2025 Spanish Grand Prix: Fast Facts

The second triple-header of the season concludes at another classic Formula 1 track, the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit that has hosted the Spanish Grand Prix every year since 1991. It’s an eagerly awaited event as the track is one of the most complete in offering a full range of technical challenges. That’s why it was one of the most popular tracks for testing, on the basis that if a car works well here it does so everywhere.

This weekend a new FIA technical directive comes into play, concerning the flexibility of the wings, which some experts reckon could have an effect on car performance. Furthermore, Barcelona has traditionally been the track where teams bring significant updates, specifically to test them on what is a demanding circuit.

The Compounds

Not only is the track challenging for the cars, it also places high demands on the tyres. After two consecutive rounds featuring the softest trio in the 2025 range, as usual Pirelli has chosen the hardest, namely the C1 as Hard, the C2 as Medium and the C3 as Soft. The three compounds have been revised since last year, especially the C2, making the performance gaps between them more equidistant. That could lead to the Medium and Soft being favoured for the race.

The forces exerted on the tyres are medium to high, because of the many fast corners, such as turn 3 and the final two, both of them right-handers. The corner of the car subjected to the greatest stress is the front left, as right-hand turns are in the majority.

Even if the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit is no longer much used for testing by the teams, because of the virtual elimination of in-season testing and a reduction in pre-season work, it is still a very important test bench. That’s why Pirelli has chosen to test here for a third time, following on from September 2024 and this January, working on the development of tyres for next season. The test takes place on Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 June, with the help of Mercedes drivers on both days, Racing Bulls on Tuesday and Red Bull on Wednesday.

The Track

Since the inaugural race in 1991, the track has undergone several modifications, especially in the final part, with various attempts made to create overtaking opportunities. For example, in 2007, a very slow chicane was created before the final corner, which led to a significant increase in lap time of the order of over four seconds.

In 2023, the original configuration was restored, with the final two corners linked to make for a much faster entry onto the pit straight, one of the longest on the calendar. In the race, drivers tackle 66 laps of the 4.657 kilometre track with its 14 corners (eight to the right and six to the left). The highest downforce corners are turns 3 and 9, both right-handers.

The Stats

This year’s event is the 55^th Spanish Grand Prix. Before making the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit its home, four other tracks have hosted this race, including two street circuits within the Catalan city: Pedralbes which staged it in 1951 and 1954 and Montjuic Park, where the race was held on the odd-numbered years from 1969 to 1975. The event was also held at the Jarama circuit on the outskirts of Madrid in 1968, 1970, 1972, from 1976 to 1979 and 1981 and in Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia from 1986 to 1990. Spain also hosted seven European Grands Prix: two in Jerez (1994 and 1997) and five on the Valencia street circuit from 2008 to 2012.

Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton both have the most number of wins on six apiece in the Spanish Grand Prix and with a further European GP win in Jerez in 1994, the German has the most wins on Spanish soil. Schumacher has the most poles (7) followed by Hamilton on 6 and they both top the list of podium finishes with 12. Of the teams, Ferrari has 12 Spanish GP wins to its name, as well as two European victories in Valencia. The Maranello team also has the most pole positions and podium finishes, 14 and 38 respectively. Four drivers took their maiden win at the Spanish Grand Prix: Niki Lauda (1974), Jochen Mass (1975), Pastor Maldonado (2012) and Max Verstappen 2016).

2025 Spanish Grand Prix Scheduling

Below is the schedule for the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix, which will be held from May 30 to June 1, 2025 (all times are local track times in Barcelona):

May 30

Practice 1: 13:30 – 14:30

Practice 2: 17:00 – 18:00

May 31

Practice 3: 12:30 – 13:30

Qualifying: 16:00 – 17:00

June 1

Race: 15:00

How to Watch the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix

Formula 1 fans around the globe can catch all the action from the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix through various broadcasters and streaming services.

In the United Kingdom, viewers can watch every session live on Sky Sports F1, with comprehensive coverage of the practice sessions, qualifying, and the race itself.

For fans in the United States, the Spanish Grand Prix will be available through ESPN and its associated channels. ESPN offers extensive coverage of F1, including live broadcasts and replays. Cord-cutters can also stream the race live through various over-the-top (OTT) services that carry ESPN channels.

Viewers in Australia can tune in to watch the Grand Prix weekend unfold live on Fox Sports, which offers complete coverage of F1 races. For online streaming, fans can subscribe to Kayo Sports, a streaming platform that includes all Fox Sports content.

Additionally, F1 TV Pro offers live streaming of every track session to viewers in many countries worldwide.

This subscription service provides access to onboard cameras, team radios, live timing, and more, for an immersive viewing experience.

Remember to check the local listings and services for the most up-to-date information regarding broadcast times and availability in your region.

Spanish Grand Prix Fast Facts

• The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is an ideal track for testing an F1 car, as it has a wide range of corner types and speeds, plus some long straights. Slow-speed corners like Turns 5 and 10 focus on mechanical grip, but high-speed sections such as Turns 3 and 9 test a car’s aerodynamic grip.
• Sector three is incredibly important and drivers can find a lot of lap time here in the slow corners. It can be rare for a driver to set three purple sectors at the circuit, because maximising grip and being faster in sector one will overheat the tyres for the crucial third sector.
• The chicane in the final sector of the lap was removed for the 2023 race, reverting back to the previous track layout for the final two corners.
• Most of the track’s low-speed turns are left-handers and most of the right-handers are taken at high speeds. So slightly different car set-ups can be used on the left and right-hand sides, and that track characteristic also means the left tyres wear out quicker, while the right tyres experience lower temperatures.
• 24 of the 34 races that have taken place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya have been won from pole.
• The winning driver of the Spain GP has come from the front row in 31 of the previous 34 races, even more times than in Monaco (30 out of 34).
• The start of the ground effect era at the start of 2022 presented a very different challenge for the drivers around the track. For example, the long Turn 3 is now taken at 225 km/h, compared to 240 km/h in 2021. The fast Turn 9 is now a 250 km/h right-hander, whereas in 2021 it was taken at around 265 km/h.
• Barcelona first appeared on the calendar in 1991 and has hosted the Spanish Grand Prix in every season since.
• Lewis Hamilton recorded his 100th pole position at the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix while driving for the Mercedes team.
• Lewis Hamilton holds the record for most consecutive wins at a Grand Prix circuit with five in Barcelona (2017-2021). He shares this record with Ayrton Senna and Monaco (1989-1993)
• George Russell triumphed at Barcelona in 2018 while driving in Formula 2. He shared the podium that day with future F1 drivers Lando Norris and Nyck de Vries.
• Max Verstappen has finished on the podium in the last seven consecutive Spain Grands Prix, winning the last three editions in which he has led 139 of the past 150 laps at the circuit.
• Verstappen also claimed his maiden Formula One victory here in 2016 on debut for the Red Bull Racing Team, becoming the youngest-ever race winner and youngest podium finisher at 18 years and 228 days.
• This weekend’s GP in Spain will be the 35th F1 race to take place at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya which ties the Suzuka Circuit as the tenth-most used venue in F1 history.