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Formula 1
Spanish GP
F1 Spanish GP Live Commentary and Updates - Race
Minute-by-minute updates for the 2023 Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix.
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Max Verstappen took pole position for Red Bull by beating Ferrari rival Carlos Sainz and McLaren's Lando Norris.
Verstappen will look to extend his 39-point lead in the standings over Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez, who missed out on a Q3 berth following an off in qualifying and will start 11th.
Also out of position is George Russell in 12th, after a struggles with porpoising on his Mercedes W14, and last year's polesitter Charles Leclerc who starts from the pitlane after being eliminated in Q1.
The race starts at 3pm BST.
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Alonso makes a move stick on Ocon for P7 after the Alpine driver put up a defence that was borderline for acceptability. Ocon forced Alonso into the pit exit with a last-minute move.
Russell is just 6s behind Hamilton now those stops have taken place, but it seems fanciful to think he'll usurp his team-mate having taken so much out of his tyres already.
Pit stop
Hamilton pits on lap 50 and is followed in by Perez, both taking softs.
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"Just let me drive. No more distractions," says Tsunoda after the AlphaTauri pitwall asked what changes are needed in his next stop.
Now on soft tyres Russell sets two consecutive fastest laps of 1m18.057s, then a 1m17.875s.
It's not been the easiest of days for Stroll, but after his second stop he's back up to sixth. However, he can't rest on his laurels with Ocon 3s behind.
Another problem for Haas with its rear jack in its latest stop, as Magnussen is the driver hampered this time around.
After starting from the pitlane, Leclerc's race has not got much better. He is still P13 and his hopes of a points return looks to be fading.
Verstappen has been informed by his team that he's had two track limits warnings. He doesn't need to be pushing too hard now at Turns 5 and 9.
Pit stop
Russell now comes in from third and switches back to the soft tyres. He'll try to do the last 20 laps on those.
Pit stop
The answer is 'not very much'. Alonso pits on lap 45 for hards and rejoins 10th.
Alonso has only used softs in the grand prix so far. How much further will he go before switching to a medium or hard?
Verstappen radios in to tell his team he feels the front tyres are overheating. It doesn't seem like that will make much of a difference to the outcome of this race though, somehow, as he's over 16s clear of Hamilton behind.
How do Red Bull respond to Sainz's stop? Well, Perez started on mediums and is now on the hard so has his choice of tyre for the final stint. Having yet to use the soft, that's the one you'd bank on him picking, which means he'll want to get closer to the end to make full use of its grip and short shelf life.
Pit stop
Sainz now comes in at the end of his 41st lap for a set of hards that will take him to the end. He rejoins sixth behind Alonso.
Perez is inching closer to Sainz in fourth. The gap last time around was 3.4s but with the Red Bull driver nine tenths quicker.
Piastri stops from P7 as does Gasly, who was one place behind. The pair exit the pits nose-to-tail, just as they had entered it.
We've 25 laps to go in the grand prix. Will anybody be able to make an assault on the podium positions? Verstappen, Hamilton and Russell are looking fairly comfortable in their rostrum slots at present.
Bottas' defensive plan lasted all of one lap, as Magnussen used DRS to move past the Alfa Romeo.
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Bottas is advised that the two Haas drivers are behind him. "Okay, I'll slow them down," he informs the team. The Finn will build a cushion for team-mate Zhou, who is five seconds ahead in P16.
Verstappen's march towards another victory appears unstoppable as he's now 15.3s clear of Hamilton, who has made no inroads despite having the faster tyre.
After starting on P3, Norris is currently second-last, is unable to make progress and is about to be lapped by Verstappen. A day of what could have been for the McLaren driver.
The second stop for Stroll has brought Alonso back up to sixth as he continues to plug away on the softs.
The pit window is reportedly open for those on the hard compound. Given the pit stops have been constant throughout, take that with a pinch of salt.
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"Find the best way to beat Checo [Perez]," says Sainz, who has clearly given up hope of getting back onto the podium now both Mercedes are escaping ahead of him.
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"Solid work," Russell is told by his engineer after that move on Sainz. "Just solid?" is the cheeky reply, before Toto Wolff chimes in on the radio: "It was pretty good".
Pit stop
Stroll gives up the unequal struggle on softs and pits from fifth to take on hards, rejoining 13th.
No sooner is Russell in DRS range of Sainz than he makes a decisive move to claim third into Turn 1. A bold, late one that won't please the crowds, but an appreciably excellent pass.
Perez has good pace on those medium tyres and now gobbles up medium-shod Ocon for sixth into the first corner. Fifth placed Stroll is well within reach ahead on his wilting softs.
Sainz isn't able to live with Hamilton's pace either. The Mercedes man was 0.8s faster last time by on lap 32 and has dropped 5.2s back from the seven-time champion in third.
False alarm on the rain front. Russell believes it might be sweat inside his helmet that he's mistaken for precipitation as his team confirms nobody else has reported rain.
Perez glides through the final corner, activates DRS and buzzes past Alonso along the pit straight. Alonso offered no defence, accepting this was a battle he could not win.
Ocon is 2s down on Stroll, and closing by the lap. It looks like that second stint on the softs may be a call Aston comes to regret.
Things could get worse for Alonso, with Perez on much fresher tyres now all over his gearbox.
At the end of lap 30 Verstappen's advantage stands at 12.6s. Stroll's soft tyres look no match for Russell's fresh mediums and he's already dropped almost 5s behind.
While Sainz is keeping the home fans entertained, Alonso's race is so far failing to live up to the highs of his incredible year to date. Chasing his 33rd win, Alonso is P8 and is failing to close the three-second gap to Tsunoda ahead.
Verstappen's advantage now stands at 11.9s over Hamilton, and he's not hanging about. His last lap on hards was his best of the race so far, and four tenths faster.
Meanwhile Hamilton has taken second from Sainz into Turn 1, with Russell doing likewise on Stroll for fourth.
Pit stop
One lap after Verstappen, Perez comes in from second and switches to hards, rejoining ninth.
Rain
Hello... "Rain at Turn 5," calls Russell.
By: Autosport Staff
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