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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.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75

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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Stopwatch
Leclerc begins to try and forge a lead, but Verstappen's not letting the Ferrari driver out of his sights. That said, Leclerc logs a 1m27.198s to try and scamper out of DRS range.
Pit stop
Hamilton is back out on the track with fresh softs after repairs to his car, while Magnussen rejoins the race in last place on mediums.
Both Magnussen and Hamilton drop down the order and head to the pits due to the damage picked up in that first-lap clash. The incident has been noted by the stewards.
That's thrust Mick Schumacher right up into sixth place, as the Haas driver gets ahead of Bottas and Ricciardo at the start.
Crash
Magnussen makes a super start to climb to seventh but clashes with Hamilton trying to go around the outside at Turn 4 and goes into the gravel. Hamilton has damage and is going slowly.
Leclerc cuts off Verstappen to lead into Turn 1, as Sainz has been swamped off the line and has been overtaken by Russell and Perez!
Lights out
The 2022 Spanish Grand Prix begins!
The drivers line up, ready for the start...
Green flag
The formation lap is away. Here we go...
Tyre info: all on softs, apart from Hamilton who sits on the medium tyre.
Sun
Weather info! Air temperature: scorchio, track temperature: scorchio. Chance of rain? Scorchi-no.
Not long to go now! It'll be an absolute endurance round out there today. Tyres will resemble a fine camembert by the end, and so will the drivers...
The drivers all opting for cool vests on the grid - apart from Valtteri Bottas, who has ice in his veins. At least he's covered his bum this time.
The Spanish national anthem begins to play out courtesy of a string quintet. Carlos Sainz (and Fernando Alonso, I guess) will be hoping to hear that again later today.
Red Bull has been tinkering with Verstappen's DRS for most of the day, and there's still work on it happening on the grid. Should be fine, they're no strangers to it.
Autosport's own Luke Smith and Matt Kew have appeared on Spanish TV - second race in a row that Luke's been on-screen. I taught them everything they know [this message has been flagged for disinformation].
Just 30 minutes to go until the Spanish Grand Prix begins! Who's your bet on - Leclerc, Verstappen, or a surprise victory contender?
With heat comes pollen, and it appears Lando Norris is particularly struggling with allergies over this weekend. Hand that man a Piriteze (other brands are available).
Sun
It's a hot old day out there. The mercury's pushing a 36 degrees C air temperature at the Barcelona circuit, while the track's at 48.4 degrees C. Tyres are going to find it tough here, you'd hope that yields more than a one-stopper.
It's shaping up to be an interesting race, with Mercedes potentially in podium contention after largely shrugging off its porpoising issues. Ferrari seems to have better quali pace, but we expect Red Bull to be good in today's race runs.
Breaking news
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Hello everyone and welcome to our Autosport Live coverage of the Spanish Grand Prix! It's just under an hour until lights-out at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

By: autosport.com

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