Spain: The Hits and Misses from the Editorial Team

The top 3:

Once again… Mercedes!

217 points scored out of 220 possible, fifth consecutive one-two… and a new high for the German team. The perfect season continues for Mercedes: if there were any doubts about the German domination at the start of the season, they are now very real. A lesson from start to finish of the weekend!

And while the innovations on the rearview mirrors were ultimately set aside, all the other new features spotted on the W10 have performed well in Barcelona, as they have since the start of the season. The contrast is striking compared to the winter tests… Now, the car from Brackley is ahead of the pack, especially in tight corners. More stable at the front, the car doesn’t struggle much with its tire management, making it invincible in races against Red Bull and Ferrari, its competitors, if we can still call them that.

The top also applies to its drivers, who each shone in turn: Hamilton led an excellent race from start (no more bad starts!) to finish, while Bottas did not disappoint, solid all weekend and coming back strong in Q3 after a small mistake in free practice. With such a lead over the rest of the field, the current question is which driver will get the better of the other: we’re counting on Bottas to keep the suspense alive!

Again and always… Verstappen!

Third appearance in our top 3 for the Dutchman in five races! 3rd-4th-4th-4th-3rd: Max Verstappen truly deserves a top 3 for the start of his season, given his impressive consistency. Just like in Melbourne, the driver #33 made it to the podium by besting the two Ferraris. At the start, the 2016 race winner took advantage of Vettel’s wheel lock-up to move into third place by the second corner. Verstappen held strong throughout the race, never really threatened by the Italian cars.

And even if Pierre Gasly is making progress, Max Verstappen remains the undisputed leader of Red Bull Racing, as demonstrated by the 12 seconds he gained on his teammate over the last 13 laps of the race, despite the Frenchman battling with Leclerc’s Ferrari. In the overall standings, Verstappen reclaims third place in the drivers’ championship, two points ahead of Vettel. A remarkable achievement, with two weeks until Monaco, an event that often benefits Red Bull. Could this third place in the standings become a real objective?

Max Verstappen since the Belgian GP 2018:

2018
🇧🇪: 🥉
🇷🇺: 5
🇺🇸: 🥈
🇲🇽: 5
🇧🇷: 🥉
🇦🇪: 🥈
🇦🇺: 🥇
🇧🇭: 🥈

2019
🇦🇺: 🥉
🇧🇭: 4
🇨🇳: 4
🇦🇿: 4
🇪🇸: 🥉

👉 In these 14 races, the Dutchman consistently finished in the top 5 and secured 9 podiums! Great consistency 👏 #F1 pic.twitter.com/UDriPzpCJX — Sector F1 🇺🇸 (@Sector_F1) May 12, 2019

Is patient Haas healed?

Let’s avoid a definitive conclusion, but in Spain, Haas has indeed addressed its tire issues! In free practice, in qualifying, in the race: the VF-19 performed well all weekend, unlocking its potential in pure performance, aided by a slew of innovations.

Result: a great qualifying session, just two-tenths behind Gasly’s Red Bull, and above all a strong race, although slightly marred by Romain Grosjean’s performance drop at the end of the Grand Prix, after the Safety Car. The Frenchman lost three positions without explaining the reason for his poor form. A pity for him, because in contrast, Kevin Magnussen delivered a storming finish, snatching the seventh place from him, and challenging Gasly’s Red Bull on the restart. The opportunistic “K-Mag” added 6 points to his tally, currently covering 90% of the team’s total points. However, caution is needed regarding the internal atmosphere: the tough battle between Magnussen and Grosjean led Günther Steiner to hold an internal meeting right after the Grand Prix to “clear the air.” Grosjean will need to step up at Monaco without overdoing it: Haas is back in the race for the fourth place in the constructor’s championship.

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The flop 3:

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Ferrari still can’t get it together!

Those winter tests in March seem so far away! On this same track, the SF90 was the benchmark, ahead of a doubtful Mercedes team. Since this weekend, the conclusion is clear: the Scuderia is left behind, overtaken by the competitiveness of its rival, and especially entangled with its own setup issues.

Worse, the innovations that arrived in Barcelona turned out to be “satisfactory,” according to Mattia Binotto himself. The problem is still with the Italian car, likely at the front end in terms of downforce, given the instability of the car in long, fast corners. The 2019 Ferrari will therefore return to Maranello to be examined…

In the meantime, the gap on the track is colossal: on a revealing circuit, Vettel conceded eight-tenths to Bottas, the poleman of the qualifications. During the race, the German mainly struggled to stay ahead… Charles Leclerc, his teammate. Now, the Scuderia is indeed lagging in the race for both titles, and on the team side, they’re already admitting to working on catching up… during the second part of the season! By then, the real question will certainly be how the team will manage the power dynamic between Vettel and Leclerc, the Monegasque breathing down the neck of the four-time world champion.

Renault, an equally concerning situation

Another constructor in trouble! The factory team is also sinking into a crisis of results, with this zero score in Catalonia, the third in five races this season: a sad image of this confrontation between Ricciardo and Hülkenberg, to get through to Q2 on Saturday afternoon, even though the Australian did the job afterward to reach Q3. President of Renault Sport Racing, Jérôme Stoll had promised “progress” for this race weekend: Ricciardo finished in a modest 12th place, just ahead of Hülkenberg. Yes, the Catalan circuit is not conducive to overtaking, but that doesn’t excuse everything.

Here, the problems seem even more diverse: while the aerodynamic efficiency of the R.S 19 is in question, there is also an issue in engine development, with Renault falling behind Honda in pure performance. Within Cyril Abiteboul’s team, while they still prefer “not to panic”, they admit to being “brought to their knees”. The private tests of the week will be important to finally pinpoint the problem plaguing the French car. Fourth in the standings in 2018 at the same time with 41 points, Renault is now eighth with 12 points. The comparison is painful!

🏁 « The field is very tight and any gap can lead to spectacular changes. Nevertheless, the result is clear even if a few points were possible without the safety car. »
Find our report of the #SpanishGP.
👉 https://t.co/t4WwzeyaeY#RSspirit pic.twitter.com/2Cmzx2VrvF

— Renault F1 Team (@RenaultF1Team) May 12, 2019

Alfa Romeo regresses!

If Barcelona is a peacemaker, it is also necessary to highlight the underperformance of the Alfa Romeo team. Much like its big sister Ferrari, the C38 struggled with tire management, trapped by rising temperatures. Neither of the two cars reached Q3 in Catalonia, and by a long shot, Kimi Räikkönen was pushed back six-tenths from Ricciardo’s tenth place.

The race didn’t change much, “Iceman” having lost everything at the start with a trip into the gravel at the fourth corner. 16th at the finish, the last driver classified before the two Williams, Antonio Giovinazzi was a notch below, struggling with his brakes. For Fredéric Vasseur’s team, the performance decreases as the races go on: will the summer be as beautiful as last year?