McLaren hospitality suite at Spanish Grand Prix evacuated due to fire

Philip Duncan, PA F1 Correspondent, Barcelona

Formula One team McLaren’s hospitality suite at the Spanish Grand Prix has been evacuated after a fire broke out.

Fire services arrived on the scene shortly after 12pm local time with smoke emerging from the building at the Circuit de Catalunya outside of Barcelona.

British driver Lando Norris was among those evacuated as the blaze broke out less than an hour before final practice.

​A McLaren spokesperson confirmed all team members had been evacuated safely.

A short statement read: “This morning we evacuated our Team Hub paddock hospitality unit following a fire alert, the team has been safely evacuated while the local fire brigade handle the issue.”​

It is understood four fire marshals were assessed at the track for smoke inhalation, with two of those then taken to a local hospital for further assessment.

McLaren chief executive Zak Brown was seen outside the two-level suite as final practice started as scheduled.

Two hours on, emergency crews were still working to bring the fire under control. The Pirelli and Alpine buildings, which flank McLaren’s hospitality suite, were also evacuated.

Norris (24) finished second in the concluding running before qualifying later on Saturday.

Norris trailed Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz by just 0.030 seconds with Charles Leclerc third, only 0.037 sec adrift of his team-mate. Max Verstappen took fourth spot as George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished fifth and sixth respectively for Mercedes.

Leclerc drove into Norris on the run down to turn seven as practice drew to a close, with both drivers summoned to the stewards after the session.

Hamilton also faces a stewards’ investigation after he banged wheels with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll at turn five.