Spain: Prospects for the Race

Hamilton’s Pride Surge?

Unaccustomed to being dominated in qualifications, Lewis Hamilton couldn’t match his formidable Finnish teammate. The latter managed to relegate the British world champion to 6 tenths behind. The atmosphere seems cordial in the Mercedes camp for now, but for how long?

Valtteri Bottas seems in a position to consolidate his lead in the world championship, which may not sit well with Lewis Hamilton. Determined to regain his position as the favorite, there is no doubt that the five-time world champion will aim for first place from the very first corners.

Everyone remembers the previous fratricidal duel between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg that led to a double elimination of the Mercedes cars on this same circuit. With a clearly better understanding within the German team to date, anything remains possible between competitors. Valtteri Bottas is in the form of his life, confident, and will not spare his teammate. The latter, aware of the importance of reacting quickly, is probably on the same wavelength. With no team orders at Mercedes, the lights are green for a fierce battle.

🤝 pic.twitter.com/GtVUxPKKQQ

— Mercedes-AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) May 11, 2019

Towards a Dantean Turn No. 1?

Epic starts are frequent on the Barcelona circuit. With a long straight line between the start line and the first turn, each driver knows that there are plenty of opportunities at the start. Between the slipstream effect and probable contacts at turn 1, anything is possible and opportunities are there to be seized on a circuit where overtaking is difficult. The Mercedes duel will likely play out right at the beginning of the straight line and the entry to the first turn, but the danger can also come from behind.

Endowed with the best top speed, the Ferraris will be forced to go all out at the start. Boosted by the slipstream from the Mercedes, there is no doubt that the Italian firm’s drivers know they will have few opportunities during the race to make a difference. Once again, all eyes will be on the first corner.

Wot no @MercedesAMGF1 🤔#SpanishGP 🇪🇸 #F1 pic.twitter.com/5h5GexkYW4

— Formula 1 (@F1) 11 mai 2019

Possible Strategies

To complete the 66 laps of the upcoming race, Pirelli announces three possible strategies. Due to the importance of the start, it is highly likely to see the cars equipped with soft tires right from the beginning, a strategy adopted by the top 10 members during Q2.

The first strategy relies on a single stop around the 27th lap, with the aim of replacing the soft tires from the start of the race with hard tires to finish. Aware of the difficulty of overtaking, teams will thus be able to limit the time lost in the pits and secure their position on the track.

The second strategy involves two stops, with the first stop announced around the 22nd lap to change the soft tires for identical ones. Medium tires are then planned around the 53rd lap. This strategy clearly relies on aggressive driving, with overtaking as the key.

Finally, a third, unlikely strategy suggests starting on medium tires and switching to hard tires around the 36th lap.

In any case, potential race events may reshuffle the tyre strategies at any time.

The strategists are on a war footing.

Haas must seize their chance

Having qualified 7th and 8th, the Haas drivers feel comfortable with their cars on this circuit. With a start to the season clearly below expectations, the goal is simple for the American team in Spain: as many points as possible. Especially since the competitiveness observed in Barcelona with the VF-19 is clearly not guaranteed for the upcoming circuits.

Romain Grosjean obviously remembers his maneuver from last year and will have to redeem himself while ensuring his start, minimizing risks. Let’s hope that misfortune does not strike again the performances of the Franco-Swiss and his team. Optimistically, the team aims to closely follow the Red Bull on race pace.

The guys delivered in #Quali 👏👏

Eyes on tomorrow’s race now 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/UzqunuaSNu

— Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) May 11, 2019

Restore Renault’s image.

Author of a fine performance in qualifying with a 10th place, Daniel Ricciardo will start from the 13th position due to his Baku penalty for his contact with Kvyat. Arriving in Barcelona with a new set of upgrades, the French team announces improved reliability and an enhanced race pace.

If the points chase looks difficult for Hülkenberg starting from the back of the grid, everything is possible for the Australian. Depending on the race incidents and potentially an epic start, he can certainly help Renault aim for valuable points, provided the reliability is there.

A performance in Barcelona is important for the struggling French team since the beginning of the season, whose performance and reliability have clearly been lacking. With a strong driver duo, the team must perform at a level worthy of the resources deployed by a global manufacturer.

🎟️ « We did a very good job today to get into Q3. That was the goal and I sensed yesterday that we could achieve it. »
Read what our drivers have to say after their SpanishGP qualifiers.
👉 https://t.co/RdKuC1gp70 #RSspirit pic.twitter.com/DXm1jg3EBm — Renault F1 Team (@RenaultF1Team) May 11, 2019