esteban Ocon, Alpine - 1:16.519 (m)

Spanish Grand Prix - FP1

Friday 2 June 2023 13:03 , Mike Jones

Carlos Sainz is back in the Ferrari garage after 16 laps in the car. He’s been running a new sidepod set up so the mechanics and crew can have a look and see how those updates have performed.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP1

Friday 2 June 2023 13:00 , Mike Jones

Halway through the session, McLaren and Mercedes are struggling to find the pace. Lando Norris complains about some porpoising issues in his McLaren.

Esteban Ocon has joined Pierre Gasly up near the top of the leaderboard. It’s been a fine outing for Alpine.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP1

Friday 2 June 2023 12:58 , Mike Jones

Pierre Gasly continues his fine practice session and leaps into second play just +0.418 second behind Max Verstappen on a set of medium tyres.

Verstappen is heading back out of the pits with a new set of soft tyres.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP1

Friday 2 June 2023 12:55 , Mike Jones

Max Verstappen radios to the Red Bull team to tell them that the car is bouncing under braking into turn 10. So far it’s not affecting the performance of his car.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP1

Friday 2 June 2023 12:54 , Mike Jones

Mercedes’ medium tyre runs see them lower on the leaderboard than they’d like with Lewis Hamilton highest in 14th place.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP1

Friday 2 June 2023 12:50 , Mike Jones

The two Red Bulls are bossing the opening stages of this practice session. Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez were the quickest on the test tyres and they’ve bettered their times out on the mediums.

Yuki Tsunoda is up to third for AlphaTauri.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP1

Friday 2 June 2023 12:48 , Mike Jones

Spanish Grand Prix - FP1

Friday 2 June 2023 12:45 , Mike Jones

Nico Hulkenberg is the first driver to switch to soft tyres and puts in a decent time for Haas. Verstappen is now out on mediums for a quickest time of 1:15.945 with Hulkenberg up to third just +1.491 behind.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP1

Friday 2 June 2023 12:42 , Mike Jones

Most of the drivers are using the prototype rubber tyres Pirelli have brought to Spain this weekend.

Max Verstappen is one of them and sits top of the board with an improves time of 1:16.420.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP1

Friday 2 June 2023 12:40 , Mike Jones

There have been plenty of car updates put forward this weekend. Here’s a round-up of the ones we’re aware off:

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

Spanish Grand Prix - FP1

Friday 2 June 2023 12:37 , Mike Jones

Lewis Hamilton is out on the medium tyres for Mercedes but doesn’t record a quicker lap than Verstappen. He shoots up leaderboard though and finishes +0.767 seconds behind the world champion.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP1

Friday 2 June 2023 12:35 , Mike Jones

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc are running different set-ups as the team tries to determine which sidepods bring the fastest times.

Max Verstappen posts the quickest opening lap time with 1:17.425 just ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.

Spanish Grand Prix - FP1

Friday 2 June 2023 12:32 , Mike Jones

Fernando Alonso comes out of the pit lane first with his Aston Martin. There’ll be a couple of warm-up laps before the teams start to test out their cars.

With this being Alonso’s home Grand Prix he’s got a serious amount of support at the track. How brilliant would it be if he could win this weekend?

Free practice 1

Friday 2 June 2023 12:30 , Mike Jones

Okay then, here we go.

The first practice session of the Spanish Grand Prix is underway. Can Mercedes put in some quick times as they look to see how their upgrades have changed the cars?

Will Max Verstappen dominate again? Can Fernando Alonso challenge in his Aston Martin?

Let’s find out.

Spanish Grand Prix

Friday 2 June 2023 12:27 , Mike Jones

Lewis Hamilton declares Mercedes car upgrade ‘definitely not the step forward we hoped for’

Friday 2 June 2023 12:24 , Mike Jones

Lewis Hamilton has admitted that Mercedes’ upgrade is “definitely not the step forward” he was hoping for ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.

The seven-time world champion said after May’s Miami Grand Prix he was “counting down the days” for the upgrade he hoped would propel him back to the front, and he was given his first taste of Mercedes’ revamped machine at last weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.

Hamilton qualified sixth in Monte Carlo before making up two places in the rain-hit race. Team-mate George Russell finished one spot behind Hamilton in fifth, while Max Verstappen raced to his fourth win of the season.

Hamilton declares Mercedes upgrade ‘not the step forward we hoped for’

Verstappen passes Vettel

Friday 2 June 2023 12:21 , Mike Jones

The two-time world champion, Max Verstappen, surpassed Sebastian Vettel’s record of wins at Red Bull after recording his 39th victory for the team in Monaco.

“If you have a good car for a while, you can break these kinds of numbers,” said Verstappen. “But yeah, it’s great.

“I would have never thought that I would be in this position in my career. When I grew up, I wanted to be a Formula 1 driver and winning these races is amazing. It’s better than I could have ever imagined, for sure.”

Driver Standings

Friday 2 June 2023 12:18 , Mike Jones

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

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

Friday 2 June 2023 12:15 , Mike Jones

Sky Sports takes you through the changes to the track at the Spanish Grand Prix:

What is the race schedule?

Friday 2 June 2023 12:12 , Mike Jones

(All times BST)

Friday 2 June

• Free practice 1: 12:30pm

• Free practice 2: 4pm

Saturday 3 June

• Free practice 3: 11:30am

• Qualifying: 3pm

Sunday 4 June

• Race: 2pm

Perez looking to maximise weekends

Friday 2 June 2023 12:06 , Mike Jones

After Sergio Perez’s crash which saw him leave the Monaco Grand Prix with no points, the Red Bull driver is looking to maximise his race weekends and get back in the drivers championship title race.

“I just want to maximise my weekends, not think too much about the championship.” said Perez who is 39 points behind Max Verstappen.

“It’s all about maximising weekends after weekends, get the maximum positions I possibly can and then go from there, really.

“Anything can still happen. We have so many races ahead that it can turn around fairly quickly. The speed is there, which is the most positive, and we just have to go from there.”

Fernando Alonso eyes statement home victory, a decade on from his last triumph

Friday 2 June 2023 12:00 , Mike Jones

How different did 2013 really look in the life of Fernando Alonso? Driving a competitive car, buoyed by thousands of Spanish supporters, the two-time Formula 1 world champion looked – in eagerness bordering on desperation – to haul in the championship lead of a Red Bull driver out in front.

Sound familiar? A decade on, the tune of the day feels decidedly identical.

Yet plenty has happened in the 10 years in-between. Alonso has loved, left, and fallen back in love with the sport. Red Bull’s champion-of-the-day back then, Sebastian Vettel, would wrap up the 2013 world title, the last of four crowns. By the end of last year the German, six years younger than Alonso no less, retired and vacated an Aston Martin seat swallowed up by the Spaniard. Now Red Bull’s de facto No 1 is Max Verstappen, who incredibly 10 years ago at 15 years of age was just 18 months away from his F1 debut.

Fernando Alonso eyes statement home victory, a decade on from his last triumph

Alonso defends Aston Martin showing at Monaco

Friday 2 June 2023 11:54 , Mike Jones

Research and analysis following the Monaco Grand Prix showed that Fernando Alonso could have potentially won the race if his Aston Martin side had switched to the correct tyres just as the heavy rain was starting to come down.

Alonso finished second behind Max Verstappen but doesn’t blame his team saying:

“What I don’t like in F1 is that we see always the negatives and we all see everything very easy from the sofa.

“And I tell you an example. If we stop for inters, this week we will only talk about the wrong decision from Red Bull stopping one lap too late.

“We would never say: ‘Aston Martin was very brave and chose the right tyre.’ We would only say that Red Bull chose the wrong tyre and stopped one lap later.

“This is just the mentality of F1, the unlimited search for perfection which is not possible to reach sometimes.”

Spanish Grand Prix practice

Friday 2 June 2023 11:48 , Mike Jones

A throwback to the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix where Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen went toe-to-toe. Will Hamilton be able to challenge the world champion this weekend?

Fernando Alonso: Hamilton can win eighth title but Verstappen can break records

Friday 2 June 2023 11:42 , Mike Jones

Fernando Alonso believes Lewis Hamilton can still win an eighth world championship – but has warned that Max Verstappen is ready to break the British driver’s records.

Hamilton will head into Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix on a 30-race losing streak following Mercedes’ failure to provide him with a winning machine.

He is already 75 points behind Max Verstappen in the standings, with the Dutchman on course to secure his third world title in as many years.

Fernando Alonso: Hamilton can win eighth title but Verstappen can break records

Lewis Hamilton declares Mercedes car upgrade ‘definitely not the step forward we hoped for’

Friday 2 June 2023 11:36 , Mike Jones

Lewis Hamilton has admitted that Mercedes’ upgrade is “definitely not the step forward” he was hoping for ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.

The seven-time world champion said after May’s Miami Grand Prix he was “counting down the days” for the upgrade he hoped would propel him back to the front, and he was given his first taste of Mercedes’ revamped machine at last weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.

Hamilton qualified sixth in Monte Carlo before making up two places in the rain-hit race. Team-mate George Russell finished one spot behind Hamilton in fifth, while Max Verstappen raced to his fourth win of the season.

Hamilton declares Mercedes upgrade ‘not the step forward we hoped for’

Fernando Alonso: Aston Martin ‘will not give up’ in push for F1 triumph

Friday 2 June 2023 11:30 , Mike Jones

Fernando Alonso has not given up hope of defying the odds and beating Max Verstappen to the Formula One world championship after he finished second at Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix.

Alonso took the chequered flag 27.9 seconds behind Verstappen and has now secured five podiums in six races following his transfer from Alpine to Aston Martin.

The 41-year-old Spaniard will head to his home race at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya next weekend 51 points adrift of Verstappen and a dozen behind Sergio Perez in the other Red Bull.

Fernando Alonso: Aston Martin ‘will not give up’ in push for F1 triumph

Lewis Hamilton warned not to expect instant results from Mercedes upgrade

Friday 2 June 2023 11:24 , Mike Jones

Toto Wolff has warned Lewis Hamilton that Mercedes’ upgrade is unlikely to provide a swift end to his losing streak.

Hamilton and team-mate George Russell were given their first taste of the team’s revamped machine in Monaco.

Hamilton and Russell qualified sixth and eighth, before making up two and three places respectively in Sunday’s rain-hit race following an early call to move from slick to wet rubber.

Lewis Hamilton warned not to expect instant results from Mercedes upgrade

Monaco showed mesmeric Max Verstappen only has one obstacle to title – and it’s not Sergio Perez

Friday 2 June 2023 11:18 , Mike Jones

The rain had been and gone but no abundance of showers could stop Max Verstappen topping up that cake with the sweetest of icing. Cruising to victory out in front as the Monaco Grand Prix reached its crescendo on Sunday, the irrepressible Dutchman did not fancy letting up. So much so that, with six laps to go, the ultimate humiliation very much rained down on his team-mate.

Verstappen lapped Sergio Perez. For the second time.

Powered with an identical car Perez, quite rightly, was being touted as a genuine title contender a month ago. Off the back of two wins – sprint and race – in Baku, the gap was just six points heading into Miami. He didn’t know it at the time but due to the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix’s cancellation, two more street tracks would give the so-called “king of the streets” a perfect opportunity to take the lead.

Monaco showed mesmeric Max only has one obstacle to title – and it’s not Sergio Perez

Lewis Hamilton shares sweet throwback of his father to celebrate his birthday

Friday 2 June 2023 11:12 , Mike Jones

Lewis Hamilton shared a clip of himself and his father being interviewed by Sky to celebrate his dad’s birthday. Anthony Hamilton managed the Britsh Formula One driver’s early career, with Lewis winning his first title in 2008 for McLaren.

“Thank you for all the love, the lessons, and for always pushing me to be better. Happy birthday big man,” Hamilton wrote in an Instagram post.

Lewis Hamilton shares sweet throwback of his father to celebrate his birthday

‘Best driver in the world’ needs more than just a Formula One title, claims rival championship boss

Friday 2 June 2023 11:06 , Mike Jones

Formula One has long been the established championship at the pinnacle of motorsport racing, but that is now all changing in the eyes those involved in another series.

Alejandro Agag is chief of the Formula E championship which is now in its ninth season, running a third generation all-electric racecar.

Over the weekend, the famous streetrace of Monaco hosted the ninth race of 2023 - just past the midway point in the campaign - and Agag feels the new vehicle is perfectly suited for such an historic and prestigious track. Moreover, Agag says the championship as a whole has progressed to such an extent over the past couple of years that it can now lay serious claim to being a requirement for the best drivers to conquer.

F1 title not enough to be ‘best driver in the world’: Formula E boss

F1 Spanish Grand Prix: When is practice on Friday in Barcelona?

Friday 2 June 2023 11:00 , Mike Jones

The Formula 1 paddock heads to Barcelona next for the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend.

Max Verstappen continued his red-hot form in Monaco, sealing a brilliant pole position before cruising to another victory on Sunday. His Red Bull team-mate, Sergio Perez, had a disastrous, point-less weekend though - the gap between the top-two in the championship is now 39 points.

Here is everything you need to know.

F1 Spanish Grand Prix: When is practice on Friday in Barcelona?

Lewis Hamilton has shut the door on Ferrari – will he come to regret it?

Friday 2 June 2023 10:54 , Mike Jones

Comment by Kieran Jackson

The denials came from all angles on media day in Monaco. Speculation that Lewis Hamilton could move to Ferrari next year, in a £40m deal no less, has ramped up this week but was quickly quashed on Thursday by both Hamilton and Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur.

In fact, Hamilton went further, revealing his representatives are “almost there” in agreeing a new deal with Mercedes. The 38-year-old’s current contract with the Silver Arrows – where he has won six of his seven world titles since joining in an inspired decision a decade ago – expires at the end of this season. Despite the wait, the noise from both the Brit and team boss Toto Wolff has been that an extension is a simple inevitability. Not a case of if, but when.

Read full piece below:

Lewis Hamilton has shut the door on Ferrari – will he regret it?

Constructors’ Championship

Friday 2 June 2023 10:48 , Mike Jones

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

Friday 2 June 2023 10:42 , Mike Jones

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

How can I watch it online and on TV?

Friday 2 June 2023 10:36 , Mike Jones

The entire race schedule from Barcelona will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 in the UK and Ireland. Sky’s coverage of the race - which is also on their Main Event channel - on Sunday starts at 12:30pm (BST).

The weekend’s action will be broadcasted on ESPN in the United States.

Free-to-air highlights in the UK will be aired on Channel 4; for qualifying at 7:40pm (BST) on Saturday evening and the race early on Sunday night at 6:30pm.

Sky Sports subscribers can watch all the action in Spain on the Sky Go app. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.

What is the race schedule?

Friday 2 June 2023 10:30 , Mike Jones

(All times BST)

Friday 2 June

• Free practice 1: 12:30pm

• Free practice 2: 4pm

Saturday 3 June

• Free practice 3: 11:30am

• Qualifying: 3pm

Sunday 4 June

• Race: 2pm

F1 practice at the Spanish Grand Prix

Friday 2 June 2023 10:02 , Mike Jones

Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of practice at the Spanish Grand Prix!

After the eventful and rainy outing at the Monaco Grand Prix last week, all the drivers will be eager to get back behind the wheel two hour-long practice sessions in Barcelona this afternoon.

The consensus following Monaco was that Fernando Alonso, who finished second, could have won the Grand Prix if his Aston Martin team had switched him to intermediate tyres as the rain began instead of the dry compunds. He ended up behind Max Verstappen in what was his best shot at a race win for 10 year.

Mercedes revamped their car but didn’t make the gains Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were hoping for and will look to continue to improve this afternoon while Red Bull’s Sergio Perez will want to put in a solid weekend after his pointless outing last time.

FP1 starts at 12:30pm, with second practice at 4pm. Stay right here for all the build-up and updates.