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Sebastian Vettel, the leader of the World Championship with 86 points after four races, remains grounded in the first press conference ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, scheduled for Sunday, May 14, 2017, at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Montmelo.
"Mercedes has done extraordinary things in the last two years and remains the team to beat. Breaking their supremacy is tough, but we are trying".
Certainly, Vettel, coming off the second place in Sochi, can rely on a finally competitive car. The early races have confirmed it:
"The position of Ferrari is definitely better than in 2016, but it's really too early to draw conclusions".
The German driver confirms, presenting the Montmelo track:
"It's an important appointment because teams bring changes to the cars, even though in the last decade, updates are made from race to race".
It's too early to talk about winning the World Championship, let alone discussions about next year. Vettel dismisses rumors of a possible move to Mercedes:
"You have to ask the one who wrote it. I am focused on this year. With the team, we have a great position. We want to maintain it and capitalize on it".
No comment is given on who will be his next teammate with Räikkönen’s departure and the sensational (but unlikely) return of Fernando Alonso:
"I have no preferences. You have to be ready to race anyone by your side. A strong teammate helps you improve".
A difficult but not impossible return: Ferrari, after all, will have to replace Räikkönen at the end of the year, and Alonso himself can't wait to leave McLaren, with the British team in serious trouble.
"I said this is my last year of the contract with McLaren. I'll have to reflect after the summer; I am open to all solutions. I like this F1, and my priority is to race here, not just race but also win. I am happy with my team, but we are not winning".
The face becomes serious when discussing the difficulties of his car:
"Surely, our moment is not the best. The performances have not been up to par, and I have not finished a race yet. The first step is to improve; the second is to understand how competitive we can be on this track. Perhaps with the updates, there could be changes; we hope it's a starting point for the new championship".
Meanwhile, Roscoe, Lewis Hamilton's inseparable bulldog, grumbles under the conference table. To the right of his owner, slightly bored in worn-out jeans and differently glittering necklaces compared to his mood, is the icy Max Verstappen's growl.
A year ago, the Dutchman won his first (and so far only) Grand Prix debut with Red Bull in Barcelona, becoming, at 18 years, 7 months, and 15 days, the youngest driver on the top step of an F1 race. The Mercedes of Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton collided, going off the track, favoring the intruder from the Toro Rosso junior project and the fourth position in qualifying. But that was an era ago, a truly long time ago.
"How have I changed? I have more experience, both in driving and in life, nothing more. If you feel better on the car, you can understand it better. Yes, last year was nice. And perhaps much more intense than today. But it was 2016, now it's 2017. I want to win more races, not just that one. It was nice, but I'm not here for that. I want more".
And not even a smile. The guy is not that type. Ironic, yes, but stern. An adult beneath that blond childlike face. From Dad Jos, a former pilot (in Benetton with Schumacher in 1994), he inherited a certain martial posture, excluding the related arts in which the parent, on the other hand, often indulged, ending up in physical altercations several times (with the ex-girlfriend, even with his own father, and the last time in April in the Netherlands outside a bar with another customer). The bold family upbringing seems not to have affected the boy with a penchant for daring overtakes (more in fashion last season) in the most solemn self-control. Since that day a year ago in Catalonia, another four second places and two third places. He closed 2016, bringing Red Bull to second place in the Constructors' Championship, behind the unreachable Mercedes.
"How was Max a year ago?"
Hamilton repeats the question, looking at the no longer so young guy hidden under his cap while the bulldog on the car is now exhausted and snores underneath.
"He had an extraordinary race. Of course, he has grown, and he will. He's 19 years old, and there's an incredible career ahead".
If he says it with a hint of melancholy, it's hard to decipher. Beaten by his teammate last season and in this one caught and even surpassed by external (Ferrari) and internal (Bottas in Sochi) competition, Hamilton must rather deal with his nervous present than look back at the radiant future that is advancing. For Verstappen, a podium so far (third in China) and many expectations for the developments of the car from this weekend's Grand Prix, although the first news seems to downplay the concept of revolution that the Anglo-Austrian team has often produced with the pen of Adrian Newey, the visionary engineer.
"It's quite a substantial update. We hope to get close to the top. Looking at the car, you will see the differences. We hope to narrow the gap. We need to be faster".
And others take it, Max, the 3-million-dollar-a-season guy (until 2018). In recent days, rumors of an early end to his relationship with Red Bull had intensified, thanks to an alleged performance-related contract clause: in short, if the Milton Keynes team doesn't provide him with a dominant and winning car, he would be free on the market, where Ferrari would position itself as the favorite. But Helmut Marko, the consultant for the Anglo-Austrian team, dismisses all of it:
"There is no clause. So, if we don't release him, he can't go to Ferrari".
On Friday, May 12, 2017, the first session of free practice is dominated by Mercedes, which monopolizes the top two positions in the standings. Lewis Hamilton precedes teammate Valtteri Bottas by just 0.029 seconds, while Kimi Räikkönen closes third, one second behind the Briton. The Ferrari Finn is penalized by a driving error in his best lap, and then by traffic on the track, while Sebastian Vettel manages only five laps before having to stop the car at the end of the pit lane due to a technical problem with a rear wheel. Back on track after a long stop, the German finishes 0.1 seconds behind the third time. Daniel Ricciardo also loses part of the session due to the need to replace the rear wing. However, Fernando Alonso does not complete a single timed lap, again hindered by a power unit problem. Kevin Magnussen, on the other hand, does not finish the session, as he ends up with his Haas in an escape route. In the second session on Friday, the standings remain unchanged, with the two Ferraris chasing Lewis Hamilton, still the fastest, and Valtteri Bottas. However, in this session, the gap narrows significantly: Kimi Räikkönen is only 0.3 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton's time. In this session, the Soft tires, which will be used for qualifying, are also tested: unlike the Anglo-German cars, the Ferraris manage to bring the tires to temperature after just one warm-up lap, compared to two for Mercedes. During the session, both Valtteri Bottas and Sebastian Vettel went off the track but without causing any damage. Fernando Alonso only completes part of the session due to the time needed to replace the engine, while Daniil Kvyat breaks the bottom of his Toro Rosso. The session, characterized by strong winds, is also interrupted with the display of the red flag to allow the removal of some pieces of carbon lost before the chicane. At the end of the second practice session, the FIA decides to extend the straight section where drivers can activate the DRS: now, this section is extended by 100 meters. This is established to increase overtaking opportunities. Few and somewhat confusing indications come from the Montmelo circuit after the first two free practice sessions of the Spanish Grand Prix. What can be said is that Mercedes, the team that presented the most visible innovations compared to other top teams, seems to have gained some ground on Ferrari.
After Ferrari's surprising performance in Sochi, Mercedes engineers have taken action, especially because, unlike the Russian circuit, the Spanish one seems to favor Ferrari. Their efforts have had some effect, as Hamilton and Bottas (in that order) dominated both sessions. Beyond the lap times, which are relatively important on Fridays, their cars seem more composed than what was seen in Russia, although driving errors, especially those of the Englishman, are quite a few. Ferrari is not doing badly either. The morning times (Räikkönen and Vettel were one second behind Hamilton) were blatantly deceptive; those in the afternoon (with the gap reduced to just three-tenths) are decidedly more reliable. More than the stopwatch, what worries the Maranello team for now is the reliability issue. Choosing a different line from the competition in the use of the five power units available during the season, Ferrari finds itself, after only four races, having used many more components than the competition. The standout figure is the use of three turbos, as penalties from the Federation kick in after the fifth. Despite this frenetic turnover of engine parts, something has not gone right today, and Räikkönen was forced to slow down due to suspected engine problems. The issue was quickly resolved, but this hint of fragility in such a competitive competition is rather worrisome. Behind the Ferraris - still well beyond the safety margin - a decent Red Bull has reappeared. Waiting to see what will happen in qualifying and then in the race, for now, the gap from the competition has settled around half a second (probably it will be wider in the end). Newey's expertise begins to take effect. Maybe. On Saturday, May 13, 2017, during the third and final practice session, the situation is reversed. The two Ferrari cars precede the two Anglo-German cars; Kimi Räikkönen is followed by Sebastian Vettel, trailing by 0.2 seconds, while Lewis Hamilton is 0.381 seconds behind. Valtteri Bottas finishes with the fourth time, more than 0.6 seconds behind his compatriot. Bottas manages to carry out tests only in the last minutes of the session, as his engine was replaced on his single-seater. Vettel also mounts a new engine, the second of the season. At the beginning of qualifying, Ferrari asks Sebastian Vettel to bring his car back to the pits due to technical problems, while yellow flags are immediately displayed for a spin by Romain Grosjean at the chicane.
The German driver of Ferrari, however, continues his tests, immediately setting a reference time, beaten only by Lewis Hamilton. Among the top drivers, the only one who continues to run, despite having a sufficient time for qualification to the next phase, is Kimi Räikkönen, who manages to climb to the second position. The battle among drivers from other teams is tight; Marcus Ericsson, Jolyon Palmer, Lance Stroll, Stoffel Vandoorne, and Daniil Kvyat are eliminated. In the second phase, Valtteri Bottas is penalized in his first attempt by a braking error; the Finn makes up for it with the second fast lap, placing himself behind his teammate. Behind the two Mercedes and the two Ferraris, the two Red Bull Racing cars confirm themselves, but are 0.5 seconds behind the best time. Another 0.5 seconds separate the times from seventh to fourteenth place. In the final moments of the session, Romain Grosjean returns to the pits, unable to improve after a mistake at the chicane. In addition to the Frenchman, the two Haas drivers, Carlos Sainz Jr., Nico Hülkenberg, and Pascal Wehrlein are eliminated. In the decisive phase, Lewis Hamilton precedes the Finns Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Räikkönen, while Sebastian Vettel is fourth. However, the gaps between these drivers are minimal. Of the other six drivers, only the two Red Bulls are on track, with Verstappen ahead of Ricciardo. In the last attempt, Bottas seems to be able to threaten Hamilton, but makes a mistake in the last sector. The British driver does not improve but remains in first place, while Vettel moves up to second place. For Lewis Hamilton, this is pole position number 64 of his career. After qualifying, several components are replaced on Stoffel Vandoorne's McLaren; for this reason, the Belgian driver will be penalized with the loss of ten theoretical positions on the starting grid, where he finds himself twentieth and last. At the end of the day, Pirelli decides to reduce the tire pressure levels imposed on the teams. The Italian company lowers the pressure of the front tires by 0.5 psi and the rear tires by 1.5 psi, following information from the teams regarding downforce, which turned out to be different from what was calculated during winter testing. After facing the setback in Russia from his teammate and the Ferraris, Lewis Hamilton secures the pole position from Sebastian Vettel, albeit by a narrow margin of 0.051 seconds.
For the Englishman, it's the third pole of the season. Reversing the script seen in Sochi with perfect symmetry, Mercedes dominates in Barcelona - a track that was expected to favor Ferrari, at least based on the winter testing. Behind the top two, Valtteri Bottas trails his compatriot Kimi Räikkönen by just under 0.070 seconds. The Spanish Grand Prix presents a challenge for Ferrari, as they will have to rely on a good start to maximize their chances of victory on a circuit where overtaking is not particularly straightforward. Both Ferrari drivers, however, will start from the dirty side of the track. Once again, strategy will play a decisive role. The race pace demonstrated by the red cars in the free practices is certainly on par with that of Mercedes, suggesting that the Italian team might opt for aggressive moves like the well-known undercut (an early pit stop for a tire change). Regardless of what unfolds on the track, it can be said already that the battle of updates - a key element of this season - has not significantly altered the competitive nature of the challenge. Mercedes, with a tremendous effort, may have gained some competitiveness compared to the setback in Sochi by Ferrari, but nothing that makes them feel completely secure. This is evident in the minimal time differences recorded by the stopwatch (the top four are within 0.290 seconds). Behind the top two teams, Red Bull seems to have closed the gap a bit. Verstappen's margin from the top, 0.55 seconds, is the smallest of the season in terms of qualifying. Finally, noteworthy is Fernando Alonso's performance: after engaging in paddle sports with his fitness coach throughout the weekend, the Spaniard was able to complete a session impressively. Not only did he place his McLaren in Q3, but he also managed to position it ahead of both Force Indias and Massa's Williams. Tomorrow, he will start from the seventh position, bringing joy to the Spanish audience. It's practically a miracle. On Sunday, May 14, 2017, at the start of the Spanish Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel made a better start than Lewis Hamilton, taking control of the race. The British driver is in second place, while Valtteri Bottas touches Kimi Räikkönen, who collides with Max Verstappen; the latter two drivers are forced to retire. In the midfield, there is also contact between Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, but both can continue the race. Behind the top three, Daniel Ricciardo settles in, followed by the two Force India cars, Nico Hülkenberg, and Kevin Magnussen.
During lap 13, both Kevin Magnussen and Carlos Sainz Jr., who is following him in the standings, pit. Exiting the pit lane, the two cars almost collide, with the Spaniard placing half of his car on the grass. One lap later, Sebastian Vettel makes his first pit stop, continuing with Soft tires. The German rejoins the track in fourth place but quickly overtakes Daniel Ricciardo, positioning himself in pursuit of the two Mercedes cars. On lap 22, during his first pit stop, Lewis Hamilton opts for Medium tires. Valtteri Bottas is leading until lap 25 when Sebastian Vettel passes him at the end of the long pit straight. One lap later, the Finnish driver of the Mercedes team is also overtaken by his teammate. During lap 34, Felipe Massa is side by side with Stoffel Vandoorne at the first corner; the Belgian driver is unaware of the Brazilian and collides with his car. Vandoorne's car ends up in the runoff area, forcing the race direction to introduce the Virtual Safety Car. Hamilton takes advantage of the situation to make his second tire change, switching back to Soft tires. A lap later, Sebastian Vettel also returns to the pits to change tires. However, due to regulations, the German is required to use Medium tires. Exiting the pits, the two cars almost collide, with Vettel maintaining the lead. Valtteri Bottas retires on lap 39 due to an engine failure. Daniel Ricciardo moves up to third place but is already trailing the top two. The battle between Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton is intense, with the German, disadvantaged by slower tires, resisting until lap 43. In the final laps, Sebastian Vettel tries to close in on Lewis Hamilton, who is using Soft tires and therefore has a higher degradation possibility. However, the gap remains unbridgeable, and Lewis Hamilton wins the Spanish Grand Prix. The British driver also sets the fastest lap, completing his twelfth hat trick: pole position, victory, and fastest lap. Spins, engines on fire, overtakes, accidents - the Formula 1 of the future begins again from the past, when adrenaline flowed freely, and drivers were ready to do anything for a position. And, just like in those times, it reflects a duel between alpha males, suddenly discovering itself beautiful again. If the Sochi race was the one where Ferrari managed to outperform Mercedes in qualifying, the Barcelona race will be remembered as the moment when F1, after decades of boredom, found itself again.
And it did so thanks to two talented guys, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, and their two teams, Mercedes and Ferrari, behind which there is now a technical and competitive void: to say, yesterday, Ricciardo's Red Bull finished third, the only non-lapped car on the circuit, one minute and fifteen seconds behind. Clarified with such brutality that we are now talking about the most classic of two-way questions, Hamilton and Vettel put on their gloves and began to strike, metaphorically speaking. The first blow was dealt by the German, with a dazzling start: starting from the dirty side of the track, he still managed to launch his Ferrari towards the horizon at a staggering speed and put it in front of Hamilton at the first corner. However, the Englishman stayed close to his rival, while behind everything happened: Bottas, Raikkonen, and Verstappen tried to defy physics by all squeezing into a funnel where there was room for only two. Only Bottas managed to avoid disaster; the other two crashed out. A few laps later, Ferrari tried the knockout blow. To take the initiative away from Hamilton, the pit wall opted for an aggressive strategy and anticipated Vettel's pit stop, fitting the fastest available tires and placing the burden of the counter-move on the shoulders of their rivals. And this was where Hamilton won the race, probably without even realizing it. His engineers kept a cool head, did not react, and set up the race more rationally than Ferrari. They waited a few laps and then ordered the counterattack: they fitted Hamilton with the slower tires, preparing for a handful of laps of total suffering before being able to switch back to the faster ones; in the meantime, they instructed Bottas to sacrifice his race, wait for Vettel - who was going very fast - to slow him down in every way (legitimate). Mission accomplished perfectly: when Vettel overtook him, with one of the most beautiful maneuvers seen in recent times, a double fake like Garrincha's, with a final acceleration on the grass, he had already left almost six seconds on the track (Hamilton won with a 3.4-second advantage). But the hand-to-hand combat set up by the Mercedes strategy had yet to take place. And it came shortly after, when Hamilton changed his tires for the second time, returning to the faster compound. A lap later, Ferrari did the same but came out with the slower compound just as Hamilton arrived: a stellar clash, wheel to wheel, ending with a clear victory for Vettel who kept the Englishman behind with a decidedly rough maneuver.
Hamilton, however, once again was more lucid. He didn't take risks: he had 1.5 seconds more per lap, the overtaking was in destiny. And so it happened.
"Formula 1 races should always be like this".
Hamilton says at the end of the race, with a big smile. Vettel, not far away, nods, but you can see that, in the end, he doesn't entirely agree. Pole position on Saturday, victory, and the fastest lap of the race. The weekend in Barcelona was a genuine triumph for Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes, shortening the overall gap to Vettel and finally bringing back a smile to Hamilton's face. The satisfaction of the Englishman is particularly evident when looking at the circumstances: according to what was understood during the February tests, this Spanish circuit was ideal for the characteristics of Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari. Therefore, coming here and dominating from Friday to Sunday was by no means a given. But after the shock at the beginning of the season when it became clear to everyone that Ferrari had brought a small miracle onto the track, Mercedes managed to react. They arrived here with an impressive package of aerodynamic and mechanical developments, ultimately defeating their opponents, albeit by only 3.4 seconds and at the end of a nail-biting race.
"I didn't start well, but the team did a great job. Vettel was incredibly fast. I don't know what I did wrong at the start, but maybe I wasn't good enough".
Admits Lewis Hamilton. Then the Briton praises the duel with his rival:
"It's nice to have a close race with Sebastian, who was very fast. The races should always be like this".
The second pit stop was decisive, where Mercedes gained a lot:
"In the heat of the moment, it's hard to comment. I thought I had taken the position, and I was very close. But that's how races are, and I wouldn't change anything".
Sebastian Vettel finishes second, maintaining the top position in the World Championship:
"I pushed as much as possible. I started well, had a little wheel spin, but managed to stay ahead".
Then, however, he found himself with Hamilton close behind on Soft tires.
"It was a surprise to have him next to me coming back on track. I did everything possible to keep him behind, but he was fantastic. It would have been nice to win, but it's okay; I'm still ahead".
Ferrari, however, was convinced that Hamilton could struggle with tire wear in the end, given the thirty laps completed with the last set:
"We hoped that Lewis would struggle with the tire at the end, but it wasn't enough".
Mercedes tried everything to allow Hamilton to win the race.
The Ferrari team principal, Maurizio Arrivabene, implies this at the end of the race:
"Vettel lost time behind Bottas before the safety car, but that's how races are. We can say that we have a very strong car. Our car is solid, and so is the team. It will be a tough and interesting championship".
There is optimism in Ferrari for the future.
"Vettel said the car was very fast today, he added, maybe too much, I add that it's never too much, we always need to do better".
It is instead a bitter day for the second lines. Räikkönen was pushed out by Bottas (innocent), who in turn pushed out Verstappen. The Finnish driver says after getting out of his car and retiring:
"I had a good start, but already on the straight, I was blocked once by Bottas. I had to lift a bit and go to the left. Then inside turn 1, I don't know how, he hit me on the rear right, the car had a bounce, and I ended up on Verstappen's car. Neither I nor Max could do anything; when you get hit from behind like that, you have no way to avoid contact. It's a shame. I thought I had left enough space for Valtteri. Unfortunately, my race ended there. Of course, I'm very disappointed; we had gone well all weekend, and I was happy with the car's behavior. I was hit on the rear right, I believe by Bottas, in turn 1, and then the car had a bounce, and I ended up on Max. I think I also damaged him; my race ended there. I have to review the video; I was certainly hit from behind, and in the end, I also hit Max".
A few laps later, Bottas (very good, if not decisive in slowing down Vettel) stopped, showing that the reliability issue does not only concern Ferrari.
"A zero in the standings could weigh like a boulder at the end of the championship. If the inconvenience that happened to me in Barcelona had happened to Lewis, he would now be 30 points behind Vettel. I was doing everything possible to keep Sebastian behind and make him lose time; that's how it goes. At a certain point, this was my mission, my job. In any case, the pace difference was too great, and so, in the end, he managed to pass. But I think I definitely helped the team. I hope it can make a difference. At least we managed to gain some points in the standings against Ferrari, and that's not bad. Obviously, with both our cars in the race, the difference could have been greater. I could have finished on the podium, so I'm disappointed, but we had to take a risk going back to the old engine. We knew it was short on mileage, but it was the only option we had to qualify. That's life".
And Mercedes Team Principal, Toto Wolff, adds:
"Unfortunately, it was really a shame to lose 15 points with Valtteri, who retired when he was in third place. We have identified the main cause of the problem, which is attributed to the turbo. We had never encountered that defect before, and it shows that you have to be doubly diligent. This is a technical sport, and if you push your limits, you will always encounter problems in that regard".
Regarding engine issues affecting everyone, the Austrian manager says:
"Because we are all pushing to the limit. You cannot afford to give up even a single cent in a fight like the one we are engaged in with Ferrari. We have tried to increase aerodynamic efficiency and reduce weight, but we are not talking about five kilograms. In Formula 1, it's difficult to make big strides this way; they are all small. We are working more with grams than with kilograms".
Talking about the strategy that favored Lewis Hamilton, Toto Wolff admits:
"The gap has become quite large after the Spanish Grand Prix. But we have only raced five times, and there are still fifteen races to go. So, for us, there is no reason to favor one driver, and certainly not at such an early stage of the season".
Finally, regarding this year's World Championship, which is exciting in the battle for the top position but less so in other aspects, the only non-lapped driver was the third-placed Daniel Ricciardo (still nearly 76 seconds behind Hamilton). Daniel Ricciardo says at the end of the race:
"I feel good, although this result is a bit the result of the luck we had with the problem that occurred to Bottas. I don't know what happened to him, but anyway, we take what comes. We have to do it this way, I'm happy to be back on the podium and to be able to taste the champagne again. Maybe with another five laps, they would have lapped me, but we have to stay positive, bring home this podium, and wait for Monaco. I really like the next race".
Red Bull Racing Team Principal, Christian Horner, speaking about the new power unit that will be used shortly, says:
"The work seems to be in progress. They said it will be the third engine, and it will depend on its introduction. Of course, we are eager to have it as soon as possible. We hope it happens in Montreal. Every week, we go to church to pray that it happens as soon as possible".
And regarding the possibility of working with new suppliers, he adds:
"There seem to be some positive discussions going on between Ross Brawn, the FIA, and various engine manufacturers - both automotive and independent. In many ways, Formula 1 desperately needs to address the engine issue, as it is the key to the future. Both in terms of costs and performance but also in terms of noise and entertainment. These are really important elements that need to be addressed. I am sure that the commercial rights holder would like a competitive economy, an autonomous engine, because in that case, there would not be so much power in the hands of the manufacturers who could always leave the category and leave it without alternatives".
About slowing down Ricciardo to preserve the engine, Christian Horner says:
"No, in the race, the delta seemed even bigger. Daniel didn't seem satisfied with his car over the weekend, but with this, I don't mean that Max would have arrived with a smaller gap. There are still problems. The way the tires work is a key element, especially on this track. We believe we have taken some steps forward this weekend, and all of this has provided a very clear direction in terms of development. We hope to capitalize on that in the coming races".
On the other hand, the Spanish Grand Prix also has another winner, Thomas, six years old, the little Ferrari fan from Amiens in Upper France, who, like his new president, immersed himself in the heart of a Formula 1 show, warm, romantic, even human. His idol, Kimi Räikkönen, is trapped between two cars at the first corner, hit by Bottas and Verstappen, before getting stuck off the track with a dangling wheel. Thomas cries desperately under the Ferrari cap and white ear protectors, above the well-ironed red jumpsuit with all those colored emblems, the same uniform as the Ferrari men, but smaller, tiny. The image goes on TV. It shakes the Circus. They go to pick up Thomas, take him to Kimi's box, who melts: photos, hugs, happy end. Applause. Formula America. And pop formula.
Thomas's story is a thermometer of the change sought and wanted in the Circus, too far from the people according to the Americans of the new owners Liberty Media. The one in Spain was the first Grand Prix of the new era, really: almost 95.000 spectators, over 12.000 more than last year. Audience increased throughout the weekend. Not just the roars and rubbing of the usual suspects in the paddock, but a show in the middle and around. Titan The Robot dancing among the people, this two and a half meters tall metal giant who loved to do it especially with Shakira. Fernando Alonso walking with a ham (definitely Iberian) on his shoulders, acclaimed by the crowds. T-shirts thrown in the stands by (almost) pom-pom ladies. NBA style, the show is also for those who watch the sport. Thomas showed it more than anyone. A scream to the new world. At that moment, even his mom Coraline, 40 years old, sheds a few tears ("I am the Ferrari lover at home, and by talking so much about it, my son fell in love") while dad Jordan, 36, whose last name is Danel, certainly fails in the paternal lesson on this delicate family point. A camera frames the agony of the child, blond hair stuck to his forehead and temples, mouth wide open and eyes squeezed with pain. The F1 family has healed the distances, widened to feelings. TV tells the whole story, including the happy ending. Even if it's fiction, it's well shot. Kimi gives Thomas the hat and a pair of shoes. He will use them when he grows up. He will remember the moment when a six-year-old won a very big prize. And the Circus, his little enormous popularity.