F1 LIVE | Qualifying for the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix
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The starting grid for the Spanish Grand Prix is about to be determined. With the GPBlog liveblog, you won't miss a thing about qualifying at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Max Verstappen is the favourite for pole position. Will he succeed?
F1 LIVE | Qualifying: Spanish Grand Prix
Verstappen favourite, Alonso crowd favourite
The Red Bull Racing driver is remarkably calm and has so far set the pace. At the circuit where Verstappen won his first F1 race, he will also have a particularly good chance of winning this weekend. First, the Dutchman still needs to successfully complete qualifying. But, in terms of speed, Verstappen seems to have plenty of time in the locker. Only a crash or bad luck could seemingly throw a spanner in the works. Though the drivers at Mercedes, Ferrari and Aston Martin will be doing all they can to spoil the party.
Fernando Alonso will also be keen on a good result on Saturday. The Spaniard wants to shine in front of his home crowd. The question is whether he can do so with his Aston Martin. One thing is certain, alongside Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari, Alonso gives the Spanish fans another top driver back to cheer for.
So far this weekend
Max Verstappen finished comfortably fastest in the first free practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix near Barcelona. Even his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez was over seven-tenths down. Charles Leclerc, who ran the older Ferrari spec, was slightly faster than Carlos Sainz in the upgraded version. They swapped the spec around for FP2. Esteban Ocon retained his third-place position for the third consecutive session.
There is a major concept change to the Ferrari sidepods as they look to close the gap on Red Bull. Their rivals Aston Martin also introduced upgrades, and Alonso carried the aero rake on his first lap around his home circuit. Most other teams, including Mercedes, introduced small changes to their cars, but none were more visible than the Italian team. Pirelli also had a debut of their own. The more robust tyres that are being introduced from the British Grand Prix onwards were tested.
And even the track introduced a change, though it wasn’t a debut. The chicane had disappeared for the first time since 2006, and now drivers use the outside loop. This shaves around five seconds off the lap time.