England stars soak up sun at F1 Spanish GP ahead of Andorra World Cup qualifier

England’s World Cup qualifier away to Andorra will be played in Barcelona next Saturday and the Three Lions began their week in Spain by going to watch the Formula 1

England’s stars swapped football for Formula 1 on Sunday as they put on their glad rags and attended the sun-kissed Spanish Grand Prix. The Three Lions face Andorra next Saturday and the game will be played at Espanyol’s home stadium in Barcelona.

Taking the opportunity for a change of scenery, England’s players will spend the next week in Spain ahead of the World Cup qualifier. Before starting their warm-weather training camp, Thomas Tuchel’s squad were given VIP tickets to the Grand Prix.

The likes of Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka and boss Tuchel were on the grid, meeting teams and drivers. There was even an awkward moment when Saka snubbed an interview with Sky Sports’ Simon Lazenby and ex-world champion Nico Rosberg in the build-up to the start of the rice.

England’s players looked suave in the heat of Barcelona, with many attending a Formula 1 Grand Prix for the first time. That included captain Kane, who told Sky: “I’m good, I’m hot. First one, I’m looking forward to it, I watch the F1 as much as I can, a few of the English guys are doing well this season, so I’m looking forward to seeing them.”

Bayern Munich fan Rosberg then thanked Kane for helping the German club win the Bundesliga title this season, with the striker scoring a whopping 38 goals. Rosberg then pressed Kane for who he was supporting in the race, asking the skipper not to give a ‘diplomatic’ answer.

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“Oh I know, I know,” Kane chuckled. “Lando [Norris], I mean, he’s been doing great this year and obviously he’s got a great chance to win the championship, so I hope he can get himself in front today.

“And of course George [Russell] and Lewis [Hamilton]. It’d be good to see them all on the podium.”

Norris started in second place behind McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri. Full focus will be on Andorra once the chequered flag is waved, as England look to continue their perfect start under new manager Tuchel.

They’ll also play Senegal in a friendly a week on Tuesday (June 10) in Nottingham. Tuchel has already ruled out releasing players involved who are in the Club World Cup early, despite the USA-hosted tournament beginning on June 15.

“The discussion was very open,” Tuchel said. “Very quickly we also understood this is a very important camp for us with one year to go until the Word Cup. Why send players if we want to cherish every day we have together. What signal would it send to the group to send players away?”

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The German added: “I was an advocate and I could see the reason for the players who go to the Club World Cup to maybe leave a little earlier, to maybe change the squad.

“I can understand the argument from especially the clubs who would love to see the players get a rest but we have a strong argument for ourselves and our goals we want to reach.

“We are building a group and a togetherness. We want to develop a camaraderie and it is only possible if we take every day seriously.”

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