Spanish Grand Prix: The Tops/Flops of the editorial team

The tops.

Red Bull takes hold of both championships

Thanks to this second double in six Grand Prix, Red Bull takes the lead in the constructors’ championship. Their Dutch driver Max Verstappen takes advantage of this to surpass Charles Leclerc at the top of the drivers’ championship. Starting in second and fifth positions, the two drivers from the Austrian team had to work hard to achieve this result.

At the start of the race, Verstappen was dominated by Ferrari number 16. He made a mistake at turn 4, losing two positions to Russell and Perez. Taking advantage of the open door generously offered by his teammate, the Dutchman engaged in a fierce battle with the Mercedes of the British driver. He eventually took the lead during the pit stops and won his fourth Grand Prix of the season. Every time he crosses the finish line in 2022, the reigning world champion wins the race.

On his side, Sergio Perez once again showed that he was a model teammate. Allowing his team leader to pass him twice during this Grand Prix, he didn’t want to cause any trouble, but he did mention that he found the situation unfair. A free warning for Christian Horner, who needs to make sure not to frustrate his driver. In his second season in Milton Keynes, the Mexican displays great consistency in his performances and always delivers when it comes to supporting the team’s strategy.

Mercedes, a promising return to form.

Mercedes fighting with Red Bull and Ferrari. We thought these images were stuck in 2021, but they are current. Whether it’s George Russell, who spent his race battling against Red Bull, or Lewis Hamilton, author of a crazy comeback, fighting with Carlos Sainz in the final laps, both Silver Arrows animated this Spanish Grand Prix.

The youngest of the two English drivers continues to impress the paddock with his consistency this season. After this sixth race of the season, his series of results is a perfect sequence (4, 5, 3, 4, 5, 3). Starting from fourth position on the grid, he took advantage of Verstappen and Sainz’s mistakes ahead of him, as well as Leclerc’s retirement, to lead a Grand Prix for the second time in his career, the first being in Bahrain in 2020. Currently fourth in the championship, only eleven points behind Pérez, his current form and the upgrades to his car could potentially make him the surprise of this 2022 championship.

His teammate Lewis Hamilton had a more eventful race. Starting on medium tires, he quickly found himself struggling against the cars on softs and ended up colliding with Magnussen on the first lap. After rejoining at the back of the pack following a pit stop, the seven-time world champion pushed hard with excellent pace to gain fourteen positions and finish fifth. The improvements made in Spain appear to be working on the W13. This was particularly evident in the impressive straight-line speed of the gray cars. The prospect of a three-team battle for the top positions is already making our mouths water.

Alpine, a double entry into the points that feels good.

With no cars in Q3 and Alonso starting last due to an engine change, it was difficult to imagine a double points finish for the French team in Barcelona. However, the blues performed well during the race. Being aggressive yet in control, Esteban Ocon finished in the points for the fifth time in six races this season. The Alpine seems to be working well in the hands of the French driver. Thanks to several overtakes, especially at the beginning of the race, Ocon once again showed that he is capable of turning things around on Sundays, a situation made complicated on Saturdays.

Fernando Alonso is back in the points. After four difficult races for various reasons, the Spanish driver scored points for the second time this season. Having made an excellent start from last place, Alonso managed to gain five positions in the first lap. A good strategy and perfect tire management did the rest.

A battle is shaping up for the fourth place in the championship between McLaren, Alfa Romeo, and Alpine. The French team is currently the only one able to rely on two drivers whose level is close. This will certainly be an asset for the rest of the season.

The FLOPS

Ferrari, reliability undermines performance.

Did we witness a turning point in the championship on Ferrari’s home turf in Imola last month? Since the race in Emilia-Romagna, Red Bull and Verstappen have been monopolizing the top spot on the podium. Furthermore, with their double win in Barcelona, the Austrian team and the Dutch driver have taken the lead in their respective championships. In terms of pure speed, the Ferrari F1-75 has nothing to envy the Red Bull RB18. With a fourth pole position in six qualifying sessions this season, Leclerc once again showed that Ferrari is in the running in terms of performance. It was reliability that caused trouble in Catalonia. A turbo problem on the Monegasque’s car dashed his chances of victory when it seemed within his reach. The teams continue to learn from the new technical regulations. This first retirement for Ferrari car number 16 is further proof that no one is safe from issues with these new race cars.

The race of number 55 was completely different. After a poor start that cost him two positions, Sainz made a mistake at turn 4 which condemned him to fight his way back through the field. Once back in fourth position, he could have even finished one place higher if Mercedes hadn’t asked Hamilton to ease off towards the end of the race. Sainz’s mistakes are proving costly for Ferrari. The Spanish driver makes at least one each race weekend since Melbourne. In order to compete against Red Bull in the championship battle, both cars need to be strong and perform well in every Grand Prix, which has not been the case since the beginning of the season. The Scuderia must react quickly if they don’t want to see their hopes of success vanish as quickly as they appeared.

Aston Martin delivers a blank (or rather green) copy.

Lawrence Stroll’s team made headlines throughout the Spanish weekend. During Friday morning’s technical checks, Aston Martin unveiled an upgraded AMR22 that closely resembled the Red Bull RB18. Social media quickly began comparing the photos of the two cars, and it is true that the similarities are striking. The team’s technical management, based in Silverstone, defended themselves by asserting that the car had been designed last winter, before the unveiling of the new F1 cars. After conducting their own investigations, the FIA deemed the car to be legal. Move along, there is nothing to see.

On the track, it was therefore reasonable to expect good results. With a double elimination in Q1 for Vettel and Stroll, it was obvious that the Aston Martin engineers would need time to find performance in their new car. After the race, the four-time world champion even compared his pace to that of a Formula 2. Ranked 11th and 15th respectively, Vettel and Stroll had a forgettable race. The Canadian only made an impact by colliding with Pierre Gasly. Let’s hope for the team of the venerable English brand that the next races will see their cars finish in better positions, even if they can’t start at the top of the grid.

Haas, the missed opportunity.

With his two cars in Q3, Günther Steiner could hope for big points for his team. Unfortunately, the Italian manager quickly became disillusioned. Being too optimistic during an overtaking maneuver on Lewis Hamilton on the first lap, Kevin Magnussen ruined his race by colliding with the Mercedes driver. Unable to find a rhythm in a damaged car, the Danish driver put an end to his ordeal in 17th place. At least, his team took advantage of the situation to conduct real-life testing, as they equipped him with hard tires during the race, while the soft and medium ones were the norm in Barcelona.

Mick Schumacher could have been the pleasant surprise of this Spanish Grand Prix. Starting in tenth place (his first Q3 in his career, note), he was ranked sixth at the end of the first lap. Lacking pace, unable to make his tires last in the Catalan heat, and suffering from a poor two-stop strategy, Michael’s son plummeted in the rankings to finish in fourteenth place. The Haas was one of the few cars that did not receive any updates this weekend. The qualifying performances once again proved that the VF-22 was well-built. When the stars align, the American team will still be a force to be reckoned with to consistently score points.