F1 2025: Spanish Grand Prix Preview and Predictions

After another boring Monaco race, the Formula One grid moves to Barcelona for the final race of the European triple-header.

Having increased their lead in the Team Standings, McLaren are slowly beginning to run away with the title they won last year after almost three decades.

For the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix, here are our preview and predictions. 

Intra-team battle heating up at McLaren

The win in Monaco might have been only Lando Norris’ second of the season, yet he has already cut the gap between himself and his teammate at the top of the Driver Standings to just three points—despite Oscar Piastri having won four races this season.

On most race weekends this year, McLaren have had the fastest car on the grid, which is reflected in the Team Standings. However, this also means we may have on our hands the first intra-team battle for the Drivers’ title since 2016, when Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg went up against each other.

Piastri has been the better overall driver this season, with four wins and three poles compared to Norris’ two wins and two poles. However, as the season approaches its halfway stage, it’s the Brit who seems to be hitting top form.

McLaren have been a cut above the likes of Red Bull, Mercedes, and Ferrari in terms of performance this season. It will be up to the team to manage their two star drivers, who look set to battle each other for the Drivers’ Championship.

Pole position prediction: Oscar Piastri / Lando Norris
Race winners prediction: McLaren

Racing Bulls looking promising

The sister Red Bull team have made it back-to-back points finishes in the last two races. More importantly, the double points finish in Monaco arrived on the back of a bold strategy call.

Racing Bulls had a strong Saturday, with both Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson qualifying in the top ten. It was Hadjar’s P6 start that allowed the team to take a chance with an aggressive strategy.

Hadjar got both his pit stops done early, and with Lawson holding up the cars behind, he managed to rejoin in the points. A strong and lengthy final stint from the French-Algerian at the slow Monaco track saw him finish a brilliant sixth, while his teammate picked up his first points of the season with a P8 finish.

Thanks to the double points haul in Monaco, along with Hadjar’s P9 finish in the previous race at Imola, VCARB are now in seventh place in the Team Standings with 22 points—just four behind Haas.

Moving to a more traditional track in Spain, scoring another double points finish will be an uphill task, but with the likes of Aston Martin, Alpine, and Haas having had a couple of rough weekends, and with the confidence of the Monaco result, VCARB will be looking to capitalise on every given opportunity.

Sauber’s woes continue

After scoring points in the opening race in Australia, Sauber have failed to do so in any of the races since then. Their massive struggles on Saturdays have hampered the Swiss outfit the most.

Without the race pace to compete with the rest of the grid, Sauber’s best finish since Nico Hülkenberg’s P7 in Melbourne has been a P12 in Imola. While they’ll be bringing upgrades to Barcelona, it’s likely they remain outside the points for a while.

Spanish GP 2025: Race Details

Circuit: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Venue: Montmeló, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Practice Session 1 time: 17:00, May 30, 2025
Practice Session 2 time: 20:30, May 30, 2025
Practice Session 3 time: 16:00, May 31, 2025
Qualifying time: 19:30, May 31, 2025
Main race time: 18:30, June 1, 2025
Where to watch: F1 TV Pro / FanCode