Spanish Grand Prix: Podium Example

The race in Barcelona traditionally opened the European part of the season, where Formula 1 was held after the visiting Grand Prix at the track, which hosted winter testing in the winter. The teams were preparing many new products for the Spanish podium, having the opportunity to evaluate the progress of the car compared to the tests.

For years, the race in Spain was central. Although boring, but the absence of a battle, the intrigue with changes in the balance of power when they took place, and most importantly, European fans could see their idols for the first time, in excellent weather, in comfortable conditions. When the Spaniards played in the championship, the stands were always full.

Years passed. The teams stopped preparing major updates and finished the machines at each stage. Fernando Alonso stopped winning. And the audience in the stands was gone. They even planned to leave the podium – ticket fees didn’t cover the costs, but first the local authorities helped, then Formula 1 had no choice because of Covid-19 – and the Spanish Grand Prix remained.

This year the stands are full again, but not by Alonso, but by Carlos Sainz, who plays for Ferrari. Yes, he often makes mistakes this year, but the crowd likes him, plays for the most popular team and has a good chance of a podium finish. But Fernando is also actively supported.

There will also be many Dutch fans – about seven thousand. And if at the first European stage this year in Imola there was almost no orange smoke characteristic for them – the tifosi painted everything red, but now the gamut will be more colorful.

This year, the first European stage took place a month ago, a thousand and a half kilometers from Barcelona – in Imola, Italy. And before that race, Charles Leclerc’s lead over Max Verstappen in the individual classification was 46 points. Two races have since passed – and for the Spanish Grand Prix the difference is only 19 points.

Ferrari justifies two failed races by not preparing new products, although it was strange not to try to please the Italian fans who completely packed the grandstands at the track of Enzo and Dino Ferrari, where the Scuderia suffered a crushing defeat. And team leader Mattia Binotto’s words in Miami that Red Bull will at some point run out of money to complete the cars while Ferrari remains do not seem convincing yet.

Mercedes has enough money to improve the car, but it doesn’t drive. And maybe it won’t work this season, because nobody stands still.

The higher you go, the harder it is to fall. There has never been a higher peak than Mercedes in Formula 1. And of course the team is out. There are still remnants of the former optimism, but every weekend the phrase “We don’t know what’s going on” is getting clearer. And such a sentence from the best Formula 1 engineers (who have not yet been lured by Dr Marco) indicates the magnitude of the problems that have arisen.

In modern Formula 1, one person, even the most talented, will not change anything. If previously the teams Adrian Newey worked for could be attributed to his technical talent, now you need a dozen Neweys – one in each technical department – to give yourself an advantage. Or a Helmut Marko, who will change them, and a Dietrich Mateschitz, who will pay for everything. And a “sister” team, which, at the expense of its own interests, will help circumvent the restrictions. Recipe for success from Dr. Mark. But nothing new, all means are good for victory.

The weekend in Barcelona is all about racing. From the boring women’s W series, where Jamie Chadwick wins for the third year – simply because the winner of this series is not interesting to anyone without sponsorship money, and with money you can do without the W series. Too bad Ira Sidorkova is no longer performing there for well-known reasons, otherwise it would be someone to cheer for.

But there will be an interesting Formula 3 with Alexander Smolyar and Arthur Leclerc, and an even more interesting Formula 2 with those heroes that we will soon see in Formula 1. And if the race in Barcelona sometimes turns out to be boring in Formula 1, the boys from the youth series can add fire. Find time to race!