Spanish GP: Race - RE-CAP & RESULTS

SPANISH GP - RACE - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    Lewis Hamilton took a dominant victory at the Spanish GP to extend his lead at the top of the championship standings.

    Title rival Sebastian Vettel tried to challenge the Mercedes after an early safety car brought out by Romain Grosjean on the opening lap. But a second pit stop left him stuck behind the Red Bull of Max Vestappen for the second half of the race and he finished fourth.

    Valtteri Bottas slipped behind Vettel at the start of the race but looked to reclaim second at the first pit stops. The Mercedes driver put in two stunning laps to close the “net-gap” to the already pitted Vettel before coming in for fresh tyres. But a slow stop meant he was released behind the Ferrari.

    Vettel’s second stop promoted Bottas to second but he was too far back to challenge Hamilton. Bottas finished 20 seconds behind his team-mate.

    Verstappen, who was nursing a damaged front wing after contact with Lance Stroll, completed the podium.

    Three drivers were taken out on the opening lap when Romain Grosjean was sent into a spin. The Haas was running behind team-mate Kevin Magnussen when he span across the circuit in front of Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly. All three retired on the opening lap, with Hulkenberg’s wheel coming off during the incident.

    Kimi Raikkonen retired from fourth 25 laps later with a total loss of power in his Ferrari. He managed to make it back to the pits to retire, his second DNF of the season.

    Daniel Ricciardo set the fastest lap of the race to finish fifth, ahead of Kevin Magnussen and Carlos Sainz.

    Fernando Alonso enjoyed a tough battle with Charles Leclerc to take eighth. The Spaniard pushed hard to find a way past Leclerc but the Sauber driver defended well. Alonso had to wait until after a virtual safety car – brought out when Esteban Ocon suffered an engine failure – to pass Leclerc. The rookie tried to fight back but came under attack from Perez.

    Perez passed Leclerc around the outside to take ninth, but the Sauber finished inside the points for a second consecutive race.

    Lance Stroll finished just outside the points in 11th, ahead of Brendon Hartley who came to a stop on track on the cool down lap. Marcus Ericsson and Sergey Sirotkin were the final finishers, with Stoffel Vandoorne retiring late in the race.

RESULTS: 

1. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain / + 25 Points
2. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland / + 18 Points
3. Max Verstappen / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands / + 15 Points
4. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany / + 12 Points
5. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia / + 10 Points
6. Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark / + 8 Points
7. Carlos Sainz / Renault-Renault / Spain / + 6 Points
8. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Renault / Spain / + 4 Points
9. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico / + 2 Points
10. Charles Leclerc / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco / + 1 Point
11. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
12. Brendon Hartley / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand
13. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden 
14. Sergey Sirotkin / Williams-Mercedes / Russia

RETIRED - Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Renault / Belgium / Gearbox 
RETIRED - Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France / Oil Leak
RETIRED - Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland / Turbo
RETIRED - Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France / Crash
RETIRED - Pierre Gasly / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France / Crash
RETIRED - Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany / Crash

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Formula 2 - Spain - Sprint Race - RESULTS

FORMULA 2 - SPAIN - SPRINT RACE - RESULTS

1. Jack Aitken / ART Grand Prix / Great Britain / + 15 Points

2. Alexander Albon / DAMS / Thailand / + 12 Points

3. Lando Norris / Carlin / Great Britain / + 10 Points

4. George Russell / ART Grand Prix / Great Britain / + 8 Points + 2 Points (Fastest Lap)

5. Luca Ghiotto / Campos Vexatec Racing / Italy / + 6 Points

6. Sean Gelael / PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing / Indonesia / + 4 Points

7. Antonio Fuoco / Charouz Racing System / Italy / + 2 Points

8. Nicholas Latifi / DAMS / Canada / + 1 Point

9. Artem Markelov / RUSSIAN TIME / Russia

10. Louis Deletraz / Charouz Racing System / Switzerland

11. Santino Ferrucci / Trident / USA

12. Maximilian Gunther / BWT Arden / Germany

13. Arjun Maini / Trident / India

14. Roy Nissany / Campos Vexatec Racing / Israel

RETIRED - Roberto Merhi / MP Motorsport / Spain / Engine

RETIRED - Ralph Boschung / MP Motorsport / Switzerland / Puncture

RETIRED - Sergio Sette Camara / Carlin / Brazil / Mechanical

RETIRED - Tadasuke Makino / RUSSIAN TIME / Japan / Collision

RETIRED - Nirei Fukuzumi / BWT Arden / Japan / Collision

RETIRED - Nyck de Vries / PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing / Netherlands / Spin

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GP3 - Spain - Sprint Race - RESULTS

GP3 - SPAIN - SPRINT RACE - RESULTS

1. Giuliano Alesi / Trident / France / + 15 Points + 2 Points (Fastest Lap)

2. Anthoine Hubert / ART Grand Prix / France / + 12 Points

3. Jake Hughes / ART Grand Prix / Great Britain / + 10 Points

4. Juan Manuel Correa / Jenzer Motorsport / USA / + 8 Points

5. Dorian Boccolacci / MP Motorsport / France / + 6 Points

6. Niko Kari / MP Motorsport / Finland / + 4 Points

7. Callum Ilott / ART Grand Prix / Great Britain / + 2 Points

8. Simo Laaksonen / Campos Racing / Finland / + 1 Point

9. Leonardo Pulcini / Campos Racing / Italy 

10. Nikita Mazepin / ART Grand Prix / Russia

11. Julien Falchero / Arden International / France

12. Diego Menchaca / Campos Racing / Mexico

13. Will Palmer / MP Motorsport / Great Britain

14. Ryan Tveter / Trident / USA

15. Joey Mawson / Arden International / Australia

16. Alessio Lorandi / Trident / Italy

17. David Beckmann / Jenzer Motorsport / Germany

RETIRED - Tatiana Calderon / Jenzer Motorsport / Columbia / Accident

RETIRED - Gabriel Aubry / Arden International / France / Accident

RETIRED - Pedro Piquet / Trident / Brazil / Crash

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Formula 2 - Spain - Feature Race - RESULTS

FORMULA 2 - SPAIN - FEATURE RACE - RESULTS

1. George Russell / ART Grand Prix / Great Britain / + 25 Points

2. Nyck de Vries / PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing / + 18 Points

3. Lando Norris / Carlin / Great Britain / + 15 Points

4. Luca Ghiotto / Campos Vexatec Racing / Italy / + 12 Points

5. Alexander Albon / DAMS / Thailand / + 10 Points + 4 Points (Pole)

6. Jack Aitken / ART Grand Prix / Great Britain / + 8 Points

7. Sergio Sette Camara / Carlin / Brazil / + 6 Points

8. Artem Markelov / RUSSIAN TIME / Russia / + 4 Points + 2 Points (Fastest Lap)

9. Tadasuke Makino / RUSSIAN TIME / Japan / + 2 Points

10. Antonio Fuoco / Charouz Racing System / Italy / + 1 Point

11. Nirei Fukuzumi / BWT Arden / Japan

12. Roy Nissany / Campos Vexatec Racing / Israel

13. Roberto Merhi / MP Motorsport / Spain

14. Nicholas Latifi / DAMS / Canada

RETIRED - Sean Gelael / PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing / Indonesia / Collision

RETIRED - Louis Deletraz / Charouz Racing System / Switzerland / Collision*

RETIRED - Arjun Maini / Trident / India / Crash

RETIRED - Ralph Boschung / MP Motorsport / Switzerland / Crash

RETIRED - Maximilian Gunther / BWT Arden / Germany / Mechanical

DID NOT START - Santino Ferrucci / Trident / USA / Mechanical

* - (Deletraz) 5-Place-Grid-Penalty for Sprint Race after causing a collision with Gelael

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Spanish GP: Qualifying - RE-CAP & RESULTS

SPANISH GP - QUALIFYING - RE-CAP & RESULTS

    Lewis Hamilton took Pole Position ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix while Brendon Hartley was forced to sit out of Qualifying as his Toro Rosso was repaired from his earlier crash in FP3.    

HOW IT WORKS:

Q1 = 18 minutes. All cars allowed to go out. At the end of the session, the five slowest are eliminated.

Q2 = 15 minutes. The remaining cars go out. At the end of the session, the five slowest are eliminated.

Q3 = 12 minutes. Final 10 cars go out. The final order at the end of the session is how the grid will line up. Fastest car starts from Pole Position.

GRID LINE-UP:

1. Lewis Hamilton / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

2. Valtteri Bottas / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland

3. Sebastian Vettel / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

4. Kimi Raikkonen / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

5. Max Verstappen / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands

6. Daniel Ricciardo / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia

7. Kevin Magnussen / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

8. Fernando Alonso / McLaren-Renault / Spain

9. Carlos Sainz / Renault-Renault / Spain

10. Romain Grosjean / Haas-Ferrari / France

11. Stoffel Vandoorne / McLaren-Renault / Belgium

12. Pierre Gasly / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France

13. Esteban Ocon / Force India-Mercedes / France

14. Charles Leclerc / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco

15. Sergio Perez / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

16. Nico Hulkenberg / Renault-Renault / Germany

17. Marcus Ericsson / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

18. Lance Stroll / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

19. Sergey Sirotkin / Williams-Mercedes / Russia*

DID NOT QUALIFY - Brendon Hartley / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand**+

* - (Sirotkin) 3-Place-Grid-Penalty for causing a collision during the Azerbaijan GP

** - (Hartley) 5-Place-Grid-Penalty for unscheduled gearbox change

+ - (Hartley) Granted permission by stewards to race after failing to set a time within the 107% regulation.

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Spanish GP: Free Practice #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES

SPANISH GP - FREE PRACTICE #3 - RE-CAP & TIMES 

    Lewis Hamilton took first in the final practice session of the weekend, putting in a 1:17.281. He was just ahead of team-mate, Bottas, who set a 1:17.294.

    Vettel and Raikkonen were next in the order, finishing third and fourth respectively. Daniel Ricciardo completed the top 5 with a 1:17.981.

    It was another struggle of a session for Williams with both drivers down at the bottom. Lance Stroll did a 1:19.900 to take 19th, ahead of Sirotkin who was a bit slower with a 1:19.909 and ended the session in 20th.

    While a number of spins and through-the-gravel trips occurred, Brendon Hartley found himself super unlucky when he crashed heavily into the wall near Turn 9. Hartley was able to get out of the car after and cleared a medical check, but his Toro Rosso was in pieces. The tail-end of the car practically fell off whilst being lifted by the crane.

    Hartley missed Qualifying due to this, the team unable to get the car ready in time. However, he was given permission to race by the stewards.

    One team performing well in this session was Haas, with both drivers inside of the top 10. Kevin Magnussen finished up in 6th with a 1:18.357 and Grosjean was just behind in 7th, setting a 1:18.706.

    Sainz, Alonso and Gasly were also part of the top ten.

TIMES:

1. Lewis Hamilton - 1:17.281 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain

2. Valtteri Bottas - 1:17.294 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland

3. Sebastian Vettel - 1:17.550 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany

4. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:17.581 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland

5. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:17.981 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia

6. Kevin Magnussen - 1:18.357 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark

7. Romain Grosjean - 1:18.706 / Haas-Ferrari / France

8. Carlos Sainz - 1:18.783 / Renault-Renault / Spain

9. Fernando Alonso - 1:18.847 / McLaren-Renault / Spain

10. Pierre Gasly - 1:18.886 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France

11. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:18.905 / Renault-Renault / Germany

12. Max Verstappen - 1:19.013 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands

13. Esteban Ocon - 1:19.121 / Force India-Mercedes / France

14. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:19.236 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium

15. Charles Leclerc - 1:19.292 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco

16. Sergio Perez - 1:19.376 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico

17. Brendon Hartley - 1:19.428 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand

18. Marcus Ericsson - 1:19.744 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden

19. Lance Stroll - 1:19.900 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

20. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:19.909 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia

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GP3 - Spain - Feature Race - RESULTS

GP3 - SPAIN - FEATURE RACE - RESULTS

1. Nikita Mazepin / ART Grand Prix / Russia / + 25 Points

2. Anthoine Hubert / ART Grand Prix / France / + 18 Points + 2 Points (Fastest Lap)

3. Callum Ilott / ART Grand Prix / Great Britain / + 15 Points

4. Leonardo Pulcini / Campos Racing / Italy / + 12 Points + 4 Points (Pole)

5. Dorian Boccolacci / MP Motorsport / France / + 10 Points

6. David Beckmann / Jenzer Motorsport / Germany / + 8 Points

7. Giuliano Alesi / Trident / France / + 6 Points

8. Juan Manuel Correa / Jenzer Motorsport / USA / + 4 Points

9. Pedro Piquet / Trident / Brazil / + 2 Points

10. Diego Menchaca / Campos Racing / Mexico / + 1 Point

11. Alessio Lorandi / Trident / Italy

12. Gabriel Aubry / Arden International / France

13. Jake Hughes / ART Grand Prix / Great Britain

14. Julien Falchero / Arden International / France

15. Simo Laaksonen / Campos Racing / Finland

16. Joey Mawson / Arden International / Australia

17. Ryan Tveter / Trident / USA

18. Will Palmer / MP Motorsport / Great Britain

RETIRED - Tatiana Calderon / Jenzer Motorsport / Columbia / Mechanical

RETIRED - Niko Kari / MP Motorsport / Finland / Gearbox

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GP3 - Spain - Qualifying - RESULTS

GP3 - SPAIN - QUALIFYING - RESULTS

1. Leonardo Pulcini / Campos Racing / Italy

2. Nikita Mazepin / ART Grand Prix / Russia

3. Anthoine Hubert / ART Grand Prix / France

4. Callum Ilott / ART Grand Prix / Great Britain

5. Niko Kari / MP Motorsport / Finland

6. Dorian Boccolacci / MP Motorsport / France

7. Simo Laaksonen / Campos Racing / Finland

8. David Beckmann / Jenzer Motorsport / Germany

9. Alessio Lorandi / Trident / Italy

10. Giuliano Alesi / Trident / France

11. Jake Hughes / ART Grand Prix / Great Britain

12. Juan Manuel Correa / Jenzer Motorsport / USA

13. Pedro Piquet / Trident / Brazil

14. Tatiana Calderon / Jenzer Motorsport / Columbia

15. Julien Falchero / Arden International / France

16. Diego Menchaca / Campos Racing / Mexico

17. Joey Mawson / Arden International / Australia

18. Gabriel Aubry / Arden International / France

19. Ryan Tveter / Trident / USA

20. Will Palmer / MP Motorsport / Great Britain

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Formula 2 - Spain - Qualifying - RESULTS

FORMULA 2 - SPAIN - QUALIFYING - RESULTS

1. Alexander Albon / DAMS / Thailand

2. Nyck de Vries / PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing / Netherlands

3. Luca Ghiotto / Campos Vexatec Racing / Italy

4. George Russell / ART Grand Prix / Great Britain

5. Jack Aitken / ART Grand Prix / Great Britain

6. Nicholas Latifi / DAMS / Canada

7. Tadasuke Makino / RUSSIAN TIME / Japan

8. Lando Norris / Carlin / Great Britain

9. Ralph Boschung / MP Motorsport / Switzerland

10. Roberto Merhi / MP Motorsport / Spain

11. Antonio Fuoco / Charouz Racing System / Italy

12. Louis Deletraz / Charouz Racing System / Switzerland

13. Maximilian Gunther / BWT Arden / Germany

14. Sergio Sette Camara / Carlin / Brazil

15. Roy Nissany / Campos Vexatec Racing / Israel

16. Sean Gelael / PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing / Indonesia 

17. Nirei Fukuzumi / BWT Arden / Japan

18. Arjun Maini / Trident / India

19. Artem Markelov / RUSSIAN TIME / Russia

20. Santino Ferrucci / Trident / USA

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Spanish GP: Free Practice #2 - RE-CAP & TIMES

SPANISH GP - FREE PRACTICE #2 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Lewis Hamilton topped the times in a messy second free practice session ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix.

    The reigning champion was one of a number of drivers to make mistakes during their qualifying simulations and couldn’t improve on the 1m18.259s time he set on the soft compound of tyres.

    With others also running into problems, Hamilton remained top of the order, ahead of Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen.

    Valtteri Bottas looked set to jump to the top of the times when he went out on the super soft compound of tyre, only to oversteer in the second part of the lap and fail to improve. He finished the day fifth quickest, behind Sebastian Vettel.

    Kimi Raikkonen also made a mistake on what could have been a strong lap, losing the rear of his Ferrari and running through the gravel. He was able to return to the track, but was later forced to pit with a suspected engine problem. He finished seventh quickest, ahead of Romain Grosjean, who brought out the virtual safety car when he beached his Haas at turn seven early in the session.

    Kevin Magnussen, Stoffel Vandoorne, and Sergio Perez completed the top 10.

    Perez brought out the second vitual safety car in the closing stages of the session when he was released on to the circuit with a loose front left wheel. Force India were later fined for the unsafe release.

    Esteban Ocon finished just outside the top 10 in P11, ahead of Fernando Alonso, Nico Hulkenberg, and Pierre Gasly.

    Marcus Ericsson and Charles Leclerc put their Saubers P15 and 16, ahead of Carlos Sainz, who complained about balance problems during the session.

    Brendon Hartley, Lance Stroll, and Sergey Sirotkin round out the order.

TIMES:

1. Lewis Hamilton - 1:18.259 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
2. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:18.392 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia
3. Max Verstappen - 1:18.533 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands
4. Sebastian Vettel - 1:18.585 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
5. Valtteri Bottas - 1:18.611 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland
6. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:18.829 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
7. Romain Grosjean - 1:19.579 / Haas-Ferrari / France
8. Kevin Magnussen - 1:19.643 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark
9. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:19.722 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium
10. Sergio Perez - 1:19.962 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
11. Esteban Ocon - 1:20.024 / Force India-Mercedes / France
12. Fernando Alonso - 1:20.035 / McLaren-Renault / Spain
13. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:20.183 / Renault-Renault / Germany
14. Pierre Gasly - 1:20.373 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France
15. Marcus Ericsson - 1:20.501 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
16. Charles Leclerc - 1:20.514 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco
17. Carlos Sainz - 1:20.672 / Renault-Renault / Spain
18. Brendon Hartley - 1:21.265 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand
19. Lance Stroll - 1:21.556 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada
20. Sergey Sirotkin - 1:22.060 / Williams-Mercedes / Russia

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Formula 2 - Spain - Free Practice - TIMES

FORMULA 2 - SPAIN - FREE PRACTICE - TIMES

1. Alexander Albon - 1:29.327 / DAMS / Thailand

2. Sergio Sette Camara - 1:29.621 / Carlin / Brazil

3. Luca Ghiotto - 1:29.764 / Campos Vexatec Racing / Italy

4. Nyck de Vries - 1:29.878 / PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing / Netherlands

5. Lando Norris - 1:29.991 / Carlin / Great Britain

6. Antonio Fuoco - 1:30.161 / Charouz Racing System / Italy

7. Roberto Merhi - 1:30.182 / MP Motorsport / Spain

8. George Russell - 1:30.292 / ART Grand Prix / Great Britain

9. Roy Nissany - 1:30.337 / Campos Vexatec Racing / Israel 

10. Jack Aitken - 1:30.387 / ART Grand Prix / Great Britain

11. Louis Deletraz - 1:30.438 / Charouz Racing System / Switzerland

12. Nicholas Latifi - 1:30.650 / DAMS / Canada

13. Tadasuke Makino - 1:30.669 / RUSSIAN TIME / Japan

14. Artem Markelov - 1:30.675 / RUSSIAN TIME / Russia

15. Maximilian Gunther - 1:30.826 / BWT Arden / Germany

16. Arjun Maini - 1:30.914 / Trident / India

17. Nirei Fukuzumi - 1:31.035 / BWT Arden / Japan
18. Sean Gelael - 1:31.179 / PERTAMINA PREMA Theodore Racing / Indonesia 
19. Santino Ferrucci - 1:50.513 / Trident / USA
20. Ralph Boschung - 1:53.538 / MP Motorsport / Switzerland

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Spanish GP: Free Practice #1 - RE-CAP & TIMES

SPANISH GP - FREE PRACTICE #1 - RE-CAP & TIMES

    Valtteri Bottas leads the order in a Virtual Safety Car interrupted free practice one in Spain.

    The Mercedes driver set consistent fast laps throughout the session to end the morning with a 1m18.148s lap time around the Barcelona circuit, 0.849s faster than team-mate Lewis Hamilton in second.

    Many of the drivers were caught out by the cool, windy conditions, with plenty spinning and running off throughout the morning.

    Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo was the first casualty of the weekend, running into the barriers after suffering oversteer at turn 14. The incident brought out the virtual safety car and ended his session, leaving him seventh quickest.

    Around half an hour later, the virtual safety car was deployed again, this time for Lance Stroll, who had beached his Williams at turn five.

    Late improvements from the Ferrari duo allowed Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen to jump up the order. They were running third and fourth, with Vettel ahead of Raikkonen, until Max Verstappen split the pair just before the chequered flag.

    Fernando Alonso was best of the rest in sixth, followed by Ricciardo, Romain Grosjean, and Stoffel Vandoorne.

    Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10.

    Kevin Magnussen found himself on the receiving end of another complaint at the end of the session. The Haas driver was on a cool down lap when the Sauber of Charles Leclerc pulled alongside him. Magnussen appeared to move over into Leclerc, pushing the Sauber close to the pit wall.

    The pair finished 11th and 12th, ahead of Sergio Perez, Marcus Ericsson, and Carlos Sainz.

    Robert Kubica was the only Friday driver competing in the session, replacing Sergey Sirotkin at Williams for FP1. The session was Kubica’s first official F1 session since the end of 2010, but he didn’t get the chance to wow spectators, finishing 19th, 1.246s ahead of team-mate Stroll.

    Esteban Ocon finished 16th, followed by Nico Hulkenberg and Brendon Hartley.

TIMES:

1. Valtteri Bottas - 1:18.148 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Finland
2. Lewis Hamilton - 1:18.997 / Mercedes-Mercedes / Great Britain
3. Sebastian Vettel - 1:19.098 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Germany
4. Max Verstappen - 1:19.187 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Netherlands
5. Kimi Raikkonen - 1:19.499 / Ferrari-Ferrari / Finland
6. Fernando Alonso - 1:19.858 / McLaren-Renault / Spain
7. Daniel Ricciardo - 1:19.871 / Red Bull Racing-TAG-Heuer / Australia
8. Romain Grosjean - 1:19.906 / Haas-Ferrari / France
9. Stoffel Vandoorne - 1:20.083 / McLaren-Renault / Belgium
10. Pierre Gasly - 1:20.508 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / France
11. Kevin Magnussen - 1:20.637 / Haas-Ferrari / Denmark
12. Charles Leclerc - 1:20.665 / Sauber-Ferrari / Monaco
13. Sergio Perez - 1:20.924 / Force India-Mercedes / Mexico
14. Marcus Ericsson - 1:20.984 / Sauber-Ferrari / Sweden
15. Carlos Sainz - 1:21.053 / Renault-Renault / Spain
16. Esteban Ocon - 1:21.144 / Force India-Mercedes / France
17. Nico Hulkenberg - 1:21.159 / Renault-Renault / Germany
18. Brendon Hartley - 1:21.373 / Scuderia Toro Rosso-Honda / New Zealand
19. Robert Kubica - 1:21.510 / Williams-Mercedes / Poland
20. Lance Stroll - 1:22.756 / Williams-Mercedes / Canada

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Spanish GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Force India

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - SAHARA FORCE INDIA F1 TEAM

Sergio Perez - "Finishing on the podium in Baku felt amazing. After a few tough races we finally got a result we deserved. It reminded me of 2016, when we had a difficult start to the season and then we had the podium in Monaco. We were quick in Baku right from the start and we knew there was the chance to score a great result. I’m so proud of my team and the way we did it. Even when we had to pit on lap one, we didn’t stop fighting or stop believing.

    Barcelona was our best result as a team last year so you never know what can happen this year. It’s a track we know really well because of testing, but of course the car has changed a lot since the pre-season and it will be interesting to feel the difference the upgrades have made. Unlike in Baku, overtaking is quite difficult at Barcelona so we will need to be perfect in qualifying.

    It’s great to be back racing in Europe and Barcelona is the perfect place to start this part of the championship. I really enjoy the city of Barcelona and my trainer Xavi is Catalan, so it’s a special race for him.”

Esteban Ocon - “It was disappointing not to finish the race in Baku, especially since we had such strong pace. I know this is how racing goes sometimes and you have to learn from it and look ahead.

    Heading to Spain really feels like coming home after all the long flights in the first part of the year. Barcelona is probably the track I know the most – it’s the first track I drove in single seaters at the start of my career. We test a lot there so we know the place well and we get our hospitality buildings back so it feels much more like a familiar environment.

    Barcelona itself is wonderful: it’s a place that feels young with a relaxed atmosphere and the weather is amazing. Part of my family lives in the city and it’s very close to where I was training this winter, so I know the place by heart now. Last year we did really well there; the pace was good all over the weekend and we raced really well. We have been making good progress with the car recently so we have to target some good points.”

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Spanish GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Toro Rosso

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - RED BULL TORO ROSSO HONDA

Pierre Gasly - “I reckon I’ve done thousands of laps of Barcelona, because it’s the circuit which we have always used the most for testing, in 2.0 litre, 3.5, GP2 before even coming to Formula 1 and over the year, work in the simulator has always focused on Barcelona. So I’ve probably driven the equivalent of several times around the world at this track.

    Apart from knowing it well, it brings back happy memories, as it’s where I clinched the championship title in Renault 2.0 litre and it’s where I first tested a Formula 1 car with Toro Rosso in 2015, so I get a positive feeling in Barcelona. This year, our winter testing went well there, so I’m impatient to get going and I hope we will be on the pace very quickly and be able to score some points.

    The usual cliché about the Catalunya track is that, if your car works well here, it works well everywhere…maybe, but this track has certainly a character all of its own. Qualifying is the key, as we know it’s complicated trying to overtake in the race, other than by playing with the strategy.

    F1 qualifying is always a difficult discipline with the way it’s run in different segments, as you generally only get two shots at it. And if you encounter any problems, like traffic, then you’re down to just one chance to deliver and that’s an exciting moment because you know you have to nail it. I like that aspect of it.

    As Barcelona’s not far from France, I’ll have some friends and family coming, which will be nice. I don’t find that a distraction because nothing makes me lose concentration and it’s always enjoyable to relax one evening over a dinner with friends. It’s one of the nice things about being back in Europe and getting that extra support."

Brendon Hartley - “Barcelona is probably the track on the calendar that every single driver knows better than any other, which also makes it extremely challenging when it comes to trying to get any advantage over your team-mate or the others drivers and teams. But that’s all part of the challenge here.

    It’s not just the actual testing that means we all know it well, because, from my time working in simulators for various teams, I know that the Catalunya track is used a lot in the sim. It's an enjoyable track to drive and offers a bit of everything. It is also tough physically, especially with the long right hand corners in particular putting a strain on the neck muscles.

    Qualifying is very important at this track, because overtaking is not so easy. So far this year, I’ve been relatively happy with my qualifying performance, especially compared to last year, when I had not yet developed an understanding of how to get the most out of the tyres. Now, I feel like I’m understanding the car and tyres more and more and that’s given me a lot more confidence going into qualifying sessions.

    It’s one of the most fun parts of the weekend because all the fuel load comes off, the rubber goes down and that’s when these cars really come alive. They’re literally the quickest cars on earth and qualifying really highlights that. It’s not often that you don’t have a smile on your face with the amount of grip that we have and the lap times we’re doing.

    Tyre management will be very important at this track because, even on a qualifying lap, you have to keep the rears alive for that last sector where you need the traction. You can easily destroy the rear tyres through that first part with all the high-speed corners but it’s one of the challenges of getting the most out of the qualifying lap."

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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk
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Spanish GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Red Bull

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - ASTON MARTIN RED BULL RACING

Daniel Ricciardo - "Barcelona is always an exciting time of the year, it’s the start of the European season, the time where you see lots of car development and in a way the start of summer which I love. The Barcelona circuit is fun, we’ve done a lot of laps around there and we know it very well, nonetheless it’s certainly not boring and we always enjoy going back.

    The race is kind of a staple in the F1 calendar now. The track has a bit of everything, Turns 1, 2 and 3 are nice flowing corners and the last section is very technical. Last year I got my first podium of the season there which was cool, so we will try and go for the same or better this year.”

Max Verstappen - "Everybody has done a lot of laps in Barcelona but I’m looking forward to seeing how the cars progress this year. We have many updates coming, hopefully they will be positive and we can be even closer to the front, but of course everybody else will also bring new parts. It could be quite a defining moment for the season and I’m interested to see how everyone will perform.

    I believe our car is very fast, we still need a bit more top speed but hopefully that will come. I am of course also looking forward to the weekend as I have good memories from my first F1 win there and I will be happy to start the European season and have the comforts of the Energy Station.”

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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk

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Spanish GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Haas

DRIVER PREVIEW QUOTES - HAAS F1 TEAM 

Romain Grosjean - “Baku showed that you can have a tough qualifying, but you can come back in the race. Obviously, that won’t be the case every time. Barcelona is a difficult circuit to overtake, so it’s always easier to have a smooth weekend and make sure that both cars are well in the points by Sunday.”

    I did quite like the new tarmac at Barcelona. There was more grip than it had previously, and a faster lap time. Now the question is going to be how it is with warmer weather. That’s something we’ll find out during the race weekend.” 

    I think we’ve got a really good baseline and, obviously, the challenge of the year is to keep the development going to make sure that we stay in the race."

Kevin Magnussen - "I feel like I’m having a good season, so far. I’m really enjoying my time with Haas. I feel that we’re benefiting from the experience that we’ve gained together over the last year-and-a-half.

    The new surface (in Barcelona) was very smooth. The effect on the tires was that they were difficult to get up to temperature. Also, degradation was very low, which is why Pirelli introduced a modification to the tyres for this race. They’re trying to get more degradation and easier warm up on the tyres.

    (Returning to Barcelona) does give you a good idea where you stand since winter testing. In our case, we haven’t really introduced that many parts since winter testing. We had some in Australia and, of course, we can reassess that, but I think in terms of numbers and the car, we feel confident that we got the improvements we expected so far.”

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Article Posted By: Amy Hawk
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