MoneyGram Haas F1 Team's 2025 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season will continue with Round 9, the Spanish Grand Prix, at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Spain's grand prix is among the most long-standing on the calendar, with Pedrables, Montjuic Park, Jarama and Jerez having all hosted competitions, while Valencia also got in on the act when the country held a second annual event in the 2000s. Spain will welcome a new circuit from next year, with the semi-permanent Madring circuit currently under construction, but for now the well-known Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya - located on the outskirts of Catalonia's cultural capital - remains the host venue of the Spanish Grand Prix.

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which has hosted the Spanish Grand Prix since 1991, is a high-speed circuit, firmly testing a car's aerodynamic prowess through some of its flat-out long-radius curves and quick changes of direction. Overtaking is often at a premium at Barcelona, though the lengthy pit straight aids that cause, while drivers also have to be mindful of degradation due to the high and sustained energy loads put through the tires.

Esteban Ocon has scored points finishes in five of his seven grands prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, including a top five result on his first outing at the event in 2017. Oliver Bearman claimed victory in the FIA Formula 2 Feature Race in 2023, from pole position, and participated in Free Practice 1 for the team last year.

MoneyGram Haas F1 Team reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa will return to action for Friday's FP1 for his second of four planned sessions with the team - he will step into Ocon's VF-25 for the opening one-hour session.

Andrea De Zordo, Technical Director: "We head to Barcelona next, and it's always nice to come back to this historical Formula 1 circuit. It's a track that requires a stable and high performing aero platform, the right set-up compromises, and tire management - even for a single lap. All must be at the top to perform well.

"It's a circuit with very different characteristics compared to the previous two races; it's smooth with high speed and longer corners. It will be an important test for our car, as the circuit should match the characteristics of our latest upgrade introduced in Imola, and it will allow us to finally explore its full potential.

"The Spanish Grand Prix will also be the first race with the revised front wing legality requests, with the introduction of more severe and restrictive stiffness tests. These will make the front wing and its flap stiffer, leading to a different aero characteristic. All teams have been forced to redesign their front wing and considering the importance of this element for the car behavior and its performance, it will be interesting to see who has better interpreted this new challenge and if it will change the actual ranking of competitiveness."

Ollie Bearman: "After a bit of a run of bad luck, I'm looking forward to really seeing what our upgrade package brought to Imola can do. I'm feeling confident in the car, the pace has been there, and I've got plenty of experience on this circuit - so I'm looking forward to ending this triple-header on a high. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is a high downforce track where overtaking isn't easy, but it's a great place to demonstrate what the VF-25 can do, and after three weeks away for a lot of the team I want to give them something nice to go home with."

Esteban Ocon: "Spain is important for me as I have part of my family living near the circuit and I've come here a lot in my racing career. The first time I drove a single-seater was in Spain and one of my first victories was there, in Formula Renault. It's a track we know so well as almost the home of Formula 1, with winter testing being held there over the years. It's a very interesting track, a track I enjoy, with a lot of high-speed corners. I'm looking forward to seeing how the car feels around such a high-speed track.

"We come to the end of this triple, and I think it's great to be racing constantly. It's just that double or triple the work needs to happen in such a short amount of time. When you have a string of good results, it's great to keep the momentum, but when you need to focus on big things, sometimes it's good to be able to analyze. So far, I feel fresh - it's only the beginning of the season!"

Ryo Hirakawa: "First of all, I really appreciate this second opportunity to take part in FP1, so a big thanks to the team. Barcelona has some high-speed corners, with some long straights, so it will be another challenging FP1, but I'm a lot more prepared since my first one in Bahrain. I've been working with the engineering team getting ready, but of course, it's only a one-hour session, but I'll do my best to get good data for the team and have a better weekend for them. Let's focus on getting the maximum out of that hour - I'm really looking forward to it."