2023 Spanish Grand Prix

Championship standings

Verstappen leads with 144 points, 39 ahead of Pérez. Alonso is third, 12 points behind Pérez. Red Bull lead the Constructors’ by 129 over Aston Martin and 130 over Mercedes.

Previous race

At Monaco, Verstappen led from pole and held on through a rain shower in the closing laps to win for the second time at the principality. Alonso finished second, his best result of the season. Ocon claimed third — the first French driver on the Monaco podium since Olivier Panis in 1996, and his first podium since winning the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix. Pérez crashed out of qualifying and started last, finishing 16th.

Car upgrades

Mercedes bring further airflow improvements to the W14, following the sidepod upgrade introduced at Monaco. Ferrari introduce a significant upgrade to the SF-23: the car switches from an in-wash to a down-wash aerodynamic concept — similar to Red Bull’s approach — with revisions to the floor and diffuser.

Track changes

From this edition, Formula One uses the MotoGP layout introduced at Barcelona in 2021. The chicane in the final sector, which Formula One had used every year since 2007, is removed and the final corners revert to the sweeping fast configuration last used in the 2006 Spanish Grand Prix.

Tyre choices

Pirelli brings the C1, C2, and C3 compounds — designated hard, medium, and soft. Drivers may also run two sets of a new C1 compound in FP1 and FP2, introduced ahead of its debut at the British Grand Prix.

Practice

Verstappen tops all three sessions. He leads Pérez and Ocon in FP1, Alonso and Hülkenberg in FP2, and Pérez and Hamilton in FP3. Leclerc qualifies 19th for the first time since the 2019 Monaco Grand Prix after an off day in Q1, and takes a 15-place grid penalty for exceeding his power unit element quota; he starts from the pit lane following a suspension setup change under parc fermé.