Norris and Piastri top the timesheets in the first two free practice sessions of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix

The FORMULA 1 ARAMCO GRAN PREMIO DE ESPAÑA 2025 has begun to reveal its charms at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.  The first day of track action was dominated by the Constructors’ Championship leaders, the McLaren team.

Lando Norris set the fastest lap this morning, while his teammate did so in the second free practice session. Nevertheless, in this beautiful and exciting battle between the drivers, Oscar Piastri took the lead today, with a time of 1:12.760 beating Norris’ 1:13.718. Piastri is currently leading the battle for the fastest times of the season with a total of three pole positions, while Norris has two.

The afternoon session was generally faster than the morning session and also very close. Three drivers took the chequered flag within the same tenth of a second, with almost identical times: George Russell (1:13.046), Max Verstappen (1:13.070) and Lando Norris (1:13.070).

This suggests that there could be an intriguing rivalry at the top of the standings this weekend, with McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes all in contention. Verstappen is the other driver alongside Piastri and Norris who has achieved the most fastest laps in qualifying this year, with a total of three.  In fact, if anyone other than these three drivers were to take pole position, it would come as a huge surprise, as none of them have managed to break into this elite group yet this year. Charles Leclerc and his Ferrari rounded out the top five today.

Fernando Alonso, on the other hand, had a day full of ups and downs. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya ambassador experienced a day of mixed fortunes. During the first free practice session, Alonso complained over the radio about the behaviour and performance of the Aston Martin power unit. Alonso finished 13^th and 7^th, but was not satisfied with his performance.

Sainz, for his part, focused on long runs and race simulations, as did Alonso. However, he barely drove on soft tyres, which made it difficult to gauge their true performance. The Williams driver was unable to improve on 14^th place.

This weekend, Franco Colapinto is set to make his third appearance at the wheel of an Alpine car at the Spanish Grand Prix. With all eyes on him, the Argentinian finished the day in last place. Nevertheless, all is not lost, as this is one of the circuits he knows and likes best.

Campos Racing makes its mark in F2®

Campos Racing is getting used to being under the radar in F2. The Spanish team continues to play a leading role and today claimed the fastest lap in qualifying with Arvid Lindblad (1:25.180). The Briton also completed a lap that was significantly faster than all his rivals.

The other member of the Alzira-based team, Pepe Martí, narrowly missed out on leading tomorrow’s reverse grid. The Catalan finished eleventh on the grid, one place behind the Sprint Race pole position. Even so, the local driver will have the support of the fans to put on a great show.

The podium in terms of times had another special guest, Sebastián Montoya, the son of Juan Pablo Montoya. The Prema Racing driver can be more than satisfied, especially after it was announced late yesterday that he will be mentored by Fernando Alonso.  Roman Stanek (Invicta Racing) was the third fastest driver of the day.

Rafael Camara secures his fourth pole position of the year in F3®

The smallest category in world motor racing is beginning to have a favourite: Rafael Camara. The Brazilian has secured his fourth pole position of the season, out of a total of five events contested, including the one in Barcelona.

The Trident driver, who arrives at the Circuit as leader, could increase his advantage if he has a little more luck this weekend than he did in Monaco, where he was unable to finish. Camara stopped the clock at 1:28:761, two tenths of a second faster than Nikola Tsolov (Campos Racing).

Camara, who is represented by Fernando Alonso’s management company A14,  took a promising second place in the timesheets, followed by Laurens Van Hoepen (ART Grand Prix).

The two home drivers, Mari Boya (Campos Racing) and Bruno del Pino (MP Motorsport), finished in 14^th and 19^th place respectively.

The Formula 1® Barcelona Fan Village, pure fun

The Formula 1® Barcelona Fan Village will continue to offer entertainment, music and fun until Saturday 31 May, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. With free admission, visitors simply need to download the invitation from the Circuit’s ticket portal to enjoy all this and much more.

A sustainable event

Under the 3C management philosophy (Conscience, Commitment and Consistency), which integrates social, economic and environmental aspects, the Circuit works to achieve responsible activity in its mission ‘Driving for a better future’, within the framework of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals.

This GP, which is certified to ISO 20121 and ISO 14001 standards, is once again proud to be held at Catalonia’s largest public self-consumption photovoltaic facility. The Catalan racetrack has a total of 2,319 solar panels that generate 50% of the energy consumed.

Other promoted actions are the rental of low-emission generators, the donation of surplus food, the offer of km0 and ecological food, the presence of drinking water sources in the public areas, the improvement of the biodiversity of the green areas, the collaboration with companies with social value, the valorisation and recycling of waste, the promotion of sustainable mobility, the use of the circular economy and many more.

Access to the Circuit

Access to the Circuit is available through any of its gates from 7:30 a.m. on Saturday and 6:30 a.m. on Sunday. All box offices are open for any queries, as are the grandstands and lawn areas. There is a single, very large spectator car park, which will fill up on a first-come, first-served basis (only with tickets purchased online in advance).

More information and tickets at www.circuitcat.com