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Formula 1
Spanish GP
F1 Spanish GP Live Commentary and Updates - race day
Minute-by-minute updates for F1's Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona.
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Formula 1 returns to the Barcelona circuit for its sixth round of the championship, with Charles Leclerc taking his fourth pole of the season after recovering from a spin on his first hot lap.
The Ferrari driver rallied for his second and final flyer, posting a 1m18.750s - three tenths clear of Max Verstappen - to take first place on the grid as the Red Bull driver had to contend with a DRS issue.
Home favourite Carlos Sainz leads the second row alongside George Russell on Sunday's grid, as Mercedes showed improved performance having got on top of its porpoising concerns from the start of the season.
Fernando Alonso starts at the back of the grid in his home race, having taken a new power unit beyond his allocation.
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Verstappen absolutely surges down the inside of Russell into Turn 1, but the Mercedes puts a lovely cut back around the outside into Turn 2 and holds second place! Verstappen tries to hit back on the outside of T3, but he can't make it happen. Great racing.
Hamilton makes his second pitstop of the race, following his unwanted first-lap stop after his Magnussen clash, and rejoins on mediums in 19th place.
"Max, you may have closed it last time around," Verstappen is told about his DRS. "That's because I'm pressing it 50 f****** times," Max says calmly.
Pit stop
Vettel also pits at the end of lap 21, following the same strategy as his former team-mate Leclerc, and returns to the track in 17th place behind current team-mate Stroll.
A swift stop for Leclerc too - just 2.2s in the box - with a good lead. Gap is 5.7s at the end of lap 22 to Russell.
Pit stop
Leclerc's lapping about 0.7-0.9s a lap slower than Russell, and now calls in for his first stop at the end of lap 21 with plenty of margin over Russell and Verstappen. He returns in the lead.
Ricciardo is going backwards in this race, as he is overtaken by Schumacher for 12th place.
Stopwatch
Perez is lighting up the timing screen with a 1m27.169s, apparently on a one-stop strategy. Brave.
Verstappen's kicking off about his DRS, but gets it on the start of lap 19 - but, Russell continues to hang firm despite going marginally wide into Turn 1.
Sainz darts by Vettel to take seventh place with DRS on the main straight at the start of lap 19. The Spaniard would've been dreaming of a debut win at home but now he'll be hoping to rejoin the podium hunt.
Pit stop
Perez now comes into the pits, having run out of tyres, and he'll come in for the medium rubber. He returns to the circuit some way behind Russell and Verstappen.
But Verstappen's DRS DOES open this time at the start of lap 17, trying to clear Russell but can't find a way through past the Mercedes driver's stout defence.
The 'In out shake it all about' pitstop cycle is almost over, bar Vettel, in the midfield, with Sainz now eighth on his recovery from his earlier off. Hamilton is 16th and Magnussen is still last, for the record.
Regardless, Bottas gets through on Vettel to return to fifth place. Meanwhile, Verstappen's still having issues with DRS as he tries to get past Russell on the straight.
Our mistake - that was Vettel who's yet to stop that got by! Ocon is very much still behind the Alfa driver - our apologies!
Pit stop
Bottas, now in third, makes his pitstop - he bolts on the mediums, but he's out behind Ocon as the Alpine driver gets a handy undercut!
Sainz duly gets by Norris a lap later with the aid of DRS at Turn 1 to move up to ninth place.
Pit stop
As it happens, Russell and Verstappen pit at the end of lap 13, as does the sixth-placed Ocon. Mediums for Russell and Verstappen, and status quo remains in position terms.
Pit stop
Lap 13 sees Norris, Schumacher and Latifi pit. Norris comes out directly in front of the recovering Sainz.
Verstappen doesn't seem to be able to crack the DRS flap open, which is hindering him in this battle against Russell, but it also seems he's dropped out of the detection zone.
Verstappen wasn't particularly close to Russell, but the Mercedes driver is getting "cool car" warnings. That's "you need to cool the car", not a "we've got a really cool car and it looks great" warning.
Pit stop
On lap 12 Tsunoda, Ricciardo and Albon opt to pit. So everything is shaken about in the running order.
Perez lets Verstappen through, as Red Bull switch drivers to try and clear the slightly slower Russell.
Pit stop
The first pitstop window is blow open as Sainz, Zhou, Alonso and Gasly all dive in for fresh rubber.
It's lap 11, can Perez do anything about Russell? Not quite, that Mercedes car is going great guns along the straight. A solid defence from the Brit.
Norris duly gets by Schumacher to take seventh place. Not bad for a driver feeling very unwell today!
Alonso gets by Gasly to move up to 12th place, while further ahead the McLarens have swapped places to see Norris go after Schumacher for seventh.
I'll be honest, this was expected to be a pretty calm grand prix. Anything but so far!
"A large gust entry of Turn 4," Verstappen is told, which seems to be throwing the drivers out of kilter. Meanwhile, Perez is still giving Russell a lot to think about into Turn 1, but Russell hangs on to second!
Off track
That's Verstappen in the gravel now at Turn 4! He's back on track behind Perez and Russell, but that's another car in the gravel as he loses the rear!
Sainz gets going again down in 11th place, splitting the two AlphaTauris.
Russell's now got Perez right in his mirrors now, as the Mexican looks incredibly rapid in that Red Bull right now.
Off track
Sainz is in the gravel! He's gone off at Turn 4 and rejoins between the AlphaTauris! He just loses the rear, and can't do anything about it. "Check the tyres," he says over the radio.
In truth both Alpines have produced strong starts, with Alonso going from last to 13th by lap seven. Alonso's latest victim is Vettel, with a super move up the inside at Turn 1. He was almost on the grass!
Leclerc is 1.5s up the road at this stage, with Russell another 3.9s behind. Sainz is slowly coming back at Perez in fourth after a dismal start.
Ocon has made a super start to this race, as he gets by Schumacher with the aid of DRS at Turn 1 to climb up to seventh place.
Quote
"I would save this engine for you guys, I'm sorry," Hamilton says over team radio. Mercedes tell him to keep going as the team thinks he can still score points today. He's 19th and 32.8s off Latifi ahead of him.
Bottas has put a move into Turn 1 on Schumacher with DRS to cruise into sixth place, giving the Alfa driver some clean air to play with.
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"Lewis just ****** me. He knew what he was doing," Magnussen said over Haas team radio. Whatever his protestations, the incident won't be investigate by the stewards.
Sainz had hit the anti-stall and got jumped off the line - seeing Russell and Perez have a minor touch into Turn 1.
By: autosport.com
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