The Burning Questions
Can Verstappen strike back in the title battle?
How will the teams fare without having had their usual pre-season testing at Barcelona?
Can Alpine continue their good form from Portugal?
Will the Aston Martin updates bring them back towards the front of the midfield?
Will anyone pull a Maldonado?
The Track
The Stats
- Track Length: 4.676 km
- Laps: 66
- Race Distance: 308.424 km
- Maximum Speed: 322 km/h
- Lap Time at Full Throttle: 59%
- First Grand Prix: 1991 (Barcelona) | 1951 (Spanish GP)
- Race Lap Record: Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 2020 | 1:18.183
- Outright Lap Record: Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 2019 | 1:15.406
- Most Driver Wins: Michael Schumacher | 1995, 1996, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
- Most Constructor Wins: Ferrari | 1996, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2013
The Weather
The Quotes
Lewis Hamilton | “We have a good package but it has weak areas which we are working on. You’re seeing the closest battle you’ve seen for some time. Max is performing exceptionally well. He has a championship-winning car and team without a doubt who can really pull off the job this year if we don’t do our job.”
Max Verstappen | “I always try to get the best possible results out of it. I went twice outside of the track limits where it cost me basically a pole and a fastest lap but it’s also because I don’t settle for second or third. It is exciting and I am looking forward to every single battle.”
Valtteri Bottas | “There are still 20 races to go which is a huge amount of points and I am definitely not giving up on the goal this year. I believe the hard work will pay off and keep believing and I know the results will come and pay off.”
Kimi Räikkönen | “The worst thing was my son saying ‘you always tell me to look forward’ when he drives go-karts… He gave me a bit of that!”
The Friday Form
Practice 2 Top 5
1 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:18.170 | 32 Laps
2 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:18.309 | 31 Laps
3 | Charles Leclerc | 1:18.335 | 28 Laps
4 | Esteban Ocon | 1:18.466 | 29 Laps
5 | Fernando Alonso | 1:18.518 | 30 Laps
Practice 1 Top 5
1 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:18.504 | 25 Laps
2 | Max Verstappen | 1:18.537 | 19 Laps
3 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:18.627 | 22 Laps
4 | Lando Norris | 1:18.944 | 24 Laps
5 | Charles Leclerc | 1:18.996 | 25 Laps
Mercedes surprisingly appear to be slightly ahead of their title rivals over at Red Bull so far in Barcelona. Most had expected the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – with it’s long, sweeping corners – to suit the Red Bull but it was the German marque who topped both practice sessions.
Max Verstappen made a mistake on his flying lap in Practice 2 so his fastest time came on the medium tyre earlier in the session, but he was around a tenth of a second behind Hamilton at that point. Continuing the trend of 2021, it would appear to very nip and tuck between the two leading teams and will all come down to who is holding more back and who can nail that crucial Q3 lap tomorrow.
Behind them, the Alpines look to have picked up where they left off in Portugal and there was also promising pace for the Ferraris and AlphaTauris, who saw Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda finish Practice 2 in sixth and seventh.
The Photos
The Predictions
Podium
Pole Position
Fastest Lap
Driver of the Day
