Oscar Piastri delivered a commanding performance in Final Practice (FP3) ahead of the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix, setting the fastest lap of the weekend with a 1:12.387, as McLaren continued to assert itself as the team to beat in Barcelona.
Piastri finished over half a second ahead of teammate Lando Norris, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc completing the top three – a result that reinforced McLaren’s front-running pace heading into Qualifying.
Steady Start Before the Storm
The final hour of practice began quietly, with Franco Colapinto the first to venture out on track, making up for lost time after hydraulic issues limited his running in FP1. He was soon joined by rookie Gabriel Bortoleto and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, who embraced the home crowd with a wave as he completed a slow installation lap.
On a slightly cooler track, Yuki Tsunoda initially went quickest for Red Bull on medium tyres with a 1:14.851, but his time was quickly bettered by Norris, who shaved off three-tenths.
Mid-Session Action Heats Up
As more drivers took to the track with soft compounds, the times tumbled. Carlos Sainz briefly topped the charts before George Russell, running the red-walled tyres, went quickest by nearly half a second at the halfway mark.
Max Verstappen, however, struggled for grip, finding himself behind the lead Williams driver during early runs. He later described a lack of grip, echoing Tsunoda’s earlier complaints about sliding.
Incidents were few but noticeable – Liam Lawson kicked up gravel after running wide and returned to the pits, while Ollie Bearman made a similar error shortly after.
McLaren Turn Up the Heat
In the final 15 minutes, teams shifted focus to Qualifying simulations. Norris, attempting to better his previous time, suffered a snap of oversteer and ran off at Turn 9, with his race engineer later noting some porpoising.
That left the door open for Piastri, who executed a near-perfect lap to set the fastest time of the weekend and solidify McLaren’s grip at the top. Norris’s best attempt was still 0.526s adrift, while Leclerc finished 0.743s behind the Australian.
Final Classification – Top 10
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 1:12.387
- Lando Norris (McLaren) – +0.526s
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – +0.743s
- George Russell (Mercedes) – +0.752s
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – +0.988s
- Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
- Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
Eyes on Qualifying
With Qualifying set to begin at 1600 local time, the stage is set for a closely contested shootout. McLaren look poised for a strong showing, but with Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull all lurking close behind, the battle for pole position promises high drama at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
