Before the Spanish Grand Prix, Mika Hakkinen, former Formula 1 driver, two-time world champion, shared his memories of the Barcelona circuit, and predictions for the upcoming round.
I’ve always enjoyed racing on the Barcelona track because it requires perfect driving technique, there are long fast corners, the direction of movement is constantly changing and you can overtake at the end of the straight. In 2007 a chicane appeared in the last corner of the circle, but this year it was removed and the riders will have to race the track in the configuration that was during my career.
The last two corners before the start-finish straight will be very fast and very important as they determine how fast you will get to this straight. I think we will see a lot of interesting things there!
In 1991 I took part in the debut Grand Prix on this circuit and in the 1990s I drove thousands of laps around the Catalan ring during tests. This circuit has always been great for checking and fine-tuning vehicles, as it allowed the teams to get reliable information about the efficiency of the car as a whole.
I won the Spanish Grand Prix three years in a row – from 1998 to 2000. The first time everything went perfectly: I started from pole, set the fastest lap and won, taking an important step towards the first championship title.
The following year I won qualifying and the race again, but in 2000 Michael Schumacher started from pole, but I managed to get ahead of him in the second pit stop. The last time I started this Grand Prix was in 2001, my last season in Formula 1. I should have won without too much trouble, because at the end of qualifying I started the race from the front row, made Michael and was in the lead after 40 seconds, with five revolutions to go the clutch on my McLaren car came apart.
I was very upset, it was difficult for me to come to terms with this failure, but in Formula 1 this happens. Until you cross the finish line, you haven’t won yet.
Sergio Pérez was unlucky in Monaco, crashing his car in the first part of qualifying, so he will give his best during the Spanish weekend as he challenges Max Verstappen for the title. But the situation has already become seriously complicated, so it’s more important than ever for Sergio to rebuild properly.
Max dominated in Monaco and the Red Bull team showed they knew how to use the right tactics, even when Fernando Alonso, the Aston Martin driver, started to threaten them. In Barcelona he has the passionate support of the stands and this is one of his favorite races. However, fan enthusiasm is not enough to make the AMR23 as competitive as the RB19. But should anything go wrong with Red Bull Racing, Fernando is ready to fight for victory.
Qualifying results in Monaco were very tight, with only a few seconds separating the four cars. I think in Barcelona behind the Red Bull duo the rivalry between the racers Aston Martin, Ferrari and Mercedes will unfold.
The Scuderia are currently 4th in the Constructors’ Championship and it’s important for them to put it all together and have a confident weekend. The start of the season for Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc hasn’t been the best, but we all want to see what they can add.
Mercedes is only one point behind Aston Martin and also claims second place in the team standings. Their W14 car is not the most competitive, but George Russell and Lewis Hamilton are very consistent. In Barcelona it will become clear whether this team has really made progress by upgrading the chassis. If you can, I foresee George and Lewis going into a fundamental dispute with Fernando for a spot on the podium.
I would rate Max’s chances of winning in Barcelona at 2/5 and Perez at 19/5, but there is no doubt about Red Bull Racing’s dominance. This circuit suits their car well because the RB19 does a great job with aerodynamic efficiency. At the same time, I believe that one of the Mercedes drivers can also climb the podium – if the technical innovations presented by the team in Monaco work as the team expects.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
