Hamilton acknowledges Bottas threat
Having retaken the lead of the F1 championship and now enjoying a seven-point advantage over Valtteri Bottas, Lewis Hamilton acknowledged his Mercedes teammate is proving his most challenging rival this season. Hamilton has repeatedly talked up the challenge from Ferrari but now with a 48-point lead over Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari looking to have dropped even further off Mercedes’ pace in Barcelona, Bottas is now his focus. “Even though the Red Bulls have picked up on their engines, they have not built a car as good as in previous years. Ferrari too have good power but are lacking in areas,” he said. “So the closest to you is always the biggest threat – Valtteri. Especially as he is pulling out some great laps. It is good for the team and it is great to see him step up to another level.” He will be buoyed in that in this fight, Bottas has taken pole in the last three races but Hamilton has won two of them and might have taken Baku but for giving his teammate generous room through turn one.
Are Mercedes too good?
Five races and a record five one-two finishes has seen Mercedes raise the bar. Ferrari’s engine and aerodynamic upgrades were by no means a failure, they all worked, they just did not do enough. Mattia Binotto, Ferrari’s team principal, admitted they were pleased with them but they were insufficient. Mercedes, who ominously have an engine upgrade to come, are just advancing further and quicker. They look to be in a different class and it is hard to see Ferrari catching them this season. The Mercedes chief, Toto Wolff, was asked several times if this was good for F1. An awkward question with which he was quite honest. “As a fan you want variability and unpredictability,” he said. “We all enjoyed Liverpool coming back as strong as they did and Spurs making it against all odds. As a fan and as a spectator, I can relate to the sport needing to have a certain variability. But where we are, it can’t be an objective for us.” Their objective remains to be the best. The others have to match them.
Verstappen extracts the max
Max Verstappen put in a fine drive to take third place and his second podium of the season. It was also the second time, after Australia, that Red Bull have beaten Ferrari in a straight fight. Third in Melbourne and with three fourth places, the 21-year-old is putting in consistent, controlled drives that would be essential were he in the title fight. Unfortunately, as he noted in Spain, Mercedes are better through every type of corner, including the slower ones, than Red Bull. “It’s good, it’s not that it’s a bad car. But the Mercedes is just quicker than us everywhere,” he said. Ordinarily Red Bull and Verstappen would be heavily favoured going into Monaco but such was the strength of Mercedes through the slow, twisty third sector at Barcelona, Verstappen acknowledged they may even be on top in Monte Carlo.
Haas drop the ball
Gunther Steiner had to hold talks with his drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen immediately after the race, following their clashes on track that cost Haas a likely seventh and eighth finish. Given the team chief’s expletive-laden performance on the recent F1 Netflix documentary it does not take a great stretch to imagine the conversion. The Haas drivers battled for seventh place after the safety car restart at turn one where Magnussen’s attempt to pass led to contact. A similar incident several laps later cost Grosjean and contributed to him finishing 10th. Magnussen held seventh but failing to maximise potential points was a failing of the team last season and this can be considered another own goal. Haas let their drivers race but in a congested midfield, these dropped points could prove very costly.
Spain optimistic of a return
The Circuit de Catalunya very rarely returns a thrilling race and this year was no exception. With testing conducted here the drivers and teams know the track inside out and its layout, combined with the current tyre formula, means even following closely is difficult. The race has yet to renew its contract and Zandvoort is set to be announced as an addition to next year’s F1 calendar on Tuesday. With the return of the Dutch Grand Prix expected to be scheduled as the first European race of the season, rumours circulated that this would be Barcelona’s last meeting for the time being. By the end of the weekend its demise did not look quite so certain. Vicens Aguilera, representing the circuit, was optimistic a deal could be done. “We are in the process of renewing our contract and we still have time to discuss it,” he said. “It’s not easy to put everything together but we are in the process.” It must be noted however that with Vietnam also on the calendar for next year two GPs will lose their slots.
