The F1 teams and drivers look set to battle through a rare wet qualifying session for the Spanish Grand Prix.

The weather forecast for Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya has performed a u-turn as rain is set to hit the track throughout the afternoon. The forecast earlier in the week predicted a dry, sunny day.

As the image below shows from the FIA’s official weather provider, Meteo France, potential thunderstorms could strike during final practice, which starts at 12.30pm local time (20.30 AEST).

The possibility of further rain is also set through qualifying, which commences at 1600 local time (midnight AEST).

In terms of planning, a note from race director Niels Wittich has been issued to all teams and officials, which reads: “Based on the weather forecast from the official weather service provider, an additional set of intermediate tyres will be made available to each driver before the start of qualifying.”

For the race on Sunday, again rain could be a factor.

As at 11am local time (1900 AEST) on Saturday morning, there is a 40 percent chance of the race being affected.

Max Verstappen has so far dominated practice after finishing quickest in both of Friday’s sessions, with the two-time F1 champion 0.170s clear of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso in FP2.