Catalunya Grand Prix

Following a turbulent Monaco Grand Prix, here comes the 7th Grand Prix: the Catalunya Grand Prix—not the Spanish Grand Prix, which will take place at Madrid.

Right from the start, the stewards ruled in Gasly’s favor regarding third place, much to the chagrin of RB and McLaren, of course! Alpine was the only team to file a protest: what would have happened if everyone had done so? RB and McLaren are already contesting Gasly’s third-place finish, and RB is also contesting the fact that its ICE is the most powerful for the ADUO.


The Track



It is very familiar to the teams and drivers, which explains the presence of many young drivers in FP1. We return to long straights—the second-longest in the championship—on a track that Alain Prost helped design and which serves as a benchmark for testing an F1 car because it features every type of corner found in the championship. This circuit will reveal the true quality of the F1 cars at this stage of the championship.

This comprehensive circuit combines high-, medium-, and low-speed corners. The first two sectors are fast, followed by a slow final section where the rear tires start to overheat due to traction. Managing the rear tire temperatures is the key to an excellent lap time. You need to preserve enough tread life to exit the final corner as quickly as possible and launch into the one-kilometer straight at full speed.

T1-T2 – A fast section followed by an equally fast change of direction to navigate the bumpy chicane, where the car can become unstable. The first corner is one of the few where overtaking is possible under braking.

The forces at work, the stakes
Back on a more traditional circuit, a few things might change; Mercedes will undeniably be the team to beat with six consecutive wins, and Kimi has five. The latter will be closely watched by a Russy who must be starting to have doubts and who didn’t expect such high potential to materialize so quickly: a 68-point gap already! He responded well in FP1 and 2, but Q will be a whole different story.

Mercedes will want to prove its overall superiority once again, with the most consistent power unit even if the internal combustion engine isn’t the most powerful according to the FIA.

Féfé is bringing a lot of new features here, including a very aggressive new front wing in conjunction with his third floor of the season; the small fin behind the exhaust has been reworked.







McLaren is hoping to put an end to its downward spiral following Nono’s DNFs. In FP, Nono managed to show some promise, but once again, I don’t know what they were testing or how much fuel they were running—Q will be the true test.

McLaren and Red Bull will obviously be on the lookout for a potentially strong result; McLaren hopes to put an end to its downward spiral following Nono’s DNFs. In FP, Nono managed to hold his own, but once again, I don’t know what they were testing or how much fuel they had—Q will be the true judge!

Behind them, Alpine will certainly lead the pack, provided the team manages to stay ahead of the increasingly competitive Racing Bulls.

Tyres

Pirelli is bringing its mid-range tires: C2, C3, and C4. The front-left tire will be put through the wringer, and engineers will have their work cut out for them managing tire degradation, cooling the powertrains, and managing thermal stress on the brakes.

The unique manufacturer in F1 is to encourage more multi-stop strategies and make the use of the hard tire more relevant during the race.

At 4.657 kilometers long, the Catalan circuit is considered one of the most comprehensive tracks in the championship. Its long straights are combined with fourteen turns, including several rapid sequences that place heavy demands on the tires.

Lateral stresses are particularly high on the left-side tires, which are subjected to heavy loads in the circuit’s nine right-hand turns. The most demanding corners remain the fast Turn 3 as well as the final two turns, which were redesigned in 2023 to provide a smoother exit onto the pit straight.

Tyre degradation is expected to be primarily thermal, with a significant impact on the front tires. Wear remains high due to a particularly abrasive surface, the age of which is beginning to show. Track temperatures could also be higher than in previous years due to the change in the event’s date.

As is the case every year, Barcelona serves as an excellent technical barometer. Teams traditionally bring a significant number of updates to the track, some of which are even visible on the rims—a component that has become crucial in managing heat exchange between the tires, the track surface, and the braking system. Engineers will have a valuable reference point thanks to the data collected during January testing at this same circuit.

Just a reminder that in this tire strategy, the undercut is incredibly effective!

After the Grand Prix, Pirelli will extend its stay in Catalonia with two days of testing dedicated to developing the 2027 slick tires. On June 16 and 17, Ferrari, Aston Martin, and Cadillac will participate in this important test session aimed at preparing for the future of the sport.

Weather
The weather will be summery and muy caliente in Montmeló, with temperatures rising from Friday to Sunday, likely peaking at 34°C in the air and 55°C on the track, with winds of 10 km/h and gusts up to 35 km/h. It'll be tough on the mechanics, but also on the drivers—sometimes the water hoses come loose, aïe aïe aïe caramba !

FP1


FP2

 

Q
After a difficult practice session, Hamilton surged ahead when Leclerc crashed into the wall in Q3—yet again. He was so close to P1, but he’s on the right side of the track here in Barcelona. Russy takes pole, but by just 0.064 seconds ahead of Hamilton! The former teammates will be on the front row at the start tomorrow. Anto will start from P3, ahead of Nono on the second row, followed by Verstappen and Hadjar on the third row.

Piastri is less than a tenth behind Nono but will start seventh on the grid, ahead of Lawson, Hülk, and thus Leclerc.

From the start of the weekend, we saw Russy outperforming the newcomer Anto, and for the first time this season, Anto isn’t on the front row. Once again, strategy will play a huge role here on a track where tire degradation will be massive and the undercut just as massive! The best is yet to come tomorrow on an overheated track where the tires will be like chewing gum—blistering, flat spots, and more...

Leclerc in the wall of tyres

Cadillac ahead of Aston and close behind Williams Albon!

 

That a big one, literally.

Other formula cars have passing in Monaco's hairpin, do to being much smaller.

 

Here is the winner of Barcelona, is it true ? is AI ? 1st win in red for Ham, 3 stops, all tyres was passed on the track, helped by a SC of Zozo, DNF of Anto and Leclerc, but he was the faster on the track


WEC Le Mans
Cadillac was so close to the win but Toyota is so experienced here.

Come back to Barcelona, Ham 106th victory, but more importantly, his first in a Ferrari!

He is the first driver to win a race at age 40 or older since the 1994 Australian Grand Prix—Nigel Mansell was the last to do so.

Russell and Norris thus complete the first all-British podium since 1968.


Ham alternated between tire management and periods of all-out attacking to stay in the mix, waiting for his opponent to slip up.

The decisive turning point of the GP came midway through the race. Zozo’s retirement—leaving his Aston stranded on the side of the track—triggered the deployment of a VSC. It was providential timing that the Scuderia’s strategists exploited with surgical precision—for once, it must be noted.

By calling Ham into the pits under this neutralization regime, Ferrari drastically reduced the time lost during the stop. This tactical move allowed the Brit to take the lead, catching the Mercedes pit wall off guard, as they were unable to counter the threat in time with Russy and Anto. Ham also capitalized on the on-track battle between the two Mercedes before Anto’s white flag for an engine failure.

Behind this battle at the front, McL bore the brunt of this strategic misstep. Nono and Piastri, who were briefly in contention for the podium, were gradually relegated to midfield battles, dashing their hopes of mounting an attack on the race leaders.

Once propelled into the lead, Ham never let go. Crossing the finish line as the winner, Lewis Hamilton couldn’t hide his deep emotion on the podium. As he thanked his team and the crowd at length, the Briton didn’t just open his victory tally with the Scuderia: he validated the SF-26’s rise to prominence in the most beautiful way possible and cemented his status as Maranello’s new leader.

 

Fantastic result for Lewis and the team; a perfect victory.

 

Thank you BK, as always, for the summary. Sounds like it might have been worth watching after all!
Looks like my season is done until September... maybe I'll fork over the dough for Apple TV.
Maybe.
Still pisses me off!

 

That's nice of you, my friend !

Franco Colapinto saw his race at the Catalan Grand Prix take a dramatic turn after the finish, as the stewards handed him a 10-second penalty for a violation under yellow flags, along with a point on his superlicense. This penalty directly affects the final standings of the race in Barcelona.

FIA stewards confirmed after the fact that Kimi should have received a 5 sec penalty during the Barcelona-Catalunya GP for repeatedly going off the track. The penalty ultimately had no impact on his result, as the Mercedes driver retired before he could serve it.

He went off-track 4 times, a threshold that automatically triggers a 5 sec penalty. However, the stewards noted that the 4th infraction was not identified until late in the race, which delayed the decision and prevented the penalty from being enforced on the track.



Williams
It was a nightmare weekend for this iconic F1 team, which appears to be turning things around but is plagued by unbelievable setbacks.

Lacking pace throughout the weekend, the Grove-based team saw both of its drivers finish far from the positions they were capable of achieving in the season’s opening races.

Today, just before the start, the stewards noted two separate infractions involving Carlito and Albon’s cars.

1 A box left on the grid
In Carlito’s case, the mistake seems almost surreal. Officials noted that a black plastic box had been left in the grass near the car’s starting position after the 15-second signal preceding the formation lap.

Regulations, however, require that all team equipment be removed before this deadline. This simple oversight was enough to result in an initial fine of 5,000 euros.

2 A tyre warmer stuck to Albon’s car
The situation involving Albon was even more unusual. When his car was lifted off the jacks before the start, part of the heating blanket for the right front tyre got caught under the car.

The mechanics tried to remove it in a hurry but were unable to do so before the start of the formation lap. The Williams therefore set off with a cable still hanging from the car.

A hefty bill to cap off a difficult weekend. In total, Williams leaves Barcelona with a €10,000 fine for these two separate incidents and 0 points.

 

Well, Hamilton has glued a Maranello Red jewel into his crown. Just a great race by Hamilton and Ferrari. Execution (including pre-race efforts to make the car more suitable to Hamilton), strategy, and racecraft were outstanding.

Mercedes has some issues with their powertrain. Supposedly Antonelli's retirement was electric in nature; Russell's was a battery failure. I'm guessing it's not part of the customer package, as there's no pattern that I see of failures of customer cars.

McLaren's made great progress from the start (or non-start) of the year. Alpine had a good showing as well.

The rest? Wellllll......

Have a good one,
Mike

 

Another boring race as has been the case for F1. IndyCar is racing on Road America this weekend. Much more competitive series, plenty of action, highly skilled drivers and less super strict F1 nanny bullshit. It would be fun to watch SVG in an IndyCar on a road coarse, maybe he will try that series after NASCAR.

 

Guys, I’m going to tell you a crazy story. The kind of crazy thing that just can’t happen—improbable, almost impossible. Hulk was racing along just fine and had to drop out in Barcelona. Do you know why? Take a look at the picture below.

His Audi’s circuit breaker. Well, during the race, Lawson at Turn 12 put a wheel in the gravel, and a single pebble—just one—hit the ring on the emergency circuit breaker, and just like that, Hulk’s electronics shut down, his engine cut out, and he was DNF! Unbelievable, isn’t it! Hulk was well on his way to scoring his first points of the season.

 

Wow!
Talk about a random failure...

 

That's crazy!!

 

What are the odds of that happening. He was killing it in practice, way up there in top 10.

 

And the craziness isn’t over yet—here’s another story that might just be the wackiest of the year! We’re talking about Zozo at Alpine, which is part of Renault. Zozo says he wants to form a final opinion on Aston after the summer break. Briatore and Zozo are a perfect match. Zozo doesn’t even need to bring in a sponsor—Alpine now has more money than it needs after signing Gucci as its title sponsor. So this would be his fourth stint at Alpine/Renault! If this happens, Alpine’s new name will be “Alone So Team F1,” and he’ll create such a buzz that Gasly will cry.


The one getting the boot would be Cola, who’s starting to perform well. Ocon would return to the former Force India—now Aston—because he’s friends with Troll Jr.; Troll Sr. had kicked him out to make room for his son, so this would be a “buying forgiveness” move!

 

Alonso has had a great career, except for making terrible moves based on $’s instead of performance; hence why he only has 2 WDC’s to his name. But at his age, why would Alpine invest time/money on a driver who is definitely in the later twilight years of his career? Surely a forward looking team would invest in young talent to build around? I’m not saying that’s Colapinto, but there’s loads of great, young talent waiting to be signed.

As for Ocon and Stroll at Aston? A recipe that’s guaranteed to keep the team mired at the bottom of the leadership board. What a disaster it has turned out to be based on a crap PU, and what appears to be a massive miscalculation of Newey’s re: the chassis.

 

If I were Alonso I'd give them 1 year and if they didn't deliver me a car then I'd be looking for another seat before the end of the season. The Honda engine guy says that the engine passed the vibration test on the stand so that kinda says maybe it was a chassis problem? They may have that fixed now but its slow asf. Even Cadillac is ahead of them.