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Spanish Grand Prix: F1 race start time, weather, odds and how to watch

Sergio Perez of Mexico driving the (11) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 leads Carlos Sainz of Spain driving (55) the Ferrari SF-23 on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Spain at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on June 02, 2023 in Barcelona, Spain - Getty Images/David Ramos

Max Verstappen looks likely to extend his championship lead over Sergio Perez at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.

Verstappen qualified in pole position for Sunday’s race, whilst Perez had another poor session and will start in 11th place.

The Mexican already trails his Red Bull team-mate by 39 points heading into this weekend, with his poor form coming after a promising start to the season.

When is it?

The 2023 Spanish Grand Prix runs from Friday June 2 until Sunday June 4.

What time do the sessions start?

Friday, June 2

All times British Summer Time

Practice 1: 12.30pm
Practice 2: 4pm

Saturday, June 3

Practice 3: 11.30am
Qualifying: 3pm

Sunday, June 4

Race: 2pm

What is the weather forecast?

Final practice was affected by rain showers on Saturday but there were only a few spits and spots during qualifying, when all the running was done on slick tyres.

Sunday’s forecast shows a little less chance of rain, but still with the possibility of light rain showers during the race (30 per cent), according to the Met Office.

What TV channel is it on?

Sky Sports F1 have near-exclusive live coverage rights in the UK this year and indeed for the next few with their usual excellent team.

Sky’s qualifying coverage starts at 2.15pm on Saturday with their full race coverage from 12.30pm on Sunday.

Channel 4’s qualifying highlights are at 7.30pm on Saturday with their race highlights at 6.30pm on Sunday.

What were the times after qualifying?

  1. Max Verstappen (Ned) Red Bull 1min 12.272secs

  2. Carlos Sainz Jr (Spa) Ferrari 1:12.734

  3. Lando Norris (Gbr) McLaren 1:12.792

  4. Pierre Gasly (Fra) Alpine 1:12.816

  5. Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:12.818

  6. Lance Stroll (Can) Aston Martin 1:12.994

  7. Esteban Ocon (Fra) Alpine 1:13.083

  8. Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Haas F1 Team 1:13.229

  9. Fernando Alonso (Spa) Aston Martin 1:13.507

  10. Oscar Piastri (Aus) McLaren 1:13.682

  11. Sergio Perez (Mex) Red Bull 1:13.334

  12. George Russell (Gbr) Mercedes GP 1:13.447

  13. Guanyu Zhou (Chn) Alfa Romeo Racing 1:13.521

  14. Nyck de Vries (Ned) Scuderia AlphaTauri 1:14.083

  15. Yuki Tsunoda (Jpn) Scuderia AlphaTauri 1:14.477

  16. Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Alfa Romeo Racing 1:13.977

  17. Kevin Magnussen (Den) Haas F1 Team 1:14.042

  18. Alexander Albon (Tha) Williams 1:14.063

  19. Charles Leclerc (Mon) Ferrari 1:14.079

  20. Logan Sargeant (USA) Williams 1:14.699

What do we know about the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya?

Well, first things first, the chicane in the final sector which had been in place for some years will not be used for the 2023 grand prix. This means the track has been shortened by around 18 metres and one of the worst section of corners in F1 has been removed.

  • Circuit length: 4.657km

  • First grand prix:  1991

  • Laps: 66

  • Race distance:  307.236km

  • Race lap record: N/A

  • 2021 winner:  Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

  • Number of corners:  14

  • Overtaking chances:  For a long time this circuit has not been the greatest for overtaking. At the end of the back straight and into turn one will remain the best chance and thanks to the removal of that chicane could provide a better opportunity for overtaking then in previous seasons. There are a couple of other places, such as into turn  five. Turn 10 is no longer the opportunity it once was – even DRS assisted – since it was reprofiled into a smaller and lighter breaking zone.

What are the current standings?

Drivers: top 10

Constructors:

What are the latest odds?

  • Max Verstappen 1/5

  • Carlos Sainz 7/1

  • Lewis Hamilton 14/1

  • Fernando Alonso 16/1

  • Sergio Perez 25/1

  • Lance Stroll, Lando Norris 50/1