Round 14/66: Alonso, who started farthest, is one place away from the points. Russell and Ferstappen both go into the pit, which puts Perez in second place – as much as 15 seconds from Leclerc.
Round 12/66: Ferstappen overtakes Perez on the P3, but the radio says his DRS shutter has not opened. Another technical problem for Red Bull …?
Round 11/66: Thus, Ferstappen is in fourth place after Perez, Russell and Leclerc, who has so far avoided any drama and is leading by 10 seconds. Science drinks after his back. Norris passes Schumacher behind P7.
Round 9/66: Ferstappen falls on the gravel! He himself was making the fourth turn — just like Science minutes before — and Russell and Perez ran past him as he returned to the track like a disoriented vacationer.
Round 8/66: Okon climbed to seventh, both alpinists enjoyed the time, and Alonso beat Vettel for P13. Perez hunts Russell for P3
Round 6/66: Carlos Science spins, no one next to him, and hits the gravel! The beginning of a nightmare for him when he abruptly drops an order for P11.
Round 4/66: “Lewis knew what he was doing. He rammed me, ”Magnussen snorted on the radio. Stewards’ verdict: a racing incident. Further back Alonso passes Stral on P14.
Round 3/66: Hamilton and Magnussen touched the wheels when the Dane tried to squeeze his opponent, but did not do enough – the stewards will watch, but this is a terrible start for Hamilton, although the best for his teammate: Russell – it’s third, past Perez. Science’s poor start was due to the fact that he almost immediately stopped. Leclerc sits pretty upstairs, 1.3 sec.
Round 2/66: Perez and Russell crawled past Science on a frantic first lap, leaving the Spaniard fifth. Hamilton writes with a puncture and switches to software. So much about mediums.
Circle 1/66: And we went! It’s a long way to turn one – Leclerc cuts off Ferstappen along the way and, when he gets there, keeps the advantage around the corner. Hamilton and Magnussen collide on the fifth turn, and Magnussen turns on the gravel. Hamilton survived, but was his car damaged?
The machines are sent to the formation circle, almost every driver, as expected, begins to use a tire with a soft mixture. Every driver has one: Hamilton on the media.
Starting grid:
1) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
2) Max Ferstappen, Red Bull
3) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
4) George Russell, Mercedes
5) Sergio Perez, Red Bull
6) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
7) Walter Botas, Alfa Romeo
8) Kevin Magnussen, Haas
9) Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren
10) Mick Schumacher, Haas
11) Landa Norris, McLaren
12) Esteban Okon, climber
13) Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri
14) Pierre Gasley, Alpha Taurus
15) Guanyu Zhou, Alpha Romeo
16) Sebastian Vettel, Aston Martin
17) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin
18) Alexander Albon, Williams
19) Nicholas Latifi, Williams
20) Fernando Alonso, climber
Toto Wolff does not underestimate the impact of heat: “I think the one who will least melt the tires will win the race – every plan we have will still be sent to the cart because no matter what it is with two, three or four stops, we are going to find out. ”As if to prove his truth, Sergio Perez gets an impromptu walkway under the pipe.
… and the half-fun drama of the week:
For a short time. Here are some readings before the race, about yesterday’s qualification …
Legend of Newcastle United Patrick Kluivert is among the celebrities watching today. “I love Lewis, he stands for good things,” he says, being a Sky collar. He is moving the City to the league, and Sergio Aguero is also among today’s spectators. A coincidence? Of course not.
Here is Fernando Alonso, who won on this track – at least nine years ago: “I have nothing to lose, and can only improve with the latter, so we will be aggressive and see the result. I hope that Carlos can give something extra, starting from the front, and for my part I will try to give a good show today. “
Sainz says managing the tires will be key and he is not mistaken: today on the track 48 degrees and we are waiting for the race with two stops. Here is what is offered:
What about home drivers? Carlos Sainz starts in a great place, third in the net, and he has never finished on points. “It’s a decent position,” he says. “I think the key will be to start driving tires.”
As for Fernando Alonso, he starts from the back after a penalty for the engine and 17th place in qualifying. Hardly does that mean good, as does the fact that his five races this season have brought two retirements and only one point: he may well settle for the last one here.
It is hot in Catalonia – much more than 30 degrees – so this afternoon all eyes will be on the strategy of drivers’ tires. All three top teams equipped both of their riders with two new sets of mediums and one hard drive.
Meanwhile, that’s what Ferstappen said about his loss of strength in yesterday’s qualifying round: “It’s always hard to say, but I couldn’t make the last race, either the DRS didn’t open or I just lost strength. It’s a bit insulting, but I think that in general to be in the forefront for us here, looking all weekend, I think it was a good achievement. “
Preamble
After the pomp and show business of Miami, it is time to play on the track of Catalonia, where Max Ferstappen is trying to track down Charles Leclerc in the standings and on the pavement with the third consecutive victory at the GP. The Dutchman, who triumphed steeply in Miami and Emilia-Romagna, seems to be back on his feet after a disastrous start to the season, but his task today is formidable.
His Monegasque rival, 19 points ahead of the standings, yesterday circled the circle with an omnipotent circle to beat Ferstappen to the pole. The way it ended in its first run – and the fact that it was never better than the fourth on this track – will give its competitors reason to hope, although the fact that Ferstappen’s car lost power on the last lap will bring unwelcome retrospectives. early -seasonal disruptions that forced him to play catch-up.
Championship of both drivers and designers begin to take the form of a race of two horses, with Ferrari and Red Bull accelerating from the chase in the latter. The Mercedes team is desperately trying to destroy any league of its own that has been confused so far this season, finding no answer to the guinea pig problem caused by new regulatory restrictions.
Yesterday, however, suggested hints that they may be preparing to appear at the party, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton held their best combined qualifier of the season. “We’ve definitely moved forward, and that’s great,” Hamilton ventured after qualifying for two places after his teammate in sixth place.
Another fun of the week became thanks to Aston Martin, whose modernized car has a design remarkably similar to Red Bull. The fact that two senior aerodynamicists left Red Bull at Aston Martin last year has led Christian Horner to complain about the suspicious appearance of a “very close clone” that has since been dubbed the “Green Red Bull”, and Horner’s team spent Friday practice demonstratively sipping green Red Bull jars in a glorious petty protest. Keep an eye on this space.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2022/may/22/spanish-grand-prix-f1-live-leclerc-verstappen-hamilton
