McLaren Lays Down Marker with Dominant One-Two in Spanish GP Final Practice

Barcelona, Spain - McLaren demonstrated formidable pace in the final practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix, with Oscar Piastri leading a commanding one-two finish ahead of teammate Lando Norris. The performance sets the stage for a potentially thrilling qualifying session as teams fine-tune their preparations at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Piastri posted the fastest lap of the weekend so far, a 1m12.387s, showcasing McLaren's significant step forward in recent races. His time was more than half a second quicker than Norris, highlighting the impressive speed potential of the upgraded MCL38 package around the demanding Barcelona circuit, known for testing aerodynamic efficiency. While McLaren appeared to hold a clear advantage in this crucial final hour of preparation, the chasing pack remained tight. Charles Leclerc finished third for Ferrari, building on positive signs from the opening day and confirming the Scuderia's status as a strong contender. George Russell initially topped the timings but ultimately settled for fourth place in the Mercedes after the ultimate soft tyre runs were completed by the field. Reigning world champion Max Verstappen, who had shown strong flashes of pace earlier in the weekend, finished fifth for Red Bull Racing. This result suggests Red Bull may have work to do to challenge McLaren directly based on the single-lap pace observed in FP3, although practice times are not always fully representative of qualifying or race potential. The top ten was rounded out by several notable performances. Isack Hadjar continued to impress, securing sixth place, ahead of Mercedes junior driver Kimi Antonelli in seventh. Local hero Fernando Alonso pleased the Spanish crowd with eighth place, while Lewis Hamilton in the second Mercedes and Lawson's Racing Bull completed the top ten. The session provided teams with their final opportunity to optimize car setups and gather crucial data under conditions likely to be similar to those for qualifying later today. The clear dominance shown by McLaren in FP3 positions them as potential front-runners for pole position, adding another layer of excitement to the competitive landscape of the 2025 Formula 1 season. Attention now shifts firmly towards qualifying, where the true pecking order will be decided.