Hot Spanish summer is set to heat up the Barcelona Grand Prix

Kimi Antonelli will look to extend his gap at the top of the championship after taking his fifth successive victory on the streets of Monte Carlo. While it is still early in the season, the likes of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton will need momentum to swing around soon if they are to have any chance of catching the rapid Italian superstar.

With the pace of the leading Mercedes cars, it would likely take rain for the likes of Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull to stop Antonelli's dominance. However, the last time there was a fully wet Spanish Grand Prix was back in 1996, memorable for the brilliance of Michael Schumacher. Traditionally, the heat and circuit layout in Barcelona have often led to race weekends that are famously difficult for tyre management.

The chance of seeing rain at this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix is extremely unlikely according to the latest weather forecast. The height of summer in Spain means temperatures could reach as high as 34 degrees Celsius on race day, which could force teams and drivers into tyre management during Sunday's 66-lap race.

According to the competition's forecast, on Friday, temperatures will range from 13.75 °C in the morning to highs of 27.5°C in the afternoon. From there, the conditions only get even more hot and humid over the following two days with highs of 32°C on Saturday and 34°C on Sunday afternoon. Wind speeds will remain light to moderate, averaging 8.6 km/h with gusts up to 36 km/h but track temperatures will be a factor for teams, with early estimates that it may reach up to 56.2°C.

However, the key detail is that there is currently a 0% chance of rain across the entire Spanish Grand Prix weekend. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is a favourite among teams for pre-season testing due to its favourable conditions. The conditions of the 1996 Spanish Grand Prix, which was also held at June, is an extreme rarity, and it would be a huge surprise to see wet conditions in Barcelona this weekend.

That could be good news for Antonelli, who is not only the championship leader, but was recently announced on TIME100's most influential sports figures in the world, alongside 2025 champion Lando Norris.