F1 Spanish GP: Piastri heads McLaren 1-2 as Verstappen clashes with Russell

Oscar Piastri led Lando Norris home to hand McLaren a 1-2 win at F1’s Spanish Grand Prix, while Max Verstappen was demoted to 10th after seeing red in a battle with Charles Leclerc and George Russell.
Piastri led from pole into Turn 1, while Verstappen jumped Norris by swooping around the outside of the second McLaren.
Behind them there was an intense battle between the Ferraris and the …Keep reading
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Explained: The timing of Stroll’s late F1 Spanish GP withdrawal

Details have emerged of Lance Stroll’s absence for Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix grid as the Canadian battled worsening pain in his right hand and wrist.
Late on Saturday night, hours after Stroll qualified 14th for the Barcelona race, Aston Martin released a statement saying its driver would not take part in the race, meaning Fernando Alonso is the sole Aston driver on the grid of 19 …Keep reading
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Why McLaren expected Red Bull to be closer at F1 Spanish GP

McLaren Formula 1 team principal Andrea Stella has explained why he expected Red Bull to be closer in qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix even disregarding the FIA’s front wing flexing clampdown.
Competitors had hoped the FIA’s decreased tolerance for front wing flexing would have reduced McLaren’s advantage on the rest of the field, but that theory has been put to bed after the papaya team …Keep reading
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Why Aston Martin can’t replace Stroll for the F1 Spanish GP

Aston Martin F1 driver Lance Stroll was a late withdrawal from the Spanish Grand Prix, complaining of pain in the hand and wrist – after-effects of a medical procedure he underwent after a cycling accident on the eve of the 2023 season. But the timing of the decision meant it was too late to slot in a replacement. In theory, Aston Martin has a reserve driver available – 2022 F2 champion …Keep reading
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Russell: Hard compounds will be Mercedes’ “only silver lining” in hot F1 Spanish GP

In the development of its W16 for 2025, Mercedes has invariably retained one of its key weaknesses from last season – poor thermal management, particularly at the rear axle.
Although this is actually beneficial in colder races, as demonstrated by its dominance of 2024’s Las Vegas race, Mercedes is susceptible to overheating its tyres amid higher temperatures.
Both Mercedes drivers …Keep reading
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Strategy Corner: Why Leclerc’s extra set of new mediums could be a wild card in F1 Spanish GP  

The Spanish Grand Prix used to be a byword for dull, processional racing, but that has changed – if only a little – in recent years.
That’s because while the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is a known quantity, having been on the calendar since 1991, it’s slightly less intensively known than it used to be, since it’s no longer used as a venue for pre-season testing. The drivers could …Keep reading
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Verstappen: Tsunoda not a “pancake” so “this might be a sign” to Red Bull

While Max Verstappen hauled his RB21 with a third place on the grid for the Spanish GP, qualifying in Barcelona turned into a disaster for Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese driver was not only eliminated in Q1, but following Liam Lawson performance in China, he became the second Red Bull driver this season to set the slowest time in a regular qualifying session.
Helmut Marko called it something that …Keep reading
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Red hot return for World RX as top three tied on points after day one

Red hot return for World RX as top three tied on points after day one

Sport news

It was a scorching Saturday at the recently revamped Portuguese circuit, with hoards of fans packing the legendary banking to watch their heroes return to the fight club that is World RX. Together with the thousands of fans revelling in the live and free streaming of every race, anticipation for the competitive action to start was as explosive as the sustainable-fuel in a KMS machine and electrifying as a Hansen 208.

With the qualifying groups drawn by lots at the start of the day, it was Kevin Hansen who got the first hole shot of the 2025 campaign as he launched his all-electric car into first place off the line. It was a lead he would keep to the end of the first heat, but with qualifying now decided in the classic rallycross style by overall time rather than finishing position, it was far from certain if Kevin would hold onto this early advantage.

From one brother to another in the second of the Qualifying 1 heats, Timmy Hansen set a blistering pace to lead from lights to flag, although Ole Christian Veiby was pushing hard behind, setting the fastest lap and proving the pace of the combustion-powered VW.

As the teams and drivers reset to go again for Qualifying 2, it was CE Dealer Team’s Klara Andersson and Niclas Grönholm who blasted out of the blocks and towards the top of the points table. Andersson controlled the first heat perfectly, making no mistakes on her late Joker Lap to take the chequered flag. Then, in the second heat, CE Dealer sister #68 car of Grönholm was in the zone off the line, spearing his car into Turn 1 to grab the lead off the start, leaving the others to battle hard behind. His pace was enough to top the Q2 results sheet.

Consistently quick would be the way to describe Ole Christian Veiby’s day, as he finished up after the second heats in second overall once again, netting him 45 valuable points. Andersson took third in Q2, with Timmy and Kevin Hansen fourth and fifth respectively, having both put a tough move on sixth-placed reigning champion Johan Kristofferson in the final hairpin on the last lap of qualifying.

Combining the points from Q1 and Q2 gives us an intriguing setup for tomorrow’s full-on day of flat-out racing in Lousada. Grönholm sits atop the quali table ahead of Timmy Hansen and Ole Christian Veiby, though all three are equal on points. Kevin Hansen, Klara Andersson and Johan Kristoffersson round out the top six.

Finnish ace Juha Rytkönen ended the day seventh overall for PGRX ahead of Team RX Racing’s Patrick O’Donovan, who recovered from damage in his first heat to finish well in the second, gaining experience all the way in his first event at World Championship level. Anthony Pelfrène’s GCK Peugeot rounded out the runners in World RX in ninth.

With two more qualifying sessions tomorrow to set things up for the semi-finals, it’s still all to play for – click here to head to our YouTube channel and set your notifications for the live stream.

Click here for the Qualifying Standings after the first day of frenetic action in the FIA World Rallycross Championship.

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Volland Racing showing blistering pace out of the blocks in EuroRX1

Yury Belevskiy gets maximum qualifying points on opening day of FIA European Rallycross Championship in Lousada ahead of team-mate Nils Volland

The opening blows in the first round of the 2025 FIA European Rallycross Championship have been struck in the RX1 category, with the brace of Volland Racing Audi S1s setting the early pace.

Yury Belevskiy made a bold move in the second heat of the first qualifying session to take victory on-track and set the fastest overall time. His maximum point score was repeated when the cars returned to the Lousada International Circuit for Qualifying 2 in a heat that saw blistering pace from the Swiss driver. Setting lap times in the 38.0s, it was an impressive turn of speed that will have his rivals working overtime to try and tackle tomorrow.

Hot on his heels was fellow Volland Racing pilot Nils Volland. The German set the second fastest time in the Q1 heats and third fastest in Q2 and wasn’t far from the overall pace of his stablemate. Miika Liimatainen is the Volland team’s closest competitor overnight, with solid runs through today’s heats putting him third in the qualifying points table.

Action returns to the track tomorrow with even more fans and spectacular action expected at this hugely successful return to rallycross in the European Championship.

Click here to view the provisional qualifying points standings in EuroRX1.

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EuroRX3 cars kick-off the racing action in Lousada

A superb 19-car entry, bolstered by local heroes and RX rising stars hit the track for the first competitive action of 2025 today in Lousada, Portugal.

With teams and drivers split into four groups to contest today’s two Qualifying Sessions, it was a thrill a minute for the fans lining this iconic rallycross circuit. The fans on the terraces had plenty to cheer, as local knowledge was clearly paying dividends out on-track.

Joao Ribeiro scored a maximum of 100 quali points with victory and the quickest overall times across both sessions, while fellow countryman Joaquim Machado sits in second having set the fourth and second fastest times across Q1 and Q2.

It would have been an all-Portuguese top three had it not been for the impressive pace of Czech driver Libor Teješ, who mirrored the results of Machado to score second and then fourth best times during Saturday’s track action.

Andre Sousa’s result locked out the top for provisional positions for Audi A1 drivers, before a brace of Skoda Fabias in the hands of Sámuel Kovács and Leonel Sampaio claimed fifth and sixth overall.

There are a plethora of different EuroRX3 cars battling out around the twists, turns and jumps of Lousada International Circuit, from Rafaela Barbosa’s Peugeot 208 to Luis Pedro Ferreira’s Renault Twingo, it’s all still to play for with two more qualifying sessions tomorrow setting things up for the semi-finals and all-important final.

Click here for the provisional qualifying results from today.

World RXWorldRX of PortugalEuro RXWorld RXSEASON 2025SportOff-Road1SportWorld Rallycross ChampionshipEuropean Rallycross ChampionshipOff-RoadWorld RXSEASON 2025World RXWorldRX of PortugalEuro RX00Sunday, June 1, 2025 – 9:58amSunday, June 1, 2025 – 9:58am

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Stroll withdraws from Spanish GP due to a hand injury

Aston Martin F1 driver Lance Stroll will not take part in Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix due to pain in his hand and wrist.
On Saturday Stroll had qualified in 14th, but the Canadian will not take up his grid position tomorrow after experiencing recurring pain in his right hand and wrist.
The team said the discomfort was related to when he broke his hand in a cycling accident on the eve of the …Keep reading
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Leclerc takes “full responsibility” for poor F1 Spanish GP qualifying

Charles Leclerc made the executive decisions on his tyre choices that led to a “below expectations” seventh on the grid for the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix, aiming to have better tyres for the race.
Leclerc burned through an extra set of tyres in Q1 and then aborted a second run in the second stage of qualifying, with the aim of keeping them marginally more fresh for Sunday’s race, but this …Keep reading
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