Oscar Piastri set a mighty lap to head McLaren team-mate Lando Norris in final practice for the Spanish Grand Prix.
Piastri beat Norris by half a second as McLaren underlined they have not been affected by the FIA’s flexi-wing clampdown which was expected to alter the pecking order.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was third but 0.743s down on pace-setter Piastri, who leads Norris by three points in the Drivers’ Championship.
Norris had run wide on his first soft tyre run at the high-speed Turn 9, so completed his best lap on older rubber but Piastri is the driver to beat going into qualifying later on Saturday at 3pm, live on Sky Sports F1.
“We don’t need to consider the caveats – that was a monumental performance from McLaren,” said 2016 F1 world champion Nico Rosberg.
“Absolutely shocking to us, we did not expect them to be that fast. Seriously impressive.
“It kind of reminded me a bit of my Mercedes days around here, just a different category. The car is on rails out there and Oscar delivered another perfect lap. That was a big warning to the opposition.”
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Bernie Collins and Anthony Davidson explain the flexi-wing rule changes that have been brought in ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix
George Russell had topped the timesheets after the first runs but finished the session in fourth, with Max Verstappen unhappy with his car in fifth and nearly one second off the pace.
Verstappen has won the last three races in Barcelona but faces an uphill battle to make inroads into his 25-point deficit to Piastri in the championship.
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David Croft, Simon Lazenby and Bernie Collins debate whether McLaren should choose a number one and two driver with Max Verstappen sitting 22 points behind Lando Norris
Racing Bulls’ duo Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson were sixth and 10th, with Lewis Hamilton continuing to struggle in ninth. Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli was seventh and home hero Fernando Alonso in eighth.
Elsewhere, Williams’ Alex Albon suffered a reliability issue that left him in the garage for the second half of the session which did not feature any major incidents, similarly to Friday.
Sky Sports F1’s Spanish GP schedule
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Ahead of this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix we take a look back at some of the most dramatic moments from previous races at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Saturday May 31
2.10pm: Spanish GP Qualifying build-up*
3pm: SPANISH GP QUALIFYING*
Sunday June 1
7.25am: F3 Feature Race
8.55am: F2 Feature Race
12.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Spanish GP build-up*
2pm: The SPANISH GRAND PRIX*
4pm: Chequered Flag: Spanish GP reaction
*also live on Sky Sports Main Event
F1’s European triple header concludes with the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona this weekend, with live coverage starting from Friday on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
