Highlights: Lewis Hamilton’s win in Barcelona Grand Prix

Alex Albon retires his car from the race; however, the Williams team brings it back for power tests, although he is 12 laps behind the rest of the field. Hamilton increases his lead to almost 10 seconds, while the battle for second place appears to be between the two Mercedes.

With no penalty for Lewis Hamilton, the FIA ​​says there will be no punishment, and the Briton extends his lead over Mercedes to as much as 5 seconds. It seems everything will be decided in Barcelona, ​​and we could have a new winning team.

Time to secure everything on the track, the drivers trying to maintain their pace and close the gap in the race. A standout performance from Franco Colapinto, who has shown promise with the Alpine team and is pushing hard for a tenth-place finish. Meanwhile, the battle between Verstappen and Norris continues for fourth place.

An excellent move by Ferrari, taking advantage of the Virtual Safety Car period and sending Hamilton into the pits for fresher tires with a 2.5-second lead over George Russell. However, Lewis is under investigation for allegedly violating the yellow flag.

Yellow flag and Virtual Safety Car: Fernando Alonso is forced to brake on the grass at Turn 9, and Aston Martin is left without any cars in the race. A free pit stop for several drivers who will look to take advantage of the situation to change tires.

Ferrari's strategy seems to be working, and Lewis Hamilton has regained a 15-second lead over George Russell. The Briton needs a large window for his final pit stop before the end. The medium tires are helping the Italians.

Nico Hulkenberg also retires; a power unit failure forces the Audi driver out of the race, and that's it for the German. Meanwhile, George Russell stops, and they will look to implement a two-stop strategy.

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton continue their battle for first place, while Kimi Antonelli and Lando Norris are 15 seconds behind, a gap that is noticeable on track. The Ferrari driver is sent into the pits, and a three-stop strategy will be implemented.

Carlos Sainz is also under investigation for a possible infringement at the start; the result will be announced after the race. The track temperature remains at 40°C, and no one knows how long the hard tires will last; another tire change could be coming soon.

Valtteri Bottas has also retired from the race due to a significant drop in performance, making him the second driver out. Meanwhile, George Russell has regained the lead, although his performance declined after the tire change.

Constant battles between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell for the lead, with Ferrari temporarily taking the lead on track. Alex Albon is under investigation for an improper start protocol, the result will be after the race.

A clean start on the track at the Barcelona Grand Prix:

We've reached the tire change window for Ferrari; it's time to make a decision that could affect the end of the race. The option is to go for hard tires until the end of the race, depending on wear. All the teams are now making their pit stops.

George Russell pulls three seconds ahead of Hamilton and advances with relative ease. The heat begins to take its toll, and the tires are suffering, severely impacting the drivers' performance. Lap times start to drop rapidly, and pit stop strategy will be key to the results.

The first retirement comes: Aston Martin withdraws Lance Stroll's car due to technical issues, and the Canadian is once again out of the race. Meanwhile, the first gaps begin to form, and we see groups of drivers slowly emerging.

A clean start at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with little change to the starting order. Nico Hulkenberg was the most affected, unable to start the race due to a mechanical failure before the formation lap. The asphalt is a bit hard, and the drivers are patiently waiting for their opportunity to attack.

The 2026 Formula 1 Barcelona Grand Prix kicks off at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain. This is the 34th edition of the race; follow all the action of this great duel here at VAVEL. A great race begins.

We are just minutes away from the start of the presentation of the Barcelona Grand Prix Qualifying 2026, the formation lap of the cars with the drivers and the pre-race protocols of the FIA ​​and Formula 1.

Everything is ready at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the start of qualifying. A full house is expected, with around 150,000 people in attendance. The drivers are heading to their cars on the track for final preparations before the session begins, as they begin their quest for pole position.

Today's leader, George Russell, appears with Mercedes and will be looking for victory in Barcelona:

Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso appear in the paddock; the Spaniards want to make a good impression on their home soil:

The British driver is very popular in Spain and makes his appearance before the fans who receive him with great affection:

With zero chance of rain and very high temperatures exceeding 30ºC, several teams' race strategies will include the use of hard or intermediate tires throughout the Barcelona Grand Prix. We'll see if the heat plays a major role or if it can be kept at bay.

This is the starting order we have for the start of the race today:

Qualifying began in Barcelona, ​​and the heat and light winds of the region made their presence felt, complicating the race for all the drivers. The biggest surprise came when Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll were eliminated in Q1 without even being able to take to the track due to technical issues with their cars. However, the surprises continued with Max Verstappen's premature exit after losing control of his car on a straight and going off the track. Other drivers who were eliminated included Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas of Cadillac and Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin. The disruptions continued at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, and in Q2, Pierre Gasly was eliminated, along with Alex Albon, Oliver Bearman, Franco Colapinto, Nico Hulkenberg, and Esteban Ocon. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was proving to be a challenging track and producing many surprises due to the new cars. Q3 began, and Gabriel Bortoletto was eliminated without even seeing the track after a mechanical failure. Power units were an important factor for several racers, however, George Russell managed to secure pole position.

Schedules for all parts of the world:

The last winner of the Barcelona Grand Prix Qualifying was Óscar Piastri with a time of 1:22:27.059 last season. The McLaren driver was joined on the podium by his McLaren teammate Lando Norris and his Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen. Norris also took the fastest lap of the season with a time of 1:18.589.