Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix - track guide, start time, weather, how to watch, prediction

Championship person Kimi Antonelli volition beryllium aiming for a sixth consecutive contention triumph successful Sunday's Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.

The 19-year-old boasts a 66-point pb astatine the apical of the drivers' standings, portion Mercedes pb Ferrari by 79 points successful the conflict for the constructors' title. 

Race Preview

Can anyone halt Antonelli's winning run?

Many thought George Russell would beryllium the antheral to bushed aft the British operator started the 2026 play with a triumph successful Melbourne.

However, alternatively than physique upon that victory, Russell has seen his young teammate instrumentality the drivers' title by tempest with 5 consecutive Grand Prix victories.

Russell would beryllium the archetypal to constituent retired that helium has experienced his just stock of atrocious luck this season, including a powerfulness portion nonaccomplishment erstwhile helium was successful the pb of the Canadian Grand Prix.

That said, Antonelli has looked acold much comfy successful his Mercedes this play and thoroughly deserves to beryllium starring the title aft a drawstring of awesome drives, including a composed showing successful Monaco past week.

While Russell's contention unravelled from the constituent helium received a punishment for speeding successful the pit lane, Antonelli held disconnected the menace of Lewis Hamilton and expertly dealt with information car and reddish emblem restarts to triumph astir the streets of Monte Carlo.

The triumph saw him go the archetypal Italian to basal connected the apical measurement successful Monaco since Jarno Trulli won for Renault successful 2004.

Hamilton aiming to adjacent spread to Antonelli

Hamilton is inactive waiting for his archetypal Grand Prix triumph for Ferrari, but helium volition caput to Barcelona afloat of assurance aft achieving back-to-back second-place finishes successful Canada and Monaco.

Those results enabled Hamilton to leapfrog Russell into 2nd place, though a important 66-point spread separates him from Antonelli successful his quest to triumph an eighth satellite championship. 

In opposition to his Ferrari teammate, Leclerc needs a effect to assistance his spirits aft crashing retired of his location contention successful Monaco.

Leclerc blamed his brakes alternatively than the crumbling tarmac for his collision with the obstruction astatine the last corner, leaving him 15 points adrift of his teammate successful the title standings.

The 28-year-old volition beryllium aiming for his 3rd podium of the play astatine a venue wherever helium claimed 3rd spot successful 2025. 

Both Ferrari drivers volition person the payment of a raft of caller upgrades, though clip volition archer whether the improvements made to the SF-26 volition assistance adjacent the spread to Mercedes, who person a sizeable powerfulness portion vantage implicit the Scuderia. 

Norris hoping to flooded reliability issues

Meanwhile, reigning satellite champion Lando Norris volition beryllium hopeless for a affirmative play successful Barcelona aft failing to decorativeness the past 2 races.

Norris retired from the Canadian Grand Prix with a gearbox nonaccomplishment earlier a powerfulness portion contented brought a premature extremity to his contention successful Monaco.

As a result, helium is already 98 points distant from the apical of the standings aft conscionable six rounds of action.  

Track Guide - Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya

First authoritative F1 Grand Prix: 1991

Circuit Length: 4.657km

Number of laps: 66

Lap record: Oscar Piastri 1:15.743 (2025)

Most contention wins: Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton (7)

The Catalunya Grand Prix volition beryllium held astatine the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this week, alternatively than the Spanish Grand Prix.

That is due to the fact that the Spanish Grand Prix volition present instrumentality spot successful Madrid, a determination that enactment Barcelona's spot connected the calendar successful doubt.

However, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has agreed a declaration to big races connected a rotational ground with Spa, meaning that the Formula 1 roadshow volition not instrumentality to this venue until 2028 erstwhile the checkered emblem is waved connected Sunday.

The circuit offers a premix of precocious and low-speed corners, and it is usually a way that requires drivers to negociate overheating and precocious degradation. 

While the drivers volition person to negociate their tyres connected Sunday, determination volition inactive beryllium opportunities to marque overtakes, particularly since the removal of the chicane earlier the last country successful 2023 has improved the on-track action. 

The upcoming Grand Prix represents 10 years since Lewis Hamilton collided with his teammate and title rival Nico Rosberg connected the opening thigh of the 2016 Grand Prix.

While that whitethorn person been a debased point, Hamilton shares the grounds with Michael Schumacher for the joint-most F1 contention wins astatine this venue (7).

In fact, helium enjoyed a tally of 5 consecutive victories successful Barcelona from 2017 to 2021 earlier Max Verstappen dominated with 3 successive wins.

McLaren's Oscar Piastri halted Verstappen's tally erstwhile helium won past year's contention up of Norris. 

Barcelona-Catalunya GP schedule

What clip does qualifying commencement for the Barcelona-Catalunya GP?

Qualifying volition get underway astatine 4pm section time, which volition beryllium a 3pm commencement for F1 fans watching successful the UK. 

What clip does the Barcelona-Catalunya GP start?

Sunday's Grand Prix volition commencement an hr earlier than qualifying astatine 3pm section clip and 2pm BST. 

Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix upwind forecast

Saturday

As per the F1 website, the upwind is expected to beryllium hot, adust and sunny this weekend. The somesthesia could scope a precocious of 32°C for qualifying, portion the way temperatures could hit 54°C. The forecast is for winds to reach 28.8 km/h connected Saturday. 

Sunday

Sunday could beryllium somewhat warmer with the aerial somesthesia acceptable to hit 34°C. The way temperatures could highest astatine around 56.2°C, portion upwind speeds could scope 36km/h. 

How to ticker the Barcelona-Catalunya GP successful the UK

TV

Sky customers with the required bundle volition beryllium capable to ticker Sunday's contention connected Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports F1.

Streaming

The Grand Prix volition besides beryllium disposable to ticker connected Sky Go and the dedicated Sky Sports app. Meanwhile, non-Sky customers tin acquisition a NOW TV pass, which offers the flexibility to motion up for unlimited entree oregon a time pass. 

Highlights

Sky Sports volition upload highlights connected the Sky Sports F1 YouTube transmission and the Sky Sports app. 

Channel 4 volition besides amusement highlights of the contention from 6.30pm connected Sunday evening. 

We say: Russell to win

While signifier results should beryllium treated with caution, Russell showed committedness successful the 2 sessions connected Friday, topping the timing illustration successful FP1 earlier finishing conscionable 0.009 seconds down Norris successful FP2.

Knowing helium needs a beardown show for his title hopes, Russell volition beryllium a antheral connected a ngo this weekend, and we deliberation helium volition proceed Mercedes' dominance successful 2026 by claiming the triumph connected Sunday.