On Sunday 13 May 2018, the Spanish Grand Prix, the fifth race of the Formula 1 World Championship, will take place on the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmeló. At the beginning of the week leading up to the Spanish race, exactly on Monday, May 7th, 2018, the world council of the FIA ratifies the changes to the regulations, which will come into force from the 2019 season. They mainly concern aerodynamics, which will be modified, in the hope of increasing the chances of overtaking. These rules have found support from Ferrari and Mercedes, and opposition from Renault, McLaren, and Red Bull Racing. It is no coincidence that Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner says:
"I found this choice a bit surprising. We went incredibly from a Strategy Group where no one supported the idea to having, a week later, a couple of big teams supporting it. These new regulations were made hastily, some rules are in conflict with the existing ones and therefore on Sunday there will be a meeting to bring some order, although I don't know if it will be possible to achieve this. The real problem is that there has been rather immature research work, based mainly on 2021 and therefore without guarantees that the changes will have the desired impact".
And he adds:
"The cars will be completely different because obviously the front wing dictates the line of everything behind it. So everything will change already next season, with a huge consequence in terms of costs. And this could also affect smaller teams. It will be a big challenge for the aerodynamicists, but we have no fear from this point of view. It simply seems unnecessary to us to create a new car concept for 2019 and 2020 and then do everything again from scratch in 2021. All this while assuming we have to be responsible in terms of costs".
The British manager concludes:
"If we look at the first four races, Melbourne was quite boring, but it has always been like that. The last three, however, were fantastic. And therefore it would be better to look more carefully at the layout of the circuits and the role that tyre degradation must play in a race. In my opinion, these are not well thought out rule changes, but decided quickly. And the consequence will be that we will have no guarantee of problem resolution, but with a huge increase in management costs. Inevitably, this will create a further performance divide between the cars on the grid".
But perhaps the controversy will not stop here, given that as regards the Spanish Grand Prix, Pirelli, the sole supplier of the tyres, will supply Supersoft, Soft and Medium compound tyres. But, above all, the Federation allows Pirelli to bring a slightly modified type of tyre to recently resurfaced circuits, such as Barcelona, with a tread that is 0.4 mm thinner. This is because the new asphalt has greater grip and less wear. Says Mario Isola, Pirelli Motorsport Director:
"We asked the FIA to be able to use tyres with a tread with a slightly different thickness for three races. These are Barcelona, Silverstone, and Paul Ricard. The reason for this request is that in general the new asphalt has a lot of grip, reduced wear, and low degradation. With a lot of grip, the lap times improve a lot. We saw that in Barcelona, in the pre-season tests, they were three seconds faster than last year. But the point is that we keep a lot of rubber on the tyre, because with low wear the tread stays there, and this means it generates high temperatures. So, to try to reduce the temperature a little, we asked for a small reduction in the thickness of the tread. We tested this solution already last year and, in terms of performance or other consequences, almost nothing changes".
The FIA establishes, for this race, two activation zones of the Drag Reduction System: the first along the main straight, with a point for determining the gap between drivers placed before the last corner, while the second zone is indicated between turn 9 (Campsa) and turn 10 (La Caixa), with detection point set before turn 9. The first activation zone is extended by 100 metres. Furthermore, the Federation, being unable to control the quantity of oil burned during qualifying, decides to prohibit the topping up of the same during this session. The limit allowed by the regulation is 0.6 kg of oil every 100 km, and there is doubt on the part of the federation that some teams use oil to give more power to the fuel used. Former Formula 1 driver Derek Warwick is appointed deputy commissioner for the Spanish Grand Prix. The Briton has already carried out this function in the past, most recently at the 2017 Brazilian Grand Prix. BP will bring a new type of fuel for its two teams, Renault and McLaren, which should allow an improvement in the performance of the engines, both provided by Renault itself, awaiting the updates scheduled for the Montreal race. In this regard, Cyril Abiteboul, CEO of Renault Sport, says:
"The start of the European season must give us a consolidation of that performance. In Spain we will be able to rely on a new fuel and some aerodynamic changes which are aimed at adapting the car to the track. We hope to take a step forward, but we recognize that other teams will also bring new aerodynamic packages and Barcelona is well known to everyone".
Renault had introduced low-load front and rear wings in Baku, as well as updated bargeboards, so according to technical director, Bob Bell, we shouldn't expect any major changes in Catalunya.
"This year we brought the first major aerodynamic update package to Baku so in Barcelona we will have fewer new elements. But this year we have planned small or large changes for each Grand Prix".
In addition to Renault, McLaren also presents a package of new features, including a new nose, which required a new crash test. The new nose is lower and narrower but flanked by long bulkheads on the sides. The tip is reduced and has a hole, similar to the one on the Red Bulls. And Red Bull Racing also presents structural changes, which affect the central part of the car, with a revisiting of the airbox, and a new cooling system, with a relocation of the radiators. In reality, Sauber also presents itself in Spain with some updates, which however are not technical, but concern its organizational chart. In fact, on Wednesday, May 2nd, 2018 Jörg Zander, technical director of Sauber, leaves the Swiss team. The reasons that led to this separation are not specified and it certainly will not be painless for Sauber. It is not the first time that Sauber finds itself without a technical director: when Monisha Kaltenborn was in charge of the team, there was a working group that took care of the developments. Certainly, Zander will leave a void just now that Sauber was on its way back up and with a very long season ahead. We will see if the team principal, Frederic Vasseur, will try to fill this gap created by hiring a replacement or if we will continue without a technical director. Speaking, however, of the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix, the race presents itself with its contenders for the world championship helmet, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, very close to each other in the standings. In Baku, the British driver managed to win the first Grand Prix of the season, and arrives in Spain with the hope of having finally found the right feeling with his car:
"Time will tell if I will be able to have the perfect feeling with the car, I hope so. We worked a lot, as we do after every race. In terms of knowledge we are in a better situation than we were in the last four races. I hope that some things tested here in Barcelona can give us a better position this weekend. I hope to be able to work better with this machine and I look forward to finding those sensations of total harmony again".
But which is the best car this year, between Mercedes and Ferrari:
"It's difficult to say which car is better between Ferrari and Mercedes. I think they are slightly superior only in qualifying, but I know I can win even without the best car".
For his part, Sebastian Vettel underlines:
"Barcelona is an important stage, the Montmelò verdict is often indicative. Compared to 2017 we are much more competitive in qualifying, and when we start from the front the chances of winning increase, also because our race pace is excellent. At the moment, having a car that is easy to work with in qualifying is the factor that allows us to make the difference".
Red Bull Racing team, which this year plays the role of outsider again, could be another influence on the result of the Spanish Grand Prix. Hoping, however, that the two drivers, Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, decide to use common sense and not collide with each other, as happened in Baku. In fact, the Dutch pilot says:
"If a situation like last weekend were to repeat itself then I think the team will tell us to calm down and freeze the positions for the final laps. Overall, though, I think they trust us. But we also understand well that no one on the team wants an accident like this to happen again. In any case, we didn't want to touch each other and in the future we will leave each other a little more space. We have a lot of respect for each other, and we realize that it was a mistake. We didn't want to end the last race like this, but there are no resentments. Simply, we are drivers and we understand that these are situations that can happen".
Speaking, however, of the Spanish Grand Prix, Max Verstappen says:
"Everyone did a lot of lapping in Barcelona, but I can't wait to see how much the cars have improved in the meantime. We have many updates coming, we hope they are positive and allow us to be even closer to the top of the standings, but it is natural that the others will also arrive in Spain with some new components. It could be a crucial moment of the season and so I'm curious to see how everyone performs. I think our car is very competitive, we still need some top speed, but I trust that this will arrive soon. Of course I can't wait to drive next weekend, because I have good memories of this track, where I got my first victory in F1".
Regarding Horner's request to go to the factory after Baku, the Dutch driver concludes by saying:
"We did it before the last weekend. We wanted to thank our guys for the hours of hard work spent to give us such a good car in Azerbaijan. And we also apologized, which seems absolutely normal to me after an ending like that...".
For his part, Daniel Ricciardo limits himself to talking about the characteristics of the circuit:
"Barcelona has always been an important time of the year because it represents the start of the European season. The moment where you see a lot of developments on cars and in a way it's the beginning of a period that I love. The Montmelò circuit is fun, we know it well by now because we always go around, however it is certainly not boring, and we always like to come back here to compete. At the moment, this race is a staple on the calendar and has a nice variety of corners. 1, 2 and 3 are nice to ride and the last section is quite technical. Last year I got my first podium of the season here and as a result we will try to do the same or even better next weekend".
Speaking for a moment about the future of his team and its drivers, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says on the eve of the Spanish Grand Prix:
"This is a really nice problem to have. We are satisfied with Valtteri's performance and there is no need to even talk about Lewis, who in my opinion is the best driver currently on the grid. We didn't talk about contractual issues with Lewis for a few days because we were really focused on the intense battle on the track. But we've always agreed on what to expect from each other and so we just need to find the time to sit down and sign. Then there are these kids who are growing well, like Ocon and George Russell… I'm very optimistic about our future line-up. So we are not looking outside of Mercedes, because we have to give support to our guys. This is our priority. It's like when you're happy with your wife... There's no need to look elsewhere. Give us a few more races of time and then we will have a better overall vision".
On May 11th, 2018 Valtteri Bottas sets the best time during FP1. The time set by the Finnish driver is even lower than the one that earned him pole position in 2017. The wind and the imperfect conditions of the track make driving difficult for the drivers, who have made several mistakes. Daniel Ricciardo was also responsible for leaving the track, resulting in damage to the car. Lewis Hamilton sets the second best time, 0.8 seconds behind the Finnish driver, as he prefers to study the behavior of the medium tyres. Behind the two Anglo-German cars is Sebastian Vettel, ahead of Max Verstappen and Kimi Räikkönen; Graining occurred on Ferrari cars when using Supersoft tyres. Fernando Alonso is sixth, confirming McLaren's recovery in competitiveness. At the end of the first session Kevin Magnussen receives a reprimand for closing down Charles Leclerc in an overtaking attempt. In the first free practice session Robert Kubica takes the place of Sergej Sirotkin at Williams. For the Pole it is the official return, during a World Championship weekend, after the accident suffered in the Ronde di Andora Rally, on February 6th, 2011. The increase in temperatures on Friday afternoon does not allow the drivers to improve the times set during the first session. Even in this session, however, it was a Mercedes driver, Lewis Hamilton, who scored the best performance. The World Champion precedes the two Red Bull Racing teams, trailing Daniel Ricciardo by 0.133 seconds and Max Verstappen by 0.274 seconds. Sebastian Vettel follows in fourth place, ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Räikkönen. Ferrari demonstrates its competitiveness with the medium tyres, despite a problem with Kimi Räikkönen's power unit preventing the Finnish driver from completing his long run. Sergio Pérez also fails to complete the session, as he is sent back to the track, after a stop, without the front left tyre being well fixed to the car. The Mexican driver was therefore forced to park the car along the track, and Force India was subsequently fined 5.000 euros for this error. At the end of the session, Ferrari replaced the power unit on Kimi Räikkönen's car. Furthermore, the FIA, after the inspection of the technical delegates, decides to ban, from the next Grand Prix, the small fins placed above the rear-view mirrors, fixed by Ferrari on the Halo. The race director, Charlie Whiting, underlines:
"That's a liberal interpretation of the word because that's how they become legal. The interpretation depends on whether we think it is a matter of installation or not. And we don't think so. They (Ferrari ed.) think they contribute to the stiffness of the mirror: I doubt they would be there if it wasn't a measurable aerodynamic advantage, but right now it doesn't seem that high. A few weeks ago we sent out a technical directive in response to a series of questions from other teams about whether installing mirrors on Halo was acceptable to us. We said yes and provided some guidelines. One concerns their installation. It's just a matter of interpretation and the motivation is not something we're happy with".
And Nicholas Tombazis, technical delegate for the Federation, adds:
"While we accept that teams legitimately design the mirrors, housings, and mounts to minimize the negative aerodynamic effects they may cause, we believe that any aerodynamic benefit should be incidental or at least minimal. To comply with these standards, the mirror supports should provide a significant structural contribution to the mounting system. If you use more than one installation component you may be asked to meet the criteria, through physical testing of the parts, to demonstrate this. Any anchoring device must be fitted to the surface (or lower and/or internal surfaces) of the housing containing the rear-view mirrors. Since the criteria for determining the eligibility of an installation are to some extent subjective, we will be willing to discuss the legality of a new design before introducing it into a tender, to avoid wasting resources, time or money".
At the end of a rather disappointing day, Sebastian Vettel speaks clearly about his ambitions and the work that still needs to be done to get closer to the top. To those who ask if Ferrari is sandbagging, the German driver clearly says:
"No, we weren’t sandbagging. You always want to know what position you are in, going as fast as you can. The truth is that the car wasn't ready yet. We can certainly do better, also because all the innovations we have brought seem to work. Everything we put on the car seemed to work, and that's important. The biggest change we honestly saw in the tyres, which seemed quite different. I don't know and I don't think they are better than before, but it's the same for everyone. Today the track was quite slippery and there were nice gusts of wind. it was a bit of a swinging day. But we can work on the car and we should be stronger tomorrow".
And regarding the mirrors that cannot already be used, Sebastian Vettel says:
"It's easier to look behind, that's why we changed it. It was quite difficult for us to look at the cars behind us. Now I'm in a different position and I can see behind the rear wing a little better. Even on a visual level I think they are more beautiful, the Halo is still not that great, but now it's a little better".
Regarding the fact that Sebastian Vettel has never recorded pole position in Spain, the German says:
"Have I never done it? Really? I'm not sure, I thought I made one! Ok, we'll try to do it tomorrow. If I don’t have it, we'll try to get it, because it's pretty important. Following other cars is difficult and pole is the best position".
His teammate, Kimi Raikkonen, talks about the inconvenience that penalized him during the day:
"I do not know what happened. I stopped, there was some problem that forced me to stop, but we still have to understand exactly what it is. It wasn't the most linear Friday for us, but we know what we have to do. For the most part it went pretty well, so it should be fine tomorrow too. Of course we have to do some work, as always after every Friday. This is the day in which we try various solutions to try to improve and then tomorrow we will see what everyone's strengths will be. I think we will be close".
Ferrari seems to be in difficulty, but Lewis Hamilton is not convinced that Mercedes has a satisfactory advantage over the Maranello team on this circuit:
"I think everyone is pretty close, but I don't know what Ferrari's pace is. They probably played hole cards or something. The day was good, but also difficult because it was windy. Each pilot had to contend with changes in wind direction. It was constantly arriving at every corner and the direction was never the same, which is why we saw many drivers go off the track. These conditions make it very difficult to define where to go with the setup. Tomorrow I hope it will be cooler and calmer. I think we will be relatively close among the top three teams, but I can't really say who is the fastest at the moment".
Valtteri Bottas also confirms the same impressions expressed by his teammate:
"Overall, it was a good day. FP1 was particularly promising, the car felt good right from the start. We then made some changes in the afternoon, but they didn't improve the car, so we went back to the original setup. I didn't really have any gain in grip with the Supersofts compared to the other compounds, so we will have to work on this area for tomorrow".
Andrew Shovlin, the trackside engineering director at Mercedes, adds:
"The conditions were not particularly easy, both our drivers were troubled by the strong and unpredictable wind during their laps on Supersoft, but we were not the only ones who struggled to put all the sectors together. It was difficult to know what to expect from the tyres, because the conditions this winter were very cold, and it was the first time we had fitted Pirellis with thinner tread. For this reason we spent more time than usual trying to understand all three compounds, in order to have good information ahead of the race".
As mentioned, during FP1 several drivers went off the track due to the dirt which affected the performance of the cars, among these, Daniel Ricciardo also made an error. But then he still managed to do his job, albeit with some problems:
"Some of us made mistakes, and unfortunately mine was big enough to not allow me to get out on track in the last hour of FP1. Tailwind is a big problem in F1, especially in corners, where you lose a lot of grip. And in turn 4 he surprised me. We didn't really understand how the Supersoft tyres work. The front tyres in particular do not work well in these conditions. With more fuel it went a little better. Then we mounted the softs, and we were much faster. So the Supersofts don't seem to be the right tyres for this weekend unless something changes. Today went well, this morning I made a mistake, but the afternoon session was a good one. It was important to turn and give the right feedback to our aerodynamicists".
Max Verstappen also talks about using Supersoft tyres, admitting that it is difficult to use them on this circuit:
"In general it's not a compound that works very well on this track. It doesn't seem to work very well either on the front or rear. I think everyone prefers the soft, even for race simulation. For me the supersoft performed quite well, but it is complicated to use. On Sunday we will be able to repeat the performances shown today. But we know well that it will be difficult to overtake, so we must hope to be competitive in qualifying too. That will be the key".
On May 12th, 2018 Lewis Hamilton sets the track record, lapping in 1'17"281, during FP3, using Supersoft tyres. The Briton precedes his teammate, Valtteri Bottas, by just 0.013 seconds. Behind the Mercedes duo, the two Scuderia Ferrari drivers, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen. The session was interrupted a few seconds from the end, due to an accident involving Brendon Hartley.
The Kiwi driver went off the track at turn 9, where the cars reach 250 km/h: the car, after the tyres hit the grass on the edge of the track, loses direction and crashes into the barriers. The strong impact destroys the entire rear end of his Toro Rosso. Max Verstappen also does not complete the session for an electrical problem on his Red Bull Racing, which occurs in the initial part of the session, with the team technicians unable to resolve it quickly. The other driver of the Anglo-Austrian team, Daniel Ricciardo, focuses, during the session, on the use of medium tyres, which will probably be used in the race. A few hours later, Brendon Hartley does not take part in qualifying, as the car could not be repaired in time after the accident in free practice in the morning. In Q1 the Scuderia Ferrari drivers set the best two times. Shortly afterwards, Lewis Hamilton sets the fastest time, and Valtteri Bottas the fourth. Followed by the Red Bull Racing drivers, Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, separated from each other by Fernando Alonso. Towards the end of Q1 Sebastian Vettel improves further, setting the track record, after lapping in 1'17"031. Nico Hülkenberg is forced to slow down due to a fuel problem, which became apparent in his first attempt. Therefore, the German must abandon Q1. Shortly afterwards the two Red Bull Racing drivers position themselves behind Kimi Räikkönen's Ferrari, causing the two Mercedes drivers to slip to fifth and sixth place. Nico Hülkenberg returns to the track in the final moments of the session, setting the fourteenth fastest time. Esteban Ocon recovers and climbs to thirteenth place, while Stoffel Vandoorne precedes Nico Hülkenberg, thus managing to qualify in Q2.
The eliminated drivers are, in addition to the German from Renault, Marcus Ericsson, and the two from Williams, Sergej Sirotkin and Lance Stroll, with the latter leaving the track in the final phase of the session. Haas drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen are the first to set a time reference in Q2, then beaten by Lewis Hamilton, who sees his limit lowered, in sequence, by Valtteri Bottas, Kimi Räikkönen, and Sebastian Vettel, who gets again the track record, lapping in 1'16"802. The Red Bull duo, Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, are still the third force of the group, immediately behind the Ferrari and Mercedes drivers. Lewis Hamilton complains about the dirt brought to the track, after the exit of Lance Stroll, which occurred in Q1. The two Spanish drivers, Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz Jr., improve their times, entering the top ten; after the second attempt, the Haas drivers also lower their times, thus forcing all the drivers, between sixth and fifteenth place, to seek qualification for the third stage in the final moments of the session. Fernando Alonso does not improve, but gets access to Q3, unlike Pierre Gasly, who manages to improve his time, but does not go beyond twelfth position. In addition to the Frenchman, Stoffel Vandoorne, Esteban Ocon, Charles Leclerc and Sergio Pérez are eliminated. In Q3 the Red Bull Racing drivers set the reference times, before Lewis Hamilton closes a lap in 1'16"491. Both the two Ferrari drivers, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, and Valtteri Bottas are disappointed in the first attempt as they momentarily qualify behind the two Red Bulls, with Kimi Räikkönen also behind Fernando Alonso. Daniel Ricciardo makes an attempt on the soft tyres, instead of the softer Supersofts, coming close to the time set by Max Verstappen. Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel execute the same strategy. The Finnish driver improves his time, climbing to second place. However, Lewis Hamilton sets the best time, lapping in 1'16"173, followed by Valtteri Bottas, on the front row, but second, with a time of 1'16"213. Sebasian Vettel also manages to do better than his teammate, taking third place on the starting grid. Lewis Hamilton thus achieves the 64th pole position of his career, number 90 for Mercedes. British driver is incredulous at the end of qualifying because he was unable to find the right feeling with his car. However, he still managed to take pole position in the Spanish Grand Prix:
"I don't think I've found the right feeling with the car yet. It's a little better, but Valtteri is still half a tenth behind me. In my eyes this shows that I am not at that level yet. But that's okay, this means we still have a lot of work to do, but I'm happy with this weekend. it is a continuation of the process we have undertaken and on which we are working in terms of progress and we must continue on this path. After the last race many people told me that I had been very hard on myself, I didn't see it that way. When I went back to the factory and they showed me the race data, I had really good pace. So I thought my situation was much worse, so you have to keep your concentration. I had put myself in a position where I didn't make the mistakes that Sebastian did. Coming here I wanted to give the best performance possible, not by exploiting external circumstances, but thanks to my own merit. I wanted this pole, I needed this pole".
Lewis Hamilton does not believe that Pirelli has released tyres in Spain that match Mercedes' characteristics perfectly, penalizing his rivals:
"I don't think Pirelli wants to help us, and if that were the case, I wouldn't have anything against it. We simply understood better how to use the tyre, and doing more laps helped us with this. The guys worked hard to make the most of the tyres this weekend. So I'm happy, let's hope to continue learning more in the next races too. The tyres although nominally softer behave as if they were harder. The usage window is not very wide. The absurd thing is that the same group of people always make these regulatory decisions. First they go one way and then the opposite. We want fast cars, we want maximum technology to break records".
This, certainly, does not erase the joy of the pole position achieved on this circuit:
"There is always a beautiful atmosphere here in Barcelona, always a beautiful crowd, with many English, but also Spanish, fans who support me. It was a very close qualifying session, but I'm very happy. I needed this pole because I've been missing it for a while. I wanted to set records in every sector. But I'm happy with the central one".
Qualifying results have led to an all-Mercedes front row on the starting grid for the Spanish Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton just 0.040 seconds ahead of Valtteri Bottas.
"I didn't make any particular mistakes, but Lewis did a great job. The team did a super job. We thought differently. Doing a double is fantastic. Valtteri was very fast. Today was my best qualifying, but not perfect. Tomorrow I will do everything to capitalize on a good moment of form. We were very close, as we were all weekend. I had fun even though I ruined the first attempt in Q3. I wanted to do a good final lap, and I did it quite well. It's a shame we missed pole by such a narrow margin, but the race is tomorrow. We will certainly give everything and try to bring home the victory we deserved in Baku".
The satisfaction with this result is also shared by Niki Lauda, honorary non-executive president of Mercedes AMG F1, who comments:
"Very good, we are back. Both cars are where we wanted. We couldn't have put in a better performance, it's fantastic. After four races the developments arrive, and for me this race is the litmus test, and we are on the front row. We are back on top, at least in qualifying. Thank God. Tomorrow's race will be interesting. If we win in Spain, we will have a good reserve of points for the next Grands Prix".
And Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, confirms that the soft tyres made available by Pirelli are probably the best tyres to use in Spain:
"The Soft tyres are probably a little bit faster, but not much more. At the end of qualifying we saw this on Sebastian Vettel's car. But it is not logical that the yellow stripe tyres are faster than the red ones, and this way of qualifying is not logical. But once again there was room for experimentation, as Ferrari showed us".
It is no coincidence that in the second row we find the two Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, who recorded their best performances with the soft tyres, rather than the Supersoft tyres.
"There was a bit of confusion because Q2 had been really simple. The car was pretty good on the Softs, I had an advantage of a couple of tenths and I knew we would have something good in Q3. Then, however, on the first lap with the Supersofts none of this happened".
And he adds:
"I locked up in the first corner and never had the grip I was looking for. It wasn't difficult, because I had a good feeling in Q2. I asked and we decided to go back to the Soft and I think it was the right call. The lap was good, we probably could have done a little better, but not enough to get to the front row. I'm happy with my lap, but the first attempt in Q3 wasn't good, because I lost something in the first corner. I was happy with the final lap, I had good sensations, then I looked up the tower and saw that my name wasn't at the top of the list. So I'm not entirely happy, but we knew that Mercedes would be very strong here. Tomorrow should be an interesting race".
So could Ferrari have achieved pole position with a different strategy?
"I think we have to admit that they were a little bit faster today. By tomorrow I think we should be in battle. Looking back we have to admit that in the last two qualifying sessions they had lost something. If they recovered it, it doesn't necessarily mean they found something, it's just that they're back to normal. At the beginning of the season they were very strong in Australia, then we took the lead, but they were struggling".
Therefore, there remains hope for the race:
"Tomorrow the top three teams will be very close. I expected a faster Red Bull today in qualifying, I don't know what happened to them, but they will certainly be close tomorrow. It is important to get off to a good start. But as always. If you're on pole you have to start well to maintain the lead, if you start from the back to gain it".
Sebastian Vettel never misses an opportunity to criticize the choice to re-attack the circuit, as well as the choice to propose technical regulations that did not provide the desired results:
"The new asphalt doesn't change much for us. It was made for MotoGP. They could leave the old one and save money. It's ironic. These continuous regulatory changes. First, they put aerodynamic limits to increase overtaking but nothing changed. Then, since we were going too slowly, they changed again. Now they want to reciprocate".
The qualifying result was also quite disappointing for Kimi Raikkonen:
"We saw that the previous attempt had gone badly, also because I had made a mistake at the first corner, going wide. Obviously this affected my ride. At that point I was in a position where I had nothing to lose, so we decided to try something else. The Soft tyres had proven quite good in Q2, so we decided to use them on my final attempt. It was a complicated qualifying and we tried to do something different. In the end we managed to do a decent job, but obviously we are not satisfied with the result. I'm not happy, that's all. It's difficult to predict what will happen in the race. It's a bit of a mystery to me, considering I wasn't able to do any long runs yesterday. We will try to make a good start and see how the race evolves".
The third row, as often happens, belongs to the Red Bull Racing drivers, with Max Verstappen ahead of his teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, by just 0.002 seconds. The Australian driver, at the end of the tests, says with great honesty:0.002 seconds. The Australian driver, at the end of the tests, says with great honesty:
"Six or seven tenths from pole is honestly more than we expected. I had a good lap on the Supersofts, although I didn't feel particularly good on those compounds. Then, towards the end, I thought that this was the best possible with the Supersofts and therefore I wanted to try the Softs for the last run. I earned something, but not enough. Unfortunately, it's always like this on Saturdays, but I hope that something can change in Monte-Carlo. Today not much more could be done, but tomorrow, who knows? I'm hoping for an interesting race also because I felt quite confident during the long runs. However, I don't know if it will be the same for Mercedes and Ferrari".
On May 13th, 2018, at the start of the Spanish Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton maintains first position, while Sebastian Vettel manages to pass Valtteri Bottas, taking second place. At the rear, Romain Grosjean leaves the track, tries to get the car back but finds himself in the center of the track, after having raised a large cloud of smoke. His Haas is hit by Nico Hülkenberg and Pierre Gasly. The three pilots are unharmed but are forced to retire. Due to the large amount of debris present on the track, the race direction decides to bring in the Safety car, which slows down the groups until the seventh lap. At the restart, Lewis Hamilton precedes Sebastian Vettel, Valtteri Bottas, Kimi Räikkönen, Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo, Kevin Magnussen and Carlos Sainz Jr. The positions remain the same until lap 17, when Sebastian Vettel makes his first stop, moving to use of Medium tyres. The German returns to the track in seventh position. Two laps later Valtteri Bottas returns to the pits. The Finnish driver returns to the track behind Sebastian Vettel. The Ferrari German also passes Kevin Magnussen, and Valtteri Bottas follows the same maneuver during lap 21. The standings thus see Kimi Räikkönen and the two Red Bull Racing drivers, Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen, behind Lewis Hamilton, in front to Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas. During lap 24 Lewis Hamilton makes his stop, while, shortly afterwards, Kimi Räikkönen is slowed down by a loss of power, which forces him to retire on lap 25. Max Verstappen thus climbs into first position, ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo. Further behind, Carlos Sainz Jr., after the stop, finds himself dueling with Marcus Ericsson for eighth position. During lap 32 Kevin Magnussen returns to the pits to change tyres, followed, in the following two laps, by the two Red Bull drivers. Lewis Hamilton returns to the lead of the race, ahead of Sebastian Vettel, Valtteri Bottas, Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo and Kevin Magnussen. During lap 38 Esteban Ocon retires due to a loss of engine power, which forces the race direction to establish the Virtual Safety Car.
Ferrari calls Sebastian Vettel back to the pits to put him on medium tyres. The German climbs from second to fourth place, between the two Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo. At the end of the virtual Safety Car Sergej Sirotkin makes a driving error, while Max Verstappen damages the front wing in a contact with Lance Stroll. The classification does not change until the end, as none of the leading drivers make a second stop. Lewis Hamilton wins the Spanish Grand Prix and achieves his 64th career triumph. With Valtteri Bottas' second place, Mercedes achieve their 42nd double; for Red Bull Racing, Max Verstappen gets podium number 150. While Sebastian Vettel is forced to settle for fourth place, followed by Daniel Ricciardo, Kevin Magnussen, Carlos Sainz Jr., Fernando Alonso, Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc. Lewis Hamilton wins his second victory of the season, winning at the end of a Spanish Grand Prix dominated from the first to the last lap. Capable of giving the race a pace that was unattainable for anyone else, the Briton achieved a Mercedes one-two, preceding his teammate Valtteri Bottas under the finishing line banner.
"I think it was a rejuvenating experience. Probably, people think that it was an easy race and that I was taking a stroll, but that's not really the case. I was comfortable, but at no point did I feel like I was at that level. I pushed on every single lap and used the situation as a test bed to understand what was positive in terms of balance and what I could do instead to try to fully exploit the potential. When I take part in debriefings, I can be very specific about what I want to achieve. During those meetings there are some key points that I point out, such as the work to be done to improve and become more competitive. The nice thing about being a world champion is that naturally the team listens to what you say, because you're not talking nonsense, and so they focus on those areas, look at the data and try to work on it. It's an incredible process that you do together with the team and it works".
What was the secret to achieving this incredible victory?
"I don't really know, I think this was a good race in terms of feeling compared to what I had experienced in previous races. Despite everything, there are several challenging GPs coming up. Monaco will undoubtedly be because the others will be difficult to beat. If we look at the fact that Ricciardo was very competitive in the last sector here in Barcelona, you understand that his car has a lot of drag and is fast. In Montreal, however, it is complicated to get the right tyre temperatures. It will take a few turns to get them working properly. All these aspects will bring tough challenges and I don't think it will be as seemingly simple as it was here".
The Mercedes driver underlines:
"I don't think it's just a question of track, obviously the tests went quite well here, so everyone had a good understanding of how the impact with the track was. However, I believe that the fact that the sun came out for most of the weekend, that the asphalt reached temperatures of around 25 degrees and above, was decisive compared to previous circuits. In any case I would say that a small percentage is also due to the track and consequently on the next tracks we will have to optimize our understanding of the route. But I believe that having better understood the characteristics of the car and the updates introduced have led us to take steps forward".
Is it possible to repeat this in Monaco too?
"No, not really. Monaco is a difficult track, I just hope the weather is good there. If the weather is good, then neither of us (Bottas and I, ed.) will have to fight with the tyres. However, if it is cold, as it has been on the coldest days here, it could be difficult. Undoubtedly, we go there with greater confidence even if we don't take for granted the fact that we still have a long mountain to climb, or, to say it better, we still have a lot of work to do. I think we should only think one race at a time. Honestly, we were on the right track this weekend and I think the team did an exceptional job, managing all aspects and improving in every single area. I said I wanted to win the way I did and when I crossed the finish line, I was happy I did it the way I had hoped".
Speaking about the Spanish Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton admits:
"It was a very simple race, with just one stop, and the tyres were very similar, but we've already talked about this with Charlie (Whiting ed.). We discussed it with him and the possible options for next year, perhaps widening the gap between the compounds a little and making it a little bolder. Overtaking was difficult and when I found myself behind Max (Verstappen ed.) I had fresher tyres than his. With these cars and on this track, following an opponent is even more difficult than I remembered. Since it was windy, already when you reached four seconds you felt the effect of the car in front, and it shouldn't be like that. Therefore, I think that at that moment, even though I had a cooler, but harder tyre, I was slower and I wasn't able to overtake. So, definitely, the fundamentals are not right and need to be improved. Let's hope they do something more exciting later in the year. I was sure we would all be much closer. Great team, great pace, great strategy. First double of the year. We are very happy".
And speaking of the tyres brought by Pirelli, the British driver says:
"The compounds were really similar, here it was clear that we would only have to make one pit. Even with new tyres I couldn't pass Max. In the wind it's very difficult to follow a car and the tyres don't help to make things exciting".
And finally, he concludes by thanking the team:
"Thank you so much, I couldn't have done anything without this amazing team who did an amazing job. Today I felt that synergy with the car that I hadn't had yet this season. For us it's a good restart, we have to continue to put pressure on Ferrari. It's great to see the team so strong and we hope to continue like this. Thanks to the fans who came here".
Valtteri Bottas, second at the finish line in his Mercedes, doesn't know whether to define himself as happy or dissatisfied:
"Coming second behind Hamilton is a bittersweet feeling. As a team player I'm happy for the team, but I'm here to win races. Overtaking is very difficult, but I'm sure I would have had a chance against Sebastian. I'm happy that as a team we made a better choice. I was in a difficult situation after the first stint, because I was stuck behind Sebastian. We knew we had a strong car with a lot of pace, but it's very difficult to overtake here. It would have been difficult to stay behind the whole race, but they decided to stop again during the Virtual Safety Car while we didn't. It was the right decision. In the end it was tough because I did 45 laps with the Mediums. I never believed I could finish with just one stop. Honestly before the start we expected that it wouldn't be possible, at least not to do a fast race. But, when we saw the tyres holding up better than expected, we changed strategy. Obviously I would have liked to fight for the win, but as a team it was a good race. I think the team has been perfect, we just need to continue like this and the victories will come for me too. Even though I didn't start too well, it was a good race for us. Losing pole by 0.040 seconds made a big difference today. Lewis was perfect and deserved the victory".
The Finn confirms the words expressed by Lewis Hamilton, relating to the difficulties that the Anglo-German team will have to face in Monaco:
"Honestly, I think Monaco will be difficult for us. As we saw last year, we think Red Bull will be very strong indeed and Ferrari was on pole last year. So it will be difficult, but we have to continue to work hard and believe that we can improve".
Third position for Max Verstappen, the protagonist of a contact with Lance Stroll under the Virtual Safety Car, but still good at keeping Sebastian Vettel behind him despite the damage to the front wing.
"The contact with Stroll fortunately did not compromise my race. I had understeer in fast corners, but by changing some parameters we managed to get everything working. The car ran very well today. It's very difficult to pass here, but we managed to stay in front. We had a bit of luck with Kimi's retirement, but in terms of tyre degradation we managed to manage it very well. After the VSC Bottas was a bit too far away, but I had to keep pushing because I had Sebastian behind and I had to check how the front wing was holding up. In the end it went well".
Despite the good result obtained by the Red Bull Racing team, the consultant of the Anglo-Austrian team, Helmut Marko, lashes out against Pirelli and Mercedes, guilty - in his opinion - of having modified the tyres in favor of their opponents:
"The tyres were changed at the request of Mercedes. When you are a team and also a builder at the same time, you can do it. We produce energy drinks and obviously cannot have as much influence as a car manufacturer".
But Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, responds:
"It's not the first time the doctor (Marko ed.) sees ghosts. In the winter tests there had been blistering problems on the tyres and Red Bull had had them too. The rear ones looked like a volcanic landscape, so Pirelli improved them. It's a bad deal if the tyres start to explode. I think you look weak if you have a bad weekend and complain. First of all, let's look at ourselves and our problems. It wasn't as simple as it seemed, just because the race was good. Friday and Saturday were more complex and on Valtteri we were following the tyre situation right from the start. We had a pick-up (when the hot rubber picks up tyre chips from the asphalt, ed.) and a flat tyre that caused some vibrations that seemed serious. Up front, however, Lewis was truly exceptional".
And he continues:
"Sebastian's left front tyre was really bad, they needed to pit and we were a bit worried about having a structural failure, so we decided to stop, even with Lewis. In hindsight, we would have preferred to stay out, but a failure ruins the race for you. We could see how track position was really crucial. When Lewis was behind Max he had the newer tyre, but here it's really difficult to overtake. When Sebastian decided to pit during the Virtual Safety Car, we decided to do the opposite and take the medium tyre to the finish line. This meant a long journey into the unknown and we had our hearts in our mouths in the final laps because there were vibrations on the front axle. Valtteri did the perfect job to manage the load on the left front and the tyre temperatures, going downhill on old tyres".
After that, Toto Wolff returns to talk about Pirelli's decision to modify the tyres for this Grand Prix:
"I'm always on the side of concern. We were very good here during winter testing and when we went to Australia everyone said it would be an easy win for Mercedes. Then we had some difficult races. Today I think we did very well, but we have to stay calm and humble. This is nonsense, all the teams suffered heavily from the blister during the Barcelona tests. Red Bull, Ferrari and us, but from what I saw also McLaren. The tyres would not have lasted in the race. In terms of the environment, the track temperatures were arctic and for this reason Pirelli changed the thickness of the tyre to prevent the problem. In fact, today we saw that this problem did not arise. So I don't know where the rumor came from that we influenced Pirelli and the FIA to modify the tyres, I've never seen anything like this, why would they do that?"
And, finally, the Austrian manager underlines:
"It seems like we are competitive when the weather and track temperatures are a little colder. This is a characteristic that has distinguished us for some years, but we are working to have a competitive package whatever the environmental conditions we may encounter. Each team has brought updates, but in F1 it only exists thanks to an upgrade on the car and you become half a second faster. Some people say it, but they have no idea, it's about getting marginal benefits on the car and then getting an advantage out of it. I don't think we took a step forward and the car suddenly transformed. We just made the car work in the right operating range and we must try to replicate the same condition in the next races. It's not a question of fitting new aerodynamic elements on the car and then suddenly seeing the behavior change".
James Vowles confirms what the Mercedes team's concerns were during the race, when Sebastian Vettel returned to the pits:
"It's fair to say that this choice was extremely borderline. We could have gotten into big trouble. In the final laps of the race Valtteri was really, really tense. We knew there was very little left to ask of the left front tyre and it was very difficult to predict how it would go. Valtteri had eight seconds on the Red Bull and what we were doing at that juncture was making sure he slowed down a bit in some key corners, in order to safeguard the life of the tyres, but without losing the tyre temperature. It was a delicate balancing act and should not be underestimated at all".
And he adds:
"Valtteri had eight seconds on the Red Bull and what we were doing at that juncture was making sure he slowed down a bit in some key corners, in order to safeguard the life of the tyres, but without losing the tyre temperature. It was a delicate balancing act and should not be underestimated at all. Valtteri did an absolutely incredible job, we put him in a very difficult position and he dealt with it perfectly, taking the tyre to the end of the race exactly as we asked him to do".
So he concludes:
"We had concluded on the basis of the evidence that there was a strong possibility that Vettel would have to stop again, and it was absolutely unlikely that anything else could have happened if we had taken this decision, at worst we would have finished behind Vettel again, and perhaps Red Bull, however below the potential of the car that was in second place. We tried to take the risk, a very close decision but it turned out to be the right one. It's fair to say that it was an absolutely extreme choice".
The Red Bull Racing team can still console itself with the achievement of the fastest lap, the all-time race record, set by Daniel Ricciardo, who lapped in 1'18"441. The Australian driver, fifth at the finish line, says at the end of the race:
"I don't know why we can't have the Hypersofts at every race. Maybe we could qualify with those and then see what happens. At least it would create a few more opportunities. We handled them in a good way in Abu Dhabi, it seemed like they were a good step forward and also able to hold up in terms of durability. An impression that was also confirmed during the winter tests. So far everything seems ok. I don't know how long they might last on some tracks, but right now, whether it's construction or whatever, it seems like it's a good tyre. We'll see, we'll use it next week".
Then, talking about the race, he says:
"It was a strange race. With the second tyre, the medium compound, the car was very sensitive. It was really complicated to be consistent because, every five laps, I managed to do a fast one but always risked spinning on the other four. I made a lot of mistakes, but the car was too sensitive. There was too much power and too small a window for the car to perform at its best. It's difficult for me to be able to do more, it was a difficult race and also rather boring after the Virtual Safety Car".
And finally, he launches the challenge for the Monaco Grand Prix:
"In Monte-Carlo I hope to win. There I have much more confidence because, here in Barcelona, we were very fast in the third sector. And it is a section of the track quite similar to the Monaco circuit. For this reason, I have much more confidence ahead of the next race".
For Ferrari, however, it is a disappointing day: on the one hand the men of the Maranello team have to cope with the heavy withdrawal of Kimi Raikkonen, forced to return slowly to the pits due to a problem with the power unit, and on the other they become protagonists of a real tactical suicide, calling Sebastian Vettel back to the pits to make a pit stop under the virtual safety car, causing the German to slip irremediably from second to fourth position. Sebastian Vettel says at the end of the race:
"You don't have to be a genius to understand that the tyres get harder when you remove 0.4 millimeters. Here's how other teams were better than us. Our tyres didn't last as long as the others, like Bottas for example. We couldn't follow their strategy, we had to stop, after which we lost two positions to the drivers who managed to stay out. We also lost some time at the pit stop. I think it was difficult to put the machine in the right operating window. We had balance problems. As mentioned, I also struggled a bit with the tyres this weekend. Perhaps the change had a more negative impact on us than on others".
But the German also admits that beating Lewis Hamilton would have been impossible:
"Hamilton was just faster. You could see that at one point he was 2.5 seconds a lap faster. At the beginning I struggled a little with the front and it was easy for Valtteri to attack us. We simply didn't have the pace, it was evident. When we stopped, things were getting better, but we were still very slow, we didn't have much choice. After that the road to the finish line was too long. Losing position to Verstappen was a surprise, also because he had damage to his front wing which didn't slow him down too much. He ended up having fuel problems, but we were also running out of tyres. Ours were a little cooler, but paradoxically they finished in worse conditions than theirs".
And finally he concludes:
"It was difficult to maintain a regular pace, I had a lot of vibrations and I struggled to see. This is how it happened and we need to understand. Sure the tyres were different this weekend, but they were different for everyone. So we were missing something and we have to improve".
For his part, Kimi Raikkonen says a few words:
"I certainly lacked thrust, I lost power, I was able to turn but no longer at full speed and therefore a check had to be done. I couldn't say what happened, we can't say at the moment, everything must be examined before we can express ourselves. It's the second DNF of the year, it's a shame".
And the Scuderia Ferrari team principal, Maurizio Arrivabene, concludes by saying:
"In many ways this was a weekend where nothing went right. Now, calmly and accurately, we will have to analyze the reasons, different from each other, that prevented us from expressing the potential seen in the other races. Then we will prepare for the next Grand Prix in Monaco with professionalism, determination and confidence".
The one who, however, shone and showed off his driving skills was certainly Charles Leclerc, who managed to finish the Spanish Grand Prix in tenth position, with his Sauber-Ferrari.
"This is certainly a result that comes from afar. Reaching Q2 on Saturday represented an excellent starting point. Finishing the race, for the second time in a row, in the points made this weekend truly special. I worked on the setup and now I feel much more comfortable in the car. The car fits better with my driving style and this allows me to push much harder, managing, especially in qualifying, to get closer to the limit. Since I understood, through accumulating experience, how this car should be driven, I was able to take a big step forward".
The Monegasque admits that the accident at the first corner could have compromised his race:
"That's for sure. Of the three cars involved, only Romain was in front of me at the time. I managed to avoid Grosjean who, being on the inside, didn't cause me any particular problems. But there was a lot of smoke, and this created a very difficult situation to manage. Luckily I managed to get out of it. During the early stages of the race I wasn't sure what position I was in. I didn't know if I was in the points or not. I was very focused on doing a good job of keeping the tyres in the usable range, because the temperatures were dropping very quickly. Only later, via radio, did they tell me they were in ninth place. Definitely good news to receive but, I repeat, it didn't affect my race. When you're in the group, your only worry is that whoever is in front of you passes and doesn't let those who follow pass you. In those situations, being in the points or not doesn't change the approach to the race".
And he adds:
"The fight with Alonso was exciting. He remained behind for many laps, also thanks to the fact that overtaking on this track is quite complex. However, it was very difficult for me to be able to keep up with him for a long time also because my left front was very degraded. The same happened, a few laps later, in my battle with Sergio. My tyres were finished. I suffered from both graining and blistering".
Then, however, the virtual safety car regime involuntarily helped him:
"Clearly VSC didn't help us. It was very difficult for me to maintain the right temperature on the tyres and at the restart Alonso managed to overtake me. It was great to have the chance to fight with Fernando again. In Baku our duel didn't last long because we were running on different strategies, but here we were on the same strategy. It's still quite strange for me to duel with drivers of his caliber. But to be honest, when I'm in the car, I don't think too much about the fact that the driver I'm fighting with could be Fernando Alonso. As soon as I lower the visor, I have 19 rivals and, regardless of everything, I will do my best to maintain my position".
Speaking about this start of the season, Charles Leclerc admits:
"In this first part of the championship, Alfa Romeo Sauber allowed Marcus and me to fight with the mid-group teams and this, for us drivers, is really important. Being able to compare yourself with other competitors is crucial. It's not pleasant, even when you drive magnificently, to finish races last or second to last. The fact that we have become closer to others is a source of great pride for the team. This keeps us even more motivated. We are growing. We are now much closer to the pack and our goal is to consistently enter the midfield battle both in qualifying and in the race. Having scored in the points in Spain is a very special feeling. We certainly benefited from some retirements, but we still wouldn't have finished far from the top ten".
And he concludes:
"Fighting against Alonso teaches you double the things you would learn dueling with any other driver. In Azerbaijan we clashed briefly because we had the race based on different strategies, but this time we both had the same tactics and therefore we spent a good part of the Grand Prix fighting. In the end, keeping him behind was impossible because the left front tyre was really worn out. Getting back into the top ten is a great feeling: it was an interesting race, with weather conditions that made driving difficult, especially for tyre management. We have made significant progress since the start of the season, and the whole team wants to continue like this. It will be important to stay focused: the next Grand Prix will be my home race, and I can't wait to race there for the first time in a Formula 1 car".
With this second consecutive victory, and taking advantage of his opponents' mistakes, Lewis Hamilton increases his lead in the World Drivers' Championship over Sebastian Vettel, who could have limited the damage in Barcelona, but instead fell to fourth place at the end of the Grand Prix. Both the strategic error and Kimi Raikkonen's retirement also heavily affect the Constructors' World Championship standings. In fact, Mercedes, taking advantage of the mistakes of others and taking the double, returns to the top of the standings, with 153 points against 126 for Scuderia Ferrari. But the World Championship is only at the beginning of a long journey that will end on November 25th, at Yas Marina, home of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. First, however, the circus will stop in Monte-Carlo, where the Monaco Grand Prix will take place on Sunday, May 27th, 2018. On the Principality circuit, Scuderia Ferrari arrives as the favorite, but we will have to be careful of the presence of Red Bull Racing, while Mercedes will have to race in defence, waiting for circuits more favorable to the Anglo-German cars.