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During the weekend from 2 to 4 June, Formula 1 arrives in Spain, on the Montmelò circuit in Barcelona, for the Spanish Grand Prix. The Grand Prix represents the seventh round of the season one week after the Monaco Grand Prix, the sixth race of the championship. For the second time this season, the world championship provides for the dispute of a race one week after the other. The world championship is still on stage in Europe with the second consecutive round of the season scheduled in the old continent. The Spanish Grand Prix is the first of two total races scheduled for the month of June. This edition is attended by 284.066 spectators during the race weekend, which represents the absolute record for the Grand Prix. Various news and curiosities accompany the approach to this race weekend. Teams can test two additional sets of hard tires in the first two free practice sessions of this Grand Prix. A double day of testing was also made official, again on the Spanish circuit, on the Tuesday and Wednesday following the start of the race, which sees the German team Mercedes and the Italian manufacturer Ferrari engaged in testing next season's tyres. On this occasion, the Brackley team sees the debut with the team of the team's reserve driver, the German Mick Schumacher, on Wednesday. British stable McLaren announces the new technical director of the team, Rob Marshall, coming from the Austrian stable Red Bull Racing. His role within the new team will be effective early next year. Marshall had been with the Milton Keynes racing team for seventeen years and was currently working on studies relating to the 2026 regulations for the manufacturer. The Woking team runs with a celebratory livery to pay homage to the victories achieved between 1974 and 1995 in the Indianapolis 500, the Monaco Grand Prix and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, an award known as the Triple Crown, as part of the celebrating sixty years of the Woking-based team. The special livery was also used in the previous Monaco Grand Prix. The Swiss Alfa Romeo team is entered in the Grand Prix as Alfa Romeo F1 Team Kick. The constructor was initially equally entered in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, before being registered as the Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake, and the Australian Grand Prix. In the Red Bull Racing team, Max Verstappen is excited to return to racing in Barcelona also to see the new layout of the last two corners, and declares:
"I’m looking forward to going back to a track that we all know so well. I’m also interested to see the new layout for the last two corners. Of course, I have great memories from this circuit, especially winning my first Formula One race there. Outside of the track, Barcelona is a great city too, I enjoy this weekend, it’s a good place to be. Hopefully we’ll have some nice weather to throw into the mix too".
Sergio Perez, after the negative weekend in Monaco, is determined to bring the team back to the standards set for the whole season:
"Monaco was a disaster for me. Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong. So this weekend is all about starting again and making sure we get back to the high standards we have set all season. I want to repay my Team for all their hard work with a good result in Barcelona. We know we have the quickest car out there on the right day and this circuit should suit us, I just need to make sure I have a perfect weekend from start to finish. I need to be consistent to maintain any pressure on Max in the Championship and I need to pick up some wins. If I can get it right here the win is achievable and that’s the aim, as always".
At Mercedes, Toto Wolff compliments his team on the right choices in the rainy situation at the Monaco Grand Prix, and lingers over the weekend in Spain to look for opportunities:
"It's always a challenge when rain falls midway through a race and the Team handled it well in Monaco. We made the right calls and scored some solid points. It is impossible to evaluate our upgrades on a circuit like Monaco, but at least we didn't have any nasty surprises. We now move on to Barcelona. Spain will provide an opportunity for us to establish a new baseline with the W14. It is a track that we are familiar with, although the removal of the final chicane will make it a much quicker lap. It comprises a wide range of corner types; that provides a good opportunity for us to learn about the new package".
So he adds:
"We don't expect to see a step change in performance, but we're hopeful it will provide a more stable platform. After the Grand Prix weekend, Mick will also get his first real-world taste of the W14 on the second day of the Pirelli tyre test. He has done a great job with the Team so far, working hard back in the simulator and giving valuable input trackside. We're looking forward to him getting his first taste of on-track running this year, and sure it will help him in his role as Reserve Driver".
At Ferrari, Charles Leclerc is positive in returning to racing on a traditional circuit, a testing ground for the cars. Hoping to improve the handling of the car, and the overall performance, the Monegasque driver declares:
"After a run of street circuits, it’s good to be back on a traditional track, one which is well known for being an excellent test bench for the cars. This weekend, we have a package of updates to start evaluating tomorrow. They should improve the driveability of the SF-23, allowing us to take a step in the right direction. So far, our race performance has not been satisfactory but I’m fully motivated for the coming races. Our aim is to improve as quickly as possible and to start winning races, as we were doing around this time last year. I expect the front left, and actually the whole left side of the car, to have a harder time. I’ll also be interested to see if, with this new faster layout, you will still have to manage your tyres for the first two sectors on a quali lap, so they have life in them for the final sector, which is something unique to this circuit".
Carlos Sainz Jr., motivated to race in his home Grand Prix, thanks the team for the development program he will bring to this track, but at the same time is realistic about what could happen in terms of performance:
"Waking up in my home country Spain, knowing a race awaits me, puts me in a good mood, because I feel the support from all the fans. They will be watching from the CS55 grandstand and knowing that the three thousand tickets available for it sold out in eight minutes makes me very happy. I’m also pleased to have noticed that, at the promotional events I’ve taken part in here so far, the majority of people attending are under 30, proving just how much our sport is going through a magic moment also here in Spain. They are a step in the right direction, but they are just part of an ongoing development programme that doesn’t end here. The package will be evaluated on track here in Barcelona and it’s part of a new direction the team has decided to go in with the SF-23. Thanks therefore go to everyone who has been working night and day back in the factory in Maranello. Having said that, we are still realistic, aware that we can’t expect a reversal of the pecking order on track in the space of just one race. However, we do expect to have a more consistent car in terms of performance, which will allow us to better exploit its full potential. I can’t wait to get out on track tomorrow".
Frédéric Vasseur, Ferrari’s Team Principal, is positive about returning to the track in Barcelona, the home race of one of his two riders, and hopes with the updates that will be brought to this track to make some progress in terms of performance:
"Just a few days on from the race in Monaco we are back on track in Barcelona for Carlos’ home race, the Spanish Grand Prix. It means that for the second race in a row, one of our drivers can count on support from his fans, a further incentive for the whole team to do well on one of the best known circuits on the calendar. In Monaco we couldn’t show the real potential of our car, but the race in Barcelona will provide a clearer picture, also because we have brought some further upgrades here, just as we have done at every race so far this season. We expect to make some progress in terms of performance and we hope to bring home a good result for the team".
On Friday, June 2, 2023, the weather is warm and sunny, with an air temperature of 24 °C, slightly below the average and a track temperature rising as high as 43 °C. The first free practice session gets underway at 1:30 p.m. local time and it is Fernando Alonso the first to get out on track. During this session the teams are trying the new prototype of hard compound given by Pirelli before switching to the medium and soft compound in the second half of the session. Pirelli have started to reconfigure the compound due to increased performance of these cars compared to last year, which is putting the tyres under more performance pressure than expected. Tyre degradation will be interesting to observe, with the new circuit layout a faster configuration and thus, likely to be harder on tyres. Verstappen is topping the timesheet in 1'14"606, followed by the other Red Bull of Sergio Perez. Red Bull have cleaned up every race win so far this season, with the Dutchman admitting on Thursday that the driver he has to keep half an eye on is his teammate. Behind the Austrian team duo finish Esteban Ocon and the other Dutch Nick de Vries. Ferrari has only Carlos Sainz Jr. to test the updated version of their single-seater, redesigned in the sidepods and converted to the downwash philosophy in order to improve the flow management at the rear, but he is no quicker than Charles Leclerc, who uses the older version: they manage to finish only eight and ninth fastest.
Home favorite Fernando Alonso is sixth fastest for Aston Martin, ahead of Haas’ Kevin Magnussen. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton are 10th and 12th for Mercedes with the McLaren of Lando Norris between them. It is overall a quiet session with only a contact between Pierre Gasly and Logan Sargeant without any damage at the end of the session when the chequered flag was already out. We have to say that Sergio Pérez, Carlos Sainz Jr., Fernando Alonso and Alexander Albon use a transmission assembly outside of the allocation provided for in the technical regulations. The drivers are not penalized on the starting grid as this operation falls within the maximum number allowed by the technical regulations. During the night between Friday and Saturday, Haas and Williams use one of the two covers granted during the season to carry out operations on their cars. Both teams do not receive penalties. The second session of free practice starts at 5:00 p.m. local time and once again Max Verstappen is the fastest on track in 1'13"907 with Alonso only 0.170s behind: the RB19 is in a league of its own in the hands of the two-time world champion. Hulkenberg sets an impressive performance finishing third overall, ahead of Perez and Ocon. Here in Barcelona, on a track where they usually dominate, the Mercedes cars seem to be off the pace both in FP1 and FP2, with the drivers complaining about bouncing at high speed and struggling to find the pace through the final corner. Russell and Hamilton close the session respectively with the eight and eleventh fastest time. George Russell feels positive about the performance:
"We learned a huge amount today and have got a lot of data to go through tonight. We need to learn what we can from the information we've got and try to move forward; I think we can find some gains as there were a few surprises out there today. It's only Friday and we tend not to be Friday specialists. We usually take a step forward on Saturday and Sunday, which is the right way to be. We expect the story to be slightly different tomorrow and then again on Sunday. After all, the points are scored on Sunday so that is what we are aiming for. It was also fun to drive around this version of the Barcelona circuit. It's gone from one of the worst corners in F1 to one of the best! It's now a really enjoyable sector and I think it will help with overtaking in the Grand Prix".
Lewis Hamilton is more pessimistic about this first day of practice:
"I would say it was a difficult FP1 and FP2, trying to get on top of the tyres and the degradation. The car felt OK overall though, and we're fighting as hard as we can to learn as much as we can. Our long run pace didn't look too bad in FP2, but we need to focus on trying to extract more pace from the single lap. It's very close between ourselves and the cars ahead. It's impressive to see the improvements those around of us have made, so it's not going to be easy. I'm focused on doing the best job we can tonight to make the right set-up changes. There are improvements I know we can make, so we will get on top of that. Finally, the final two corners are awesome! It's very fast and I definitely prefer it to the chicane we had in the past. I haven't followed anyone through there yet so I don't know how that will affect overtaking during the race, but it's going to make it tough on tyre degradation.
Ferrari continue to evaluate their upgrade package, comprising a revised engine cover, sidepods and floor, this time with the Monegasque driver, and it was no better that in FP1 with a sixth place for Charles just ahead of Carlos Sainz Jr. seventh. Valtteri Bottas and Pierre Gasly round out the top ten with a great performance. Charles Leclerc is sure they will make steps forward:
"It has been an interesting day, as we had some new parts to try, so we ran very different programmes between the two cars. It was a productive day as we got through all the tests we wanted to do even if it’s difficult to read where we are in terms of performance right now. We will keep pushing to try and make the steps forward that we want in order to be more at ease with the car tomorrow and then we will be able to see where we are. For today, it’s clear that although Red Bull has the edge over everyone, the rest of the field is very, very tight".
Carlos Sainz Jr. is still careful in expressing himself as the team is analysing the new parts:
"There were plenty of new things to try today on the car and we were constantly adapting to the setup changes and analysing the differences between parts across the two sessions. We also tried all three compounds, so overall it has been a full day of preparation for the rest of the weekend. Thanks to everyone cheering from the grandstands today, it feels great to see so many people at the track already on Friday".
Almost at the end of the session the sky starts getting darker and clouded, with the air temperature cooled down at 23 °C and the track temperature at 34 °C: these should be more representative conditions for qualifying tomorrow, but slightly less so for the race. Max Verstappen still remains the unquestioned leader of this season:
"We had a good day today. The car was in a good window and of course we will try to fine tune a few things here and there but the short runs and long runs look good. The last two corners are better and more fun to drive, F1 cars feel much better at high speed. I tried to follow a few cars through there as well and it seemed okay, I’m positively surprised by the overtaking opportunities. I still need to look at the data and see how the other cars compare but today was a good day".
Sergio Perez says that today was overall a good day:
"We always try a lot of stuff in Barcelona, because it is always the most representative track we visit and really puts the whole season together. The new variation on the last two corners is quite tough on the neck, but obviously it was a very short day and I think we will feel it more on Sunday, it could be tricky on the muscles! Today was a good day, there is plenty of information for us to look at overnight. All in all I think there were lots of positives to take but we have to turn up a gear for Quali, as well as try to understand the tyres for the long run. This will be key for Sunday with the tyre degradation around this track".
On Saturday, June 3, 2023, the third free practice and the qualifying session of the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix at Montmelò will be useful to understand the premises of Friday practice sessions, but the weather may be inclement due to the forecast predicting heavy rain around 1:00 p.m., thus hitting FP3 in the middle of the session. This day will be crucial especially for Ferrari, in order to confirm whether the upgrades brought to Barcelona will effectively increase the car performance and efficiency and the team will fix their Achilles’ heel, that is tyre degradation. Also, Aston Martin promised that the car would gain 0.2 seconds after the recent upgrades, so they may be even closer to Red Bull and can even challenge them for the final victory. Mercedes can finally test the new sidepods that were ready for Imola and see that these can help the car get closer to Red Bull Racing.
The third free practice starts regularly on dry conditions, with Max Verstappen immediately getting the fastest time in 1'13"664, but right before the rain hits the track, the session is red-flagged due to Logan Sargeant ending up into the gravel and hitting the wall in the last corner before the straight. When the session restarts, the circuit is definitely wet, so the cars have to mount intermediate tyres and no one can improve their previous best laps until the track gets dry again. Previously, the FIA, at 10:30 a.m., issued a statement in which they would grant each teams an extra set of intermediate tyres before the start of qualifying, due to the weather conditions. Some drivers, like Hamilton and Norris, try to run on soft tyres, but they fail to improve their times for the track is still damp, so Max Verstappen once again leads the free practice, ahead of Checo Perez (1'13"914) and Lewis Hamilton (1'14"072). Later, at 4:00 p.m., the qualifying session starts. The rain has lifted, the track is mostly dry but the temperature is not the ideal for setting the fastest times and there is still a chance of rain during the session. Some drivers struggle to find the perfect grip, such as Tsunoda and Alonso going off track during the out laps, and eventually, after five minutes, the session is red-flagged after Bottas and Albon go outside into the gravel and the track needs to be cleared. The red flag may be the best solution for safety, but if the session re-starts when it starts raining again, this may be trouble for many drivers who have not set a lap yet, such as Leclerc and Perez, who did not even go outside the box at the start of qualifying. When Q1 resumes, Verstappen is still the fastest, followed by a surprising Piastri with his McLaren and Hamilton. Sainz, while doing his first fast lap, is blocked by Gasly, who slows him down, and the team wonders if he will get a penalty for impeding like Leclerc at Monaco. Shortly after, Gasly is once accused of impeding, this time by Verstappen. Charles, meanwhile, is really struggling and stays in the elimination zone for the whole session. The Monegasque tries to save himself in the last few minutes but ends up in P19, in last row with Logan Sargeant. Bottas, Magnussen and Albon are the other drivers eliminated. Lewis Hamilton is the fastest of Q1, followed by Norris and Russell. Perez was also very close to being eliminated, finishing P15.
Q2 is also eventful, with Perez going outside and driving on the dirty side of the track right when doing the fast lap, and just before the end of the session he manages to do a last lap, but it is not enough to enter the top ten and he ends up P11 and out of Q3. There is also some drama in the Mercedes team as Hamilton and Russell touch, the seven-times world champion having his front wing damaged; an incident, fortunately without consequences, that reminds of the crash between Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in 2016, which contributed the assignment of the world title to the German driver. Despite this, the driver who has it worst is George Russell, who fails to qualify for Q3, ending behind Perez in P12. Verstappen is the fastest in this session, with a time of 1'12"760, followed by Norris (1'12"776) and Sainz (1'12"790), the only driver left defending Ferrari colours. The Aston Martin seem struggling, despite the promises of the last few days, while surprising is Haas, with Hulkenberg entering Q3 with the tenth-fastest lap. The other drivers eliminated in Q2 are Zhou, De Vries and Tsunoda. In Q3, Max Verstappen dominates the session right from the start with a staggering time of 1'12"272, about one second faster than all the others. Hamilton is the one who gets the closest, followed by Hülkenberg, who takes advantage of the lack of traffic to set the third-fastest time with a new set of tyres. In the last few minutes, all drivers try to improve. Sainz scores the first front row of the season with a time of 1'12"734, while Norris consolidates a very strong weekend for McLaren by placing third with 1'12"792. Max Verstappen’s best lap remains undisputed, so he claims his fifth pole position of the season, the seventh for Red Bull Racing, which so far always went on pole position, twice with Sergio Perez. Gasly is fourth, but eventually, after the end of qualifying, he is handed a six-position penalty for impeding twice, so he will start in tenth place. All in all, it has been a qualifying session full of surprises, with the weather conditions complicating the situation for all drivers, with some who still managed to take the best out of their cars, like Verstappen, Sainz Jr., placing his Ferrari for the first time in front row in this season, and Hamilton, and others who made even small mistakes but affected the overall performance and had to settle for lower starting positions, like Alonso, Perez and Russell, and others who really did not find a good balance, such as Leclerc. McLaren surprised everyone, with Lando Norris scoring his best qualifying of the season with a third place, but Sunday will be decisive to verify that the car can perform well in the long run.
Max Verstappen is happy with the new layout and with the overall weekend so far:
"We had a good day today. The car was in a good window and of course we will try to fine tune a few things here and there but the short runs and long runs look good. The last two corners are better and more fun to drive, F1 cars feel much better at high speed. I tried to follow a few cars through there as well and it seemed okay, I’m positively surprised by the overtaking opportunities. I still need to look at the data and see how the other cars compare but today was a good day".
His teammate, Sergio Perez, must put a lot of effort for climbing up to the podium but is still satisfied:
"We always try a lot of stuff in Barcelona, because it is always the most representative track we visit and really puts the whole season together. The new variation on the last two corners is quite tough on the neck, but obviously it was a very short day and I think we will feel it more on Sunday, it could be tricky on the muscles! Today was a good day, there is plenty of information for us to look at overnight. All in all, I think there were lots of positives to take but we have to turn up a gear for Quali, as well as try to understand the tyres for the long run. This will be key for Sunday with the tyre degradation around this track".
Christian Horner, Red Bull’s CEO and Team Principal, knows that there will still be many obstacles in the race:
"Max has certainly picked up where he left off in Monaco, he did tremendously well today but tomorrow brings new challenges. There are still a lot of variables to consider; the weather, reliability, the start, strategy and then these final two corners, so Max will not be resting on his laurels. Comparatively, Checo had a difficult qualifying. He went off and then tyre temperature unsettled him. P11 tomorrow leaves him a lot to do but we know he can do well here. He will race hard and come out fighting".
In Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton was not expecting so much progress after the new car upgrades and talks about the incident with his teammate:
"I was a little bit surprised to see us so far up today and ultimately competing for the front-row of the grid. We did some great work overnight with our analysis of yesterday; we all did a lot of work trying to figure out where we could find more lap time. I knew when I woke up this morning that I was on a mission, although I didn't expect we would be fighting for P2. On my final lap, I think I was on the front-row all the way until turn 10. I got on the power and the car just snapped into oversteer; I will have to check but I think that's where I lost two tenths. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed driving the car today and I'm really encouraged to see where it is at. A big thank you to everyone at the factory as it shows we are progressing. The incident with George was just a miscommunication. Obviously, we made some contact and I put a wheel on the grass. The car didn't feel different afterwards though, so I think it will be OK".
George Russell is disappointed but knows that it could have been worse after the incident:
"It was an odd qualifying session today. It was clearly tricky for everyone out there and it was quite a mixed-up order. Straight out of the box, I felt like I had no grip from the tyres, and I was really struggling with the car. It was starting to bounce a lot in the high-speed turns so I couldn't go flat out through corners we were able to in FP3. I wasn't surprised to be knocked out in Q2 because the car was off the pace. I didn't have a good feeling with it so it's disappointing. I'm not too sure what happened in the incident with Lewis. It was all quite surprising. I was starting my push lap and getting the slipstream from Sainz ahead".
So he adds:
"Next thing I know Lewis was alongside me. We're fortunate nothing more serious happened and it was clearly a big miscommunication from all of us in the Team. It didn't contribute to the lack of pace though and that was the main problem for me. We're starting quite a few positions lower than we should be, but I'm sure tomorrow will be a better day".
Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO of Mercedes team, says that the car can still perform better and states that the cause of the incident of his two drivers was a communication issue:
"I think we have more potential in the car that we couldn't unlock today. We had a good car in Q1, at least with Lewis, and both drivers were happy in FP3. I think we had everything today to fight for the front two rows of the grid. We should have been right behind Verstappen and that's why our disappointment is so great. Of course, it doesn't help when you have a misunderstanding between the two cars. It was a lack of communication that we should have handled in the garage. It was an intense moment at the end of Q2 though, so there is nobody we need to blame. We will now see what happens tomorrow. I think we can have a solid race; our long run pace looked strong on Friday so we will see what we can do. We are also building a good base to learn from with the car, and this weekend will provide us with a new baseline".
In Ferrari, Carlos Sainz Jr., in his home race, says that he did his best and must repeat himself in the race:
"I’m happy with my qualifying today. The conditions were not at all easy out there, but we managed to put together some good laps and I think we extracted everything from the car. I left nothing on the table this afternoon. However, the weekend is not done and now we need to execute the best race possible. The time gaps have all been very tight the entire weekend and it won't be an easy one but we will go for it. I want to thank all the amazing support from the grandstands! It really makes a difference and I hope we can put on a good show tomorrow".
Charles Leclerc, probably the most troubled driver on the grid in this Grand Prix, states that the problem may be the car:
"We will have to check the car and look at the data as there was clearly something really odd about the way it behaved and it felt very different to the way it had throughout the weekend up to that point. I basically had zero rear grip. The car was extremely oversteery and unpredictable. The car would be okay and suddenly it would snap away. It was something to do with the rear right corner. At first, I thought it was something to do with my first set of tyres, so we changed for a new set, but there was still this very strange behaviour from the rear tyres. It’s obviously very disappointing but it will be a long race tomorrow, overtaking is possible and degradation is a big factor so we will see, but of course we will be starting from very far back".
Frédéric Vasseur, Ferrari Team Principal, praises Sainz for his second place on the grid but acknowledges that Leclerc’s car needs to be investigated further:
"We had a very good result from Carlos and we are more than pleased for him. I think it is a good reward also for everyone working in Maranello as they pushed like hell to bring the all upgrades and the parts in time to Barcelona. It was quite challenging for them but I think it paid dividends today and, hopefully, also tomorrow in the race".
So he adds:
"However, it was not an easy qualifying for us as our other car will be at the back of the grid tomorrow. We are investigating Charles’ problem: he was complaining a lot about the car in the left-hand corners. It’s a shame and it shows how close qualifying is now between the teams. In the past, two or three top teams could get through Q2 on the Medium tyre, but that’s no longer possible as the gaps are so tight and the slightest issue, like the one Charles had today, and you are out. Overall, I think we have made a step forward, but it’s tomorrow that counts and we have to target the podium with Carlos. As for Charles, I’m not sure Barcelona is the easiest place to overtake but maybe the new layout will help and he will be able to fight for points tomorrow".
After qualifying, the stewards award Pierre Gasly being with two three-place grid penalties for impeding both Verstappen and Sainz, and the Frenchman, who qualifyied fourth, will start from 10th place on the grid. Another news arrives on Sunday morning: the Ferrari team confirm that they had replaced the entire rear-end of Leclerc’s car under parc ferme conditions following his Q1 exit, so in the afternoon he is going to start the race from the pit lane, together with Sargeant, who changed the suspension set-up and adjusted the brake cooling. On Sunday, June 4, 2023, the sky is cloudy and everyone is ready to start. Verstappen, Perez and Sargeant are the only drivers on mediums, Leclerc on hards and the rest of the field is on softs. When the lights go out, Verstappen slips away managing to mantain the first position ahead of Sainz, who tries to steal him the lead into Turn 1; but the Dutchman defends from the home hero, while Hamilton makes a move on Norris before banging wheels with him and forcing a McLaren’s pit for a new front wing. Stroll makes his way up to third, with Hamilton going fourth, ahead of Ocon, Alonso and Russell, whose trip along the Turn 1/2 escape road has been noted by the stewards, Hulkenberg, Zhou and Perez. Verstappen has a very strong pace and laps more than half a second quicker than Sainz, while his team mate Perez passes Hulkenberg and Zhou. Russell passes Alonso for P6, just before Hamilton cleares Stroll to return to the podium positions; but a news arrives from the stewards: Russell has not to face any further action for his lap 1 off-track excursion. Bottas, Hulkenberg, Zhou and De Vries already pit for fresh tyres, while Russell on lap 11 goes past Ocon into Turn 1, gaining seven positions from his P12 start place. Leclerc, in the meantime, has climbed from the pit lane to 11th. Verstappen’s advantage over Sainz is now up to six seconds, while Hamilton is one-and-a-half seconds back and his team mate Russell stalks the fourth-placed Stroll until he passes him. Ocon pits on lap 14 and emerges just ahead of Hulkenberg, Tsunoda and Zhou.
Also Stroll pits for a new set of tyres a lap later, and Sainz swaps his soft tyres for mediums, before Hamilton reports that his rubber is still feeling really good. Meanwhile, Leclerc, after 17 laps on the hard tyre, pits for softs and comes back out just in front of Norris, who is now the penultimate runner, ahead of only Albon, after his opening lap contact with Hamilton. Verstappen, Hamilton, Russell, Alonso, Perez and Gasly are the top six runners, with no pit stops yet, on lap 19, while Sainz heads the train of cars that have already pitted. Alonso stops on lap 20 and emerges 10th, as the two Ferraris battle with Gasly; Sainz passes him just before his pit, and Leclerc doe sit immediately after, but loses the new position a few moments later. At this point, Russell asks his team if a one-stop strategy may work, and his engineer said it is not impossible, as the soft tyres appear to last long on Hamilton’s cars. Verstappen’s lead over the Briton is now 11 seconds, while Perez runs around half a minute away from his team mate. On Lap 26, Hamilton pits, swapping from softs to mediums, and emerges some three seconds behind Sainz Jr., with Russell doing the same one lap later and coming back out between Stroll and Ocon. A lap after this, Verstappen goes from mediums to hards and emerged some five seconds clear of Perez and still in the lead. Perez does the same on lap 28 and emerges ninth, while Hamilton uses DRS on the main straight to pass Sainz for the second place. Russell reports some drops of rain as clouds continue to cover the circuit, but a few laps later he understands that it was likely only sweat. Perez makes a lot of passes, clearing Alonso, Tsunoda and Ocon, and getting back up to sixth. Russell uses DRS to pass Sainz on the run to Turn 1 and puts his Mercedes into the podium positions, with team mate Hamilton and Verstappen respectively 8 and 14 seconds further ahead.
"Solid work".
Russell’s engineer says on the radio and the British driver responds:
"Just solid?"
On lap 41, Verstappen has a wide moment at Turn 5. In addition, he is one of seven drivers to have stopped just once, along with Hamilton, Russell, Sainz Jr., Perez, Alonso and Leclerc, with the rest of the field having made two pits. One lap later, Ferrari make a double pit as Sainz Jr. and Leclerc stop for new hards.
"Not amazing. Let’s see a few more laps".
Verstappen says about his tyres, before having another wide moment at Turn 5: this leads to another deleted lap time and means he has no more warnings to use up. Alonso and Russell stop for a second time, leaving Verstappen, Hamilton and Perez as the only one-stoppers. On lap 51, Hamilton and Perez both pit for new tyres, with Hamilton returning to the track in second and Perez dropping behind Sainz Jr. and Perez, before leader Verstappen opted to do the same on the following tour - all three moving to softs. Alonso and Ocon are involved in a close call along the pit straight as the Alpine driver forces the Spaniard towards the grass; they avoid contact as Alonso moves into P7 behind Stroll. When the race enters its final 10 laps, Verstappen is given a black-and-white flag for a third trip over the white lines at Turn 10, and his race engineer on the radio reminds him that no risks are required given his lead over Hamilton. The reigning world champion takes the chequered flag and gains another victory in this season 24 seconds ahead of Hamilton, with Russell eight seconds further back, managing to keep Perez at bay for the final place on the podium. Sainz Jr. is fifth in his Ferrari, while the Aston Martins of Stroll and Alonso take sixth and seventh and Ocon crosses the line in eighth. Tsunoda was ninth and Zhou coming home 10th, before a run-in between both at Turn 1 in the closing laps, forced the Chinese driver wide and led to a stewards’ investigation, which result is: Tsunoda being dropped from his P9 finish to 12th, promoting Gasly into the points. Leclerc ends outside the points, while Piastri and De Vries are 13th and 14th. Hulkenberg, Norris and Magnussen finish P15, P17 and P18 respectively, with Albon winding up 16th, Bottas 19th and Sargeant 20th. All drivers made it to the chequered flag. This is the third straight win for the Red Bull team, with Verstappen being unstoppable and also picking up the bonus point for the fastest lap:
"To win here again feels incredible. It’s a massive pleasure to drive a car like this. It was important to try and keep the lead into turn one, it was quite tight. From there onwards it was about managing the tyres, I was able to create a big gap. We went on to the hards but I didn’t seem to have much grip, I was sliding around quite a lot, the pace was okay but I couldn’t create more of a gap, so we switched to softs and then I just needed to bring it home. We’ve had another strong weekend and that’s of course what I like to see for the Team, hopefully we can keep this up throughout the year".
Sergio Perez managed to climb through the field but not to make it to the podium:
"I am disappointed with today, we have ultimately paid the price for a bad qualifying. We did have a good strategy but, looking at where we started from, there was only so much that we could do. I think P3 was possible but, if we wanted more points, then I would have had to take more risks on lap one and potentially compromise my race. George went really deep on that first lap, gaining a lot of positions but we took it easier to ensure we had more of a clean start. Then we got stuck behind the Aston Martin and Fernando was quite hard to pass, so it meant I couldn’t progress through the field as quickly as we would have liked. This weekend, in general, has been a step back and we weren’t quite there, but there are plenty of things we can do better. All in all, we brought home twelve points today and I think, looking forward, Canada should be a strong race for us. Everything is pretty close right now so that will be an interesting one".
Christian Horner, Red Bull’s CEO and Team Principal, compliments with all the team for the optimum results achieved:
"Another great performance from Max. The start was strong, he had to be firm but fair with Carlos into the first turn and from there he managed the race really well. We ran all three compounds today and he had the pace to cover whatever was going on behind him finishing with a 24 second gap by the end of the race. Max was totally in control. But it’s not just Max, the whole Team is operating at an elite level. We have a phenomenal car, we have two great drivers and we are continuing to evolve and become more polished. It was a good recovery from Checo, especially the second part of the race and I think that will give him a lot more confidence. He had a difficult Monaco, a difficult qualifying but a better Sunday. Looking at the gap between the two drivers, the pressure is off now and we know what Checo is capable of. I’m sure he will refind that form from the early races in the near future".
After the contact with Norris at the start, Hamilton had a lonely race in second to get the second podium of the season:
"I am so happy after today. I didn't expect us to come here this weekend and finish second. I was able to keep everything under control today. We couldn't keep up with the Red Bull of Max (Verstappen) as they are in another league, but this is still a really positive result. For George to come through from P12 to P3 is also spectacular. I feel incredibly grateful to the whole Team, everyone back at the factory to Team LH all over the world who are always sticking by me. We are learning more and more about the car. I am hoping that the car continues to be like it was this weekend. I am hoping from here onwards we are in a good place. For sure, there will be some circuits where the car isn't quite in the right window but hopefully the next few races should suit us".
Russell, who started back, climbed all the way to third with some good overtakes, also managing to keep to keep Perez at bay:
"It was a pretty good race today! This morning, I had a lot of confidence that I could move forward from P12 and thought that P5 or P6 was achievable. After a good start, our pace was just there from the very beginning. We knew after Friday that we had good race pace, but you can never be 100 per cent sure if it will translate to the Grand Prix. I was really pleased it did, I was able to make some good overtakes and bring it home on the podium. This result highlights all the hard work and efforts that have gone on at the factory to bring these upgrades. We had a strong race here last year, so the next couple of races will be key to see if we can consistently produce results like this and close the gap to Red Bull".
Toto Wolff is satisfied. They took a risk but they managed to get the right direction to go:
"I'm really pleased with the hard work that has been done in Brackley and Brixworth, and happy for everyone in the Team. It's a good result but we need to be realistic too. The lower temperatures today and on Saturday really suited us; it was nice and fresh, not too hot nor too cold, and the car was in a mega window. We took a decision to go in another direction early in the season; it was a risky move, but everyone has just pushed forward and we've got a good race car. We now need to just keep chipping away. We are a good Team at grinding away; once there is a clear direction we just go for it. Let's keep our expectations real though. We've got a long way to go to catch Red Bull but it's good to see we are moving in the right direction".
Carlos Sainz Jr. was quicker off the mark compared to Max Verstappen, but the Dutchman managed to stay ahead. From there the Spaniard didn’t have the pace on any compound to keep the Mercedes cars behind:
"It was a tough race. Unfortunately, we couldn’t fight at the front as our pace is pretty much dictated by tyre management and degradation. I know Sundays have been frustrating so far this season, but we gave it our all on track this weekend and we will keep working on this new package and on developing our car. Thank you to everyone out there in the grandstands cheering for us every day! It’s always a pleasure to race at home".
Charles Leclerc started from the pit lane and was able to climb up to 11th:
"Today in terms of balance the car was alright, but the performance was not at all consistent. We ran the Hards twice, but with the first set I struggled a lot, while with the second one it was reasonably good and I was catching Pierre towards the end. We really must analyse all the data, because while the upgrades seem to work as expected, we are always slightly caught out by what is happening with the tyres and we struggle to get them in the right window which is a big problem. We ran the same tyre twice in the same race and we went from having a very bad car to quite a good one towards the end of the race. Now we will go back to the factory and find out what went wrong yesterday in qualifying because that’s what put us in a tricky situation today. There’s a lot of work to do".
Frédéric Vasseur, Ferrari’s Team Principal, concludes:
"We made a step forward this weekend in terms of our qualifying pace, with Carlos on the front row after the best Saturday of his season so far. However it is clear that, in terms of race pace, Red Bull and Mercedes are quicker than us. As for the upgrades, I think we have made a step forward overall if you compare this weekend with Miami. Clearly, we know it is still not enough. Our problem is not our outright performance, it is our lack of consistency. Charles’ first set of Hards was a sort of a nightmare but then on his last set of the same compound he was happy with the balance: we must assess this inconsistency. Now we will focus completely on this issue before Canada. For sure we will continue to develop the car but this is a matter of improving by tenths of a second, whereas in the race we are looking for seconds at the moment. There is something in the car that we must unlock if we want to move forward".
Max Verstappen's domination of this World Championship, which at the moment has virtually nothing to tell, at the level of challenging for the title, continues. The Dutch driver seems destined to easily win his third World Championship, and one wonders if Red Bull Racing can win all the races in the 2023 season. In Barcelona, Mercedes became competitive again, while the value of Aston Martin could not be appreciated. On the other hand, the performance of Scuderia Ferrari is disappointing. Despite upgrades, the Maranello cars are unable to express themselves and at the moment remain the fourth force in the World Championship. The next stop is Montreal’s Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve for the Canadian Grand Prix, which will take place on the weekend from June 16-18.