Formula One Vault

PRIXVIEW – Spanish Grand Prix

Round seven of the season brings F1 to Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix, a circuit known very well by all the teams and drivers having constant use in junior series and up until 2020 a regular base for the teams during the winter for testing. The latest revision for this year’s race returns the circuit back to the original circuit introduced in 1991.

Barcelona is a high-speed and downforce circuit where the challenge for the teams is getting the balance right, there is also the added factor of changeable wind conditions. The city and Catalonia region is the only place within a country which has hosted Grands Prix at three different circuits.

This weekend, following the cancellation of Imola, will give the teams the first real opportunity to assess their upgrades following the cancellation of Imola. This would have been an important weekend given the amount of historical information the teams have about this circuit races and practices tend to feature less track action but this

The 2.894-mile circuit was built in the nearby town of Montmelo, twenty-four miles from the city centre. It’s a circuit of conflicting demands which makes finding the right set-up challenging, in one session drivers could complain about oversteer in one part of the circuit but come the next session the car could be struggling with understeer.

Overtaking and following other cars can be difficult because of the long flat-out sections and fast-flowing corners. The race in Monaco should give a good understanding of performance in the tighter more twisty final sector which can be difficult to follow. But they need to be close behind to get the benefit of DRS and slipstream along the main straight and pass into Turn One. A smaller chance comes through the long curve at La Casa which allows multiple options for an attempt to overtake.

But Barcelona has a long history with F1, the city first holding a non-championship round in 1951 at the Pedralbes street circuit, that race was won by Juan Manuel Fangio, who took advantage of tyre problems. However the race would be placed on hiatus for financial reasons and following the 1955 Le Mans disaster would not return until 1967 as a non-championship race at Jarama starting an alternating arrangement with Montjuic, in the city of Barcelona.

These two circuits were very different, Jarama a fast wide and sweeping circuit while Montjuïc was a slow, tight and twisty circuit. Jackie Stewart would win the first race in 1969 he would win again for the following three years before Niki Lauda took his debut win in 1974.

The 1975 race held at Montjuïc had been blighted by safety concerns following practice. There were several protests, and the drivers refused to race. The organizers panicked, and they threatened to lock the cars inside the stadium where they stayed while not being raced.

Those concerns became a reality when the race was abandoned on lap twenty-nine, three laps earlier Rolf Stommelen’s car crashed when the rear wing broke off, killing four spectators. The race was stopped on the 29th lap and won by Jochen Mass, though only half the points were awarded.

The race then left Barcelona for fifteen years first moving to Jarma until 1980 and Jerez in 1984. The race was briefly dropped in the early 1980s as the organizers seemed more interested in the golf course near the circuit, and because of the narrow track, unpleasantly hot late June conditions, and small crowd at that year’s race. While it moved to Seville and Jerez in 1986.

The first race in Jerez saw a furious battle between Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell resulting with the two cars finishing side by side. Senna won by 0.014 seconds, one of F1’s closest finishes. 1987 saw Mansell win in his Williams; and 1989 saw Senna drive a hard race to keep himself in the championship points; he won the event from Austrian Gerhard Berger in a Ferrari and the Brazilian’s fierce rival and McLaren teammate, Frenchman Alain Prost

F1 returned to Barcelona once again in 1991 with the current circuit in the town of Montmelo, twenty-four miles from the city centre. Mansell and Williams started a run of winning the first three wins at the circuit. Michael Schumacher took the first of his first six wins in 1994, his first win for Ferrari is one which stands out in 1996.

His victory in torrential rain is regarded as one of his best, the race saw numerous crashes including Jos Verstappen being the final driver to crash with twelve laps to go. Mikka Häkkinen also had success towards the end of the 1990s and early 2000s, the Finn took three wins and was on course for a fourth before suffering a car failure on the last lap.

For the last twenty years, the interest in Spain has grown thanks to the success of Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz. Alonso finished second in 2003 and 2005 before taking victory from pole in 2006. Alonso also finished third in 2007, with two further second places in 2010 and 2012.

In 2012 he finished behind the Williams of Spanish-speaking Pastor Maldonado, who won from pole; this was the first win and pole in a Grand Prix for a Venezuelan driver and Williams’s first win since the 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix and the team’s first Spanish Grand Prix win and pole since 1997.

The beginning of the hybrid era in 2014 has seen Mercedes dominate, apart from the infamous crash in 2016. On the opening lap, while fighting for the lead, Lewis Hamilton went wide as Nico Rosberg defended the lead at Turn Three coming back at Respol, the Englishman his position, Hamilton went off the track and spun and they collided taking them both out.

That set up a thrilling battle between newly prompted Max Verstappen, teammate Daniel Ricciardo and the Ferraris. Verstappen inherited the lead on lap forty thanks to the pit stops going on to control the race and take victory on his debut for Red Bull, the youngest-ever winner.

Hamilton would go on to dominate this race for the next five years, but that’s likely to change this season as they have been in no man’s land. His victory in 2021 saw him equal Michael Schumacher on seven wins beating Verstappen by fifteen seconds.

Race & Circuit Guide

Fast facts

• Lella Lombardi is the only woman to have scored a top 6 finish in an F1 World Championship race. She recorded half a point for sixth place in the shortened 1975 Spanish Grand Prix on the treacherous Montjuïc circuit in Barcelona
• Since it joined the calendar in 1991, only 11 podium finishes at this circuit have come from lower than fifth on the grid. Only three races at the track have not been won from the front row of the grid.
• Pastor Maldonado’s 2012 win being his only win in F1, it also marks the only time a Venezuelan driver has started from the front of the grid, finished on the podium or won a race. Maldonado is also one of only two Venezuelans to have scored points in the sport, the other being Johnny Cecotto.
• The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya witnessed the longest period of different winners, lasting 11 years from 2006 to 2016, during which there were no repeat winners.
• The largest victory margin at this race track dates back to 1995, when Michael Schumacher took the race victory finishing 51.988 seconds in front.
• The smallest victory margin was in 2016, when Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took his first in by finishing just 0.616 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen

Event timetable

What happened in 2022?

Charles Leclerc continued to show Ferrari’s early season by beating Max Verstappen to pole by three-tenths, but both drivers made mistakes on their final runs in Q3. Leclerc spun his Ferrari on his final attempt after locking up on his final attempt through Catalunya.

Verstappen capitalising on that mistake on the first run, but the lingering power unit issues which have hampered Red Bull all season appeared to raise its head again. That left him unable to take advantage of Leclerc’s mistake. George Russell was fourth for Mercedes still struggling to find a solution for reducing the porpoising which has been affecting them all season. They were tipped briefly to challenge for pole, but beating Sergio Perez will be seen as a big step.

Verstappen went on to win the race after Leclerc suffered an engine failure and retired halfway through the race with a turbo and MGU-H failure. Russell briefly held the lead of the race before being passed by Verstappen. Though there was friction in the Red Bull camp, Perez described team orders to let Verstappen pass as “unfair.”

Hamilton overtook Sainz for fourth on lap sixty, Sainz retook the position four laps later, with Hamilton being told to lift and coast, and his teammate Russell also having to slow down due to overheating issues. Despite the issues, Russell and Hamilton were able to finish third and fifth, respectively.

Race Result – 1) M. Verstappen, Red Bull, 01:37:20.475| 2) S. Perez, Red Bull, +00:13.072 | 3) G. Russell, Mercedes, +00:32.927

What to watch for?

This weekend I think it’s very difficult to see Red Bull being beaten as Barcelona is a circuit which historically favours the fastest cars and those long straights and fast corners are ones which favour Red Bull. The challenge may be huge for its rivals, but Sergio Perez I think needs to stop Max Verstappen just walking all over him and towards a third world title.

Red Bull knows statically if they win this eighth race, they should win the championship. Aston Martin is still their closest challenger and looking back at Bahrain the last purpose-built circuit so this should give us better answers but I think the feeling is they need this weekend to understand the car.

Barcelona should I think still favour Red Bull, as it’s a circuit which favours straight-line speed and good cornering. Getting the power down through the final sector with the long straight is key, the slipstream and a tow aided by DRS make Turn One, one of the best overtaking opportunities.

Ferrari who we think is the most likely to challenge for the title must now start delivering as in the next two months we have five races then we will be halfway through this season. Charles Leclerc won this race last year and he will be looking to kick start his season, I think realistically they are challenging Aston for second in the constructors.

This weekend marks just over a decade since Fernando Alonso last won a race which was here in Barcelona, with Aston Martin looking to be the closest challengers to Red Bull. Red Bull as we know are so strong, Aston and Alonso will need to do everything right and hope for a bit of luck to beat Red Bull as they know they are so strong. Alonso will I think be in the best position since 2013 to win this race.

Mercedes I think showed signs of a step forwards last weekend but we don’t have a full understanding because of the uniqueness of Monaco of their upgrades. This weekend will give us some answers to that question, we know they look to be on the same level in race trim as Ferrari and I think that is a good sign. Both drivers seem comfortable in the car this year and they have leapfrogged Ferrari in the constructors.

McLaren and Alpine are tied on points going into this weekend, both have had their challenges but can they start to light up the midfield battle as we enter the middle part of this season….

2021 vs 2022 Race Data

2022 Lap time comparison

Tyres