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Lap 18/66: Verstappen is up to fourth, aided by the pit stops of Hamilton and now Leclerc. He then overtakes Antonelli.
Lap 17/66: Hamilton gets a new set of medium tyres. Will it make a difference?
His teammate Leclerc is in third but is a long way back. Ferrari suggests he should push more, leaving Leclerc to reply that he is already.
Lap 16/66: Piastri is not letting Norris get at his lead, looking calm at the front by himself, over four seconds ahead.
Hamilton gets the wink for a stop now.
Lap 15/66: Could this mean Verstappen will do a three-stop race? It’s a risk but it might just work …
Lap 14/66: Verstappen pits for a tyre change and comes back out in eighth.
Lap 13/66: After a couple of nibbles, Norris flies past Verstappen going into the first corner. Norris will be looking to chase down Piastri, who is 4.5 seconds ahead.
Lap 12/66: Verstappen is looking a little slow on these tyres and is playing defensively.
Lap 11/66: Norris is less than half a second behind Verstappen. Will he try an overtake?
Verstappen is complaining about a lack of grip.
Lap 10/66: Hamilton is told to swap with Leclerc and the man from Monaco breezes past him into fourth.
There is plenty of early pitting. Good luck keeping the tyres go for enough time.
Lap 9/66: Leclerc goes for an over take at turn one but fails to get past Hamilton.
Tsunoda pits to get rid of the medium compound tyre.
Lap 8/66: Norris is chipping away at Verstappen, the gap down to around 1.5 seconds.
Leclerc v Hamilton is the most interesting battle at the moment. What will team orders be?
Lap 7/66: Lerclec is putting plenty of pressure on Hamilton and I imagine will almost inevitably go past him.
Lap 6/66: Russell does not sound too happy with his tyres. Wolff has told him to “concentrate”.
Lap 5/66: Everyone seems to have found their place at the moment, not willing to push too much on this hot track.
Lap 4/66: The lead at the front is about 2 seconds for Piastri over Verstappen. The McLaren is looking comfortable in the early stages.
Lap 3/66: Verstappen is right up behind Piastri and letting him know he is ready to overtake him if the Australian commits a mistake. The Red Bull man, however, knows he can’t put too much exertion on his tyres.
Lap 2/66: Hulkenberg started down in 15th but has moved himself up to 10th. Not a bad start.
It’s been lively from top to bottom on the grid with plenty of movement.
Lap 1/66: Piastri gets away well but Verstappen goes ahead of Norris. It’s good news for the Australian at the front, though. George Russell has a bad start and is overtaken by the Ferraris.
Lights out
And away we go!
It’s a two-stop kind of day in Catalonia. Who will work them best?
The entire England squad is in attendance. Bukayo Saka did not fancy a chat but Dan Burn was very nice.
Harry Kane is at his first grand prix. He loves Lando Norris, so that’s nice.
As I said before, today is going to all about the tyres on this hot track. Who can manage the situation the best?
Everyone likes some BS.
It is very hot in Barcelona. Could be a big day for the tyres, in my opinion.
For context, Sainz’s girlfriend is Scottish.
Sky asked Carlos Sainz if he likes haggis. He does not.
This will be a 19-man race after Lance Stroll withdrew with a wrist injury. The Canadian qualified 14th in Barcelona but it’s been decided he requires surgery after experiencing discomfort in his hand and wrist.
Failure is very important, supposedly, which is great news for this blogger.
I’ve heard little else …
Preamble
This feels significant! Oscar Piastri is on pole after a composed qualifying session. The Australian is leading the Championship and will be looking to open up the gap at the top on his teammate Lando Norris, who won last time out in Monaco.
Here is how the grid lines up:
1) Oscar Piastri - McLaren
2) Lando Norris - McLaren
3) Max Verstappen - Red Bull
4) George Russell - Mercedes
5) Lewis Hamilton - Ferrari
6) Kimi Antonelli - Mercedes
7) Charles Leclerc - Ferrari
8) Pierre Gasly - Alpine
9) Isack Hadjar - Racing Bulls
10) Fernando Alonso - Aston Martin
11) Alex Albon - Williams
12) Gabriel Bortoleto - Kick Sauber
13) Liam Lawson - Racing Bulls
14) Ollie Bearman - Haas
15) Nico Hulkenberg - Kick Sauber
16) Esteban Ocon - Haas
17) Carlos Sainz - Williams
18) Franco Colapinto - Alpine
19) Yuki Tsunoda - Red Bull
Lights out 2pm BST.
