Off the back of Formula One's inaugural visit to the brand new Miami circuit, Formula 1 moved back to Europe, to the well known track of Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the Spanish Grand Prix. The usual uneventful races at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was replaced by gripping battles and reliability of the top cars on the grid.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen won an action-packed Spanish Grand Prix as pole-sitter Charles Leclerc retired from a comfortable lead. The unforeseen engine issue for the Ferrari driver and subsequent retirement broke Tifosi hearts across the world. Sergio Perez finished second to secure Red Bull’s second one-two of the season, as Mercedes’ George Russell finished third having been involved in an epic battle with the eventual winner Verstappen.
Lewis Hamilton drove a miraculous recovery drive after contact with Kevin Magnussen to finish 5th and received Driver of The Day for his stunning performance, a decent result for Mercedes especially also with Russell’s podium win. Former Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas’ strategy did not pay off, finishing in 6th, ahead of Esteban Ocon in 7th. One of the most extraordinary drives of the day came from McLaren’s Lando Norris, despite suffering severely from illness all week, which was later confirmed as tonsillitis, started 11th but successfully finished in the top ten in 8th. Another great performance came from Fernando Alonso who placed 9th after starting from last on the grid due to taking an engine penalty. Yuki Tsunoda placed 10th, keeping Sebastian Vettel out of the points in 11th. Sadly, Daniel Ricciardo missed out on the points coming in 12th, whilst Mick Schumacer fell to 14th. Lance Stroll finished 15th, due to having damage after a tussle with 13th place holder, Pierre Gasly. Williams’ Nicholas Latifi finished p16 ahead of teammate Alex Albon in 18th after receiving a penalty. Haas’ Magnussen suffered damage early on, keeping him in 17th. Only two retirements of the race were Leclerc and 2022 rookie Zhou.
Max Verstappen kept up his record of winning every race he has completed this season.
Soaring temperatures were not the only challenges the drivers faced, gusts of winds at Turn 4 caused both home favourite, Carlos Sainz and current world champion Max Verstappen, to spin off into the gravel. Luckily both managed to recover and continue the race, finishing 4th and 1st respectively.
Future of F1 looks bright
One of the most captivating parts of the race was a battle for the lead between Mercedes' Russell and Verstappen. Russell proved he could take on the best when the pressure was on as he and Verstappen, whose DRS was malfunctioning, sparred – going wheel-to-wheel on numerous occasions. Time and again, he shut the door on Verstappen, covering off overtaking attempts. Eventually finishing third, Russell fended off Verstappen’s threats for much of the race.
Reliability worries for all
Mercedes finally seemed to have discovered a way to reduce their porpoising, allowing them to join the fight at the top with a competitive car, however reliability issues for both cars seem to be raising some concerns. And it’s not just Mercedes, both Red Bull and Ferrari experienced issues throughout the weekend. Russell and Hamilton were both told to back off in the closing stages amid the soaring Barcelona temperatures due to a "DNF risk". Sadly, this issue caused the seven time world champion to lose 4th place to Sainz as he had to settle for 5th to reach the finish line. After the race, it was confirmed by Mercedes boss, Toto Wolff, that Lewis Hamilton's car had a water leak, whereas George Russell experienced ‘general overheating’. Having two separate issues, with the risk of a double DNF towards the end of the race, will worry the eight time constructors champions, with the team still trying to unlock the potential of the car they currently have.
Red Bull’s reliability concerns continued in Barcelona, following the overheating issues in Miami, which Verstappen sharply addressed in public after his win there. Verstappen was compromised his whole race by the DRS on his car playing up and not working consistently. The problem also prevented him running a final Q3 lap therefore losing his shot at pole. Red Bull mechanics were forced to make changes under Parc Ferme conditions whilst on the grid to try and resolve the problem for the race. Official FIA technical delegates report indicated the parts were replaced like-for-like, so no penalty was incurred. Clearly the issue was not resolved and the issue was deeper than first feared. It's also worth noting, a similar DRS issue was faced by the team at the end of last season.
Ferrari’s championship leader, Charles Leclerc was on course to take victory, having established a comfortable lead over the rest of the field, but his car suddenly lost power on lap 27. Whilst no explanation was given after the race for the sudden issue, it has since been confirmed both the turbo and MGU-H have been damaged beyond repair. The power unit used was Leclerc’s second of the season, so it is likely a 4th will have to be added into the pool at some point during the season. While race-altering reliability retirements are dramatic, cars breaking down of their own accord is not a good thing for the sport.
The race of upgrades
The weekend started with the news of multiple teams bringing a number of upgrades. McLaren brought the most upgrades to the Circuit de Catalunya, with 10 changes to the MCL36, including a new floor and front brake duct. Raising the most eyebrows was the new concept Aston Martin, dubbed the ‘green Red Bull’, raised a lot of eyebrows in the paddock. It’s just slightly reminiscent of the pink Mercedes controversy back in 2020. The FIA investigated and stated they had done their due diligence and no regulations have been breached in the development of the new concept Aston Martin. This controversy at the start of the race weekend set the tone of the Spanish GP, though it doesn't seem to have been effective this weekend for the team as both drivers were out of the points. Alfa Romeo’s eight updates include changes to the front and rear suspension. Meanwhile, both AlphaTauri and Alpine brought new rear wings to the race, as Williams bringing changes to their rear brake ducts. Haas were the only team not to bring any upgrades to Barcelona, instead saving their upgrade for another few races to come.
Next up on the calendar is one of F1's most historical and prestigious locations, Monaco, hosting the 7th race of the 2022 championship this weekend on May 27-29.
Will we see a repeat of the Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc crashing out? We hope not! We race again for the second of a doubleheader with the glitz and glam of the Amber Lounge, we can’t wait to see the drivers suited and booted.
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