Saturday’s qualifying session at the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix delivered one of the more thrilling hours in recent memory. A back-and-forth fight for pole position saw Max Verstappen put his RB20 on provisional pole in the closing seconds of Q3, but Lando Norris snatched P1 from his friend at the death, capturing pole position by just two-hundredths of a second.
How did Norris pull off the win, and what might Saturday’s results tell us about Sunday?
Let’s dive into the data a bit, thanks to our friends at F1-Tempo. First we can look at the “track dominance” map, highlighting where each car was faster on their final laps in Q3. As you might expect given recent history, the RB20 was faster on the straights — particularly the long straight coming out of Turn 14 and back to the start/finish line — while the MCL38 was quicker through some of the corners:
As you can see Norris — highlighted in the orange — was quicker particularly in Sector 1, which includes the initial chicane coming out of the long straight as well as the sweeping corner coming out of Turn 3 and heading into Repsol at Turn 4.
But on the straighter portions of the track, and the long straight itself, Verstappen was faster.
Verstappen also posted the highest speed on that long straight, a mark of 329 kilometers per hour. As you can see in this next image, that came near the end of the straight, heading into Turn 1. By comparison, Norris was 5 kph slower at that point:
Looking at the delta between the two cars at that point, Verstappen had an edge on the lap of 0.054 seconds per Norris at that point, coming out of that long straight:
Then as the cars hit Turn 1, Verstappen’s advantage was up to 0.125 seconds:
But as you can see from that above graph, Norris then built a lead as Sector 1 came to a close and Sector 2 began, and he held that lead throughout the rest of the lap, fending off a late challenge from Verstappen coming out of Turn 14 and back to the start/finish line (more on that in a second).
Norris built that lead through Turns 3, 4, and 5. As you can see from the initial “track dominance” map, Norris was quicker from Turn 3 into Turn 4, and while Verstappen had an edge from Turn 4 into Turn 5, Norris built a lead he would not give back. In fact, by the time both cars came out of Turn 5 Norris had gone from being 0.125 seconds down at one point, to being up 0.167 seconds on his friend and rival:
And if you look at the entire delta graph, while Verstappen was able to. close that gap over the rest of the lap, he could not make up the difference.
However, there is something to note regarding the final turn, Turn 14, as alluded to above. Take a look at the throttle data for that final turn:
As you can see, while Norris lifted just a bit heading into Turn 14, Verstappen was able to keep the hammer down through the final turn, giving him a huge run of momentum into the long straight and back to the start/finish line.
That has led to some believing that Verstappen is primed for an even bigger Sunday:
Turn 14 reveals Ferrari’s weakness (which is RedBull’s strength)
Ferrari has less downforce than the othersLEC lifted significantly (72% throttle, 267km/h)
HAM and NOR only needed a tiny lift… but VER remained full throttle! His superior downforce reveals a race-focused… pic.twitter.com/dKOF08O8AZ
— Formula Data Analysis (@FDataAnalysis) June 22, 2024
“Lando Norris with perhaps one of the finest laps he’s turned in a Formula 1 car.”
That was the description from Alex Jacques in the commentary box on F1TV after the checkered flag flew at the end of qualifying. And if Saturday’s qualifying session at the Spanish Grand Prix is any indication, the rest of this F1 season may be filled with tremendous drama.
Max Verstappen threw down the gauntlet throughout qualifying, and as the seconds ticked down it looked as if the Red Bull driver was going to fend off the challengers in the field. Verstappen was on provisional pole position, but there were still a few drivers on the track.
Including Norris.
The McLaren driver delivered what he described as a “perfect” lap, a thunderous performance that snatched P1 away from his friend and rival Verstappen at the death. While Verstappen was denied pole last time out at the Canadian Grand Prix despite setting the same time as George Russell, Norris finished two hundreds ahead of his friend.
It is the second pole position of the McLaren driver’s career.
Can he translate that into a victory?
Norris said that is the “plan.”
“Of course, I can,” said Norris trackside when asked he he can translate pole position into a victory. “That’s our target. But I know it’s gonna be tough against Max, against Lewis, anyone behind. But we’re to win now.
“So, that’s my plan.”
Norris and McLaren kick off our list of winners and losers during qualifying at the Spanish Grand Prix. Here are the full results, as well as some more winners and losers from a thrilling Saturday in Barcelona.
Losers: Williams
The last time Williams finished in the points at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya? That came back at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix when both Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa came across the line in the top ten. Since then, Barcelona has been a points desert for the team.
That looks to continue this weekend.
Williams has been on the back foot all week, and that continued with qualifying on Saturday. Both Alexander Albon and Logan Sargeant were eliminated in Q1, and the team will face an uphill climb to try and secure points in Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix.
With their two drivers set to start alongside each other on the back row of the grid.
When the team launched their challenger for the 2024 season in New York City in February, the talk from the team was that the FW46 was going to be a more well-rounded car than last season’s challenger. A year ago you knew where the FW45 was going to be strong, particularly at high-speed circuits with lots of straights. Entering 2024, the team was hoping to find a more complete challenger.
While they may have achieved that goal, Barcelona remains tough sledding for the team.
“It’s been a painful weekend guys … I’ll keep trying my best,” reported Sargeant following Q1.
Williams will need something even better than that on Sunday if they are going to break their points-less Barcelona streak.
Winners: Sauber
Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images
Finally.
For the first time all season long, Sauber had a reason to work on both sides of the garage in Q2. Both Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu advanced out of Q1, for the first time this year. Bottas was 13th-fastest in Q1, with Zhou right behind him in P14.
While their days ended in Q2, as both Bottas and Zhou failed to advance, it was certainly a step forward for the team during a year that has seen Sauber struggle. The year began with frustration in the pits, as races where the team demonstrated good pace were undone by lengthy pit stops and a problem with cross-threading issues on the wheel nuts of the C44.
Those issues were finally resolved, and now they have their first weekend with both cars in Q2.
Can they translate that into points? With both drivers starting just on the outside of the top ten — with Bottas in P12 and Zhou in P15 — they certainly have a shot.
Losers: VCARB
Both Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda described Friday as a struggle for the Visa Cash App RB F1 Team.
Saturday was not much better.
Ricciardo and Tsunoda were both eliminated in Q1, and are set to start alongside each other on the penultimate row of the grid. Ricciardo posted the 18th-fastest time in Q1, with Tsunoda just ahead of him in P17.
VCARB brought a set of upgrades to Barcelona, like many teams, and the word from the team after Friday’s session was that the upgrades were working as expected. “The main upgrade we brought here is the floor, and with these cars, it’s such a big part of development,” reported Ricciardo in the team’s post-practice report Friday. “There’s still some optimism and once we dive into it tonight, we’ll find how it’s working and better ways to set up the car around it.”
“We’re happy with the numbers coming from the upgrade, all is working well and no issues there,” described Sporting Director Alan Permane. “The focus will be on the mechanical side of the car and improving the suspension setup.”
But judging by the results Saturday, the team is still looking for answers on the setup.
Winners: Alpine
Following Friday’s two practice sessions both Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly seemed surprised with the performance from Alpine. With both drivers finishing FP2 inside the top ten — and Gasly in P4 — the Alpine duo wondered if that result offered a true picture of how things stood. “To end the day with both cars in the top-10 is a little bit unexpected from where we thought we would be entering the weekend on this particular track,” said Ocon. “Obviously, we do not know what the others are doing but overall, it is a positive start to the weekend.”
Gasly described it as a bit of flattery.
“It’s been a positive Friday for us, especially Free Practice 2,” added Gasly. “The end result, finishing in fourth place, probably flatters us and it was certainly a surprise, but a pleasant surprise, and one that brings a smile to my face!”
Those pleasant surprises continued into Saturday.
Both Ocon and Gasly advanced into Q3, marking just the second time this season that both drivers lasted into the third segment of qualifying.
Gasly ended Q3 in P7, with Ocon in P9. But with Sergio Pérez between them in P8 — and facing a grid drop for a penalty handed down following the Canadian Grand Prix — Alpine enters Sunday’s Grand Prix in position for big points this weekend.
Along with perhaps some more flattery.
Losers: Aston Martin
“We do not know what we’re going to get at the start of every weekend,” reported Fernando Alonso at the start of the week, as relayed by Alex Jacques during the F1TV broadcast.
That seems to be the case at the moment with Aston Martin.
While Alonso and teammate Lance Stroll advanced out of Q2, both drivers saw their Saturday sessions end there. Alonso just missed out on Q3 and will start the Spanish Grand Prix in P11. As for Stroll, after avoiding a penalty for an incident with Lewis Hamilton in FP3 he could not avoid the drop at the end of Q2 and will start Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix in P15.
Returning to Alonso, speaking at the FIA Press Conference on Thursday the veteran driver outlined his current thoughts on the AMR24.
“About the car and the understanding: I think we have clear ideas of what we have to improve. Obviously I will not share here with everyone. I think it is quite obvious for everyone that qualifying has been our strength this year and race pace has been a little bit weak,” described Alonso on Thursday. “The straight-line speed and the DRS effect is quite strong also this year in our car but there are a lot of weaknesses as well that we are identifying now with the new package as well, so yeah I think we’re in a good place.”
That might not exactly be the case, given what we saw Saturday. Is this a track-specific issue for the team, or is something else happening at Aston Martin with their 2024 challenger?
Winners: Mercedes
Photo by Kym Illman/Getty Images
With all the accolades he has earned over a tremendous F1 career, Lewis Hamilton was seeking something on Saturday that was a bit outside the norm.
A start inside the top six.
Despite all the success he has enjoyed over his career, Hamilton had yet to qualify inside the top six this season. His best starting spot in a Grand Prix this year was seventh, something he had done three times: Japan, Monaco, and Canada.
Hamilton will start Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix not just inside the top six, but on the second row. A thunderous lap of his own late in Q3 saw the Mercedes driver secure P3, and with teammate George Russell qualifying fourth, the Silver Arrows have locked out the second row, putting them in position for another huge points weekend.
“I’m really happy,” shared Hamilton trackside after qualifying. “Firstly, thank you everyone. So, so happy to be here and super grateful to be up in the top three. It’s been quite a difficult year so [a] huge amount of work for me going back to the factory.
“And finally, we’re starting to see those incremental steps moving closer to the guys ahead. I didn’t expect us to be fighting for pole necessarily, but every now and then [it looks like with] little bits there and maybe we’ll be close. And so to be there, I’m just grateful.”
Hamilton also praised his teammate and believes that given their starting position, he and Russell can put some pressure on Verstappen and Norris up front.
“Yeah, we’ve made [a] huge step forwards and it’s really just down to every single individual back to the factory who’s pushing in design, pushing and making the new parts that we get to bring as early as possible to these races,” added Hamilton. “And slowly the car is crafting into a racing machine that we can hopefully fight the guys at the front.
“So, George did a great job as well today. So hopefully tomorrow we can apply pressure on the two cars ahead.”
The tremendous result for Mercedes comes at a fascinating time for the team. Not only are they on the cusp of Hamilton’s impending departure to Ferrari at the end of the season, but reports surfaced this week of an anonymous email sent to F1 journalists after the Canadian Grand Prix alleging disparate treatment between Hamilton and Russell by Mercedes. Team Principal Toto Wolff blasted that email during Friday’s FIA Press Conference, indicating that the matter had been referred to police and dismissing “conspiracy theorists and lunatics,” but this is a strange season for the team. One that began with Hamilton’s shocking announcement, and saw Mercedes begin the year on the back foot.
But recent upgrades, including a new front wing, have seen them move to the front the past few races. They are coming off their best result of the season in Montreal, and look primed for something even bigger tomorrow.
Winners: All of us
I honestly yelled.
Watching on my couch as Norris pipped Verstappen for pole position, I let out a shout in my living room … and regretted not making the trek across the pond to see this in person. But if you feel like we are witnessing a season that may go down in F1 history, you are not alone.
“This season is just delivering time and time again … this is the finest season of Formula 1 I can remember.”
Those were the words of David Coulthard in the F1TV commentary box, as Saturday’s qualifying session drew to a close. And the former F1 champion is not alone in this assessment. Take a spin through social media — a huge shoutout to my friends on F1 Threads — and you will see comment after comment about how exciting this season is, and what kind of finish we may be in store for.
When I spoke with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri following his tremendous second-place finish at the Monaco Grand Prix, the Australian driver informed me in no uncertain terms that neither championship — the Constructors’ Championship nor the Drivers’ Championship — was “done and dusted.” Yes, Red Bull remains the favorite in the Constructors’ title, and certainly Verstappen remains the favorite in the Drivers’ Championship. But neither title race has been put to bed.
Read that again, because we truly have a pair of title races upon us this season.
And while last year’s winners remain the favorites, if Red Bull and Verstappen are going to repeat as champions they will truly have earned it, as the field is throwing everything at them at the moment. Perhaps the biggest challenge to Red Bull and Verstappen came at last year’s Monaco Grand Prix when the Saturday qualifying session saw the driver pushed to the absolute limit. He answered the call that day, and throughout the rest of the season, similar challenges were few and far between.
Now? The challenges to Red Bull and Verstappen are not just happening week-to-week, they are almost happening on a lap-to-lap basis. There is almost no margin for error for Red Bull and Verstappen, and how they respond is going to be a tremendous story to follow throughout this campaign.
Whether they answer the call, or another team and/or driver delivers a stunning run to a title, will be fascinating to watch.
Sparks were flying Saturday at the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix.
Not during qualifying — that has yet to take place — but to paraphrase the legendary Allen Iverson, we’re talking about practice.
The final free practice session ahead of qualifying at the Spanish Grand Prix saw tempers flare in two separate incidents, one involving Lance Stroll and Lewis Hamilton and the other involving Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc. All four drivers were summoned to meet with race stewards following the session, and following those meetings race officials decided to show some leniency, rather than hand down grid penalties.
Let’s dive into both incidents, and the decisions from the stewards.
Lewis Hamilton and Lance Stroll
Let’s first talk about the incident between Lewis Hamilton and Lance Stroll. That incident occurred during the session, near the apex of Turn 5. As you will see here, Hamilton is operating slowly along the right side of the track when Stroll comes up behind him. You will see the seven-time Drivers’ Champion wave his hand towards Stroll and concede over the radio to his team that he did not see the Aston Martin driver, but then Stroll looks to turn into Hamilton’s W15 in what the commentators on F1TV termed as perhaps a “ … bit of a sidepod rebuke:”
Both drivers were summoned to meet with race officials at 2:00 p.m. local time. Shortly after the hearing, the race officials released their decision, which was a reprimand for Stroll.
As you can see from the stewards’ report, during the hearing Stroll admitted that “ … he wanted to express his displeasure to the other driver by pulling over on him at the exit.” However, the hearing found that the contact between the two was “incidental,” and while the move by Stroll was found to be “erratic” race stewards did not believe it to be “dangerous,” and therefore thought a reprimand was more in line with previous decisions.
Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc
The incident between Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc came later in the session. The Ferrari driver was on a push lap at the very end of FP3 and came upon Norris near Turn 5. The McLaren driver was moving at a much slower pace and on the left side of the track, off the racing line.
Leclerc was frustrated when he came across Norris, and let the McLaren driver know it:
Following the session, both Norris and Leclerc were summoned to meet with race stewards at 2:15 p.m. local time. In the moments ahead of qualifying, the stewards released their decision, which was right in line with the decision handed down regarding the Stroll-Hamilton incident: A reprimand for Leclerc.
Similar to the Stroll incident, Leclerc indicated that he felt he was impeded by Norris and that it “ … upset him.” Leclerc then admitted that he aborted his push lap, but then stated that he “misjudged the position of his car” and made contact with Norris as a result.
Race officials, as they did with Stroll, found the driving “erratic” but not “dangerous,” and determined that a reprimand was in line with previous decisions.
However, some wondered if these decisions were the right approach. Speaking on F1TV ahead of qualifying David Coulthard stated that both Stroll and Leclerc could probably consider themselves “incredibly lucky to get away with just a reprimand.”
Through nine races, the 2024 Formula 1 season has offered many twists and turns.
The most recent curveball? George Russell pipping Max Verstappen for pole position at the Canadian Grand Prix. Both drivers finished with the same time, but due to the Mercedes driver posting his time first, Russell secured the team’s first pole position of the season. While Verstappen claimed victory on Sunday, Russell finished on the podium in third, the first time Mercedes tasted a podium finish in a Grand Prix this season.
With teammate Lewis Hamilton finishing just behind him in fourth — and securing the bonus point for the fastest lap of the race — it was the team’s best result of the entire season.
Now, on the cusp of qualifying at the Spanish Grand Prix, are they poised for an even better day?
Friday’s practices saw the Mercedes duo near or at the top of the timing sheets in both sessions. Russell finished P4 in the first session, with Hamilton close behind in P7, and FP2 was even kinder to the Silver Arrows. Russell posted the eighth-fastest time, but Hamilton topped them all, edging out Carlos Sainz Jr. and Lando Norris to top the field.
Might Mercedes be poised for another strong qualifying session in Barcelona?
“FP1 wasn’t the best session for us but we still learned quite a lot. FP2 was a lot better though and the car was feeling great,” said Hamilton in the team’s post-practice report. “The track was very hot, so it was tough on the [tires], especially on the long run. Overall, though, it didn’t feel like we were too far off being right in the mix at the front.”
Russell shared his teammate’s assessment, even if he cautioned Mercedes supporters that it was only Friday.
“We had a good day on track today. The car was performing really well around this circuit. It was encouraging to see Lewis top of the timesheets and we were consistently at the front,” began Russell.
”Our long run pace in FP1 was competitive. In FP2, it seemed that our single lap pace was slightly stronger than our long run speed but overall, the car is feeling strong. It is only Friday, but it has been a while since we’ve been consistently at the upper end of the field,” continued the Mercedes driver. “I’m feeling good and excited as this is what we’ve been chasing for a while. We won’t get ahead of ourselves though and will work diligently tonight and tomorrow to prepare as best as we can for Qualifying and Sunday’s Grand Prix.”
The strong Friday comes at an interesting time for the Brackley-based team. Reports surfaced this week of an anonymous email sent to F1 journalists regarding the treatment of Hamilton by the team. While SB Nation has not reviewed the email, a report from Reuters described the email as “ … purporting to be from an insider” and that it “… accused the Formula One team of sabotaging their departing seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton.”
Team Principal Toto Wolff blasted the email at the FIA Press Conference on Friday, even informing the media in Barcelona that the police have been brought in regarding the matter.
Never a dull moment in F1.
… Alpine?
Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images
Friday’s first practice session showed some promise for Alpine, as Esteban Ocon finished inside the top ten and teammate Pierre Gasly was just outside in P13.
FP2 was even better for the team.
When the checkered flag flew at the end of Friday’s second practice session Ocon was inside the top ten in P9, and it was Gasly who provided the true stunner, as he finished fourth in the session.
After a tumultuous start to the season, is Alpine on the verge of an absolute shocker in Barcelona?
Even the team seemed surprised at their strong performance.
“To end the day with both cars in the top-10 is a little bit unexpected from where we thought we would be entering the weekend on this particular track. Obviously, we do not know what the others are doing but overall, it is a positive start to the weekend,” said Ocon in the team’s post-practice report. “It was not the best lap on the C3 [tire] for me in Free Practice 2 with some traffic and there were a few interruptions in both the long and short runs. There are definitely improvements we can make in order to find lap time, so we will keep digging and try to make steps forward for tomorrow’s Qualifying, which is important around this track.”
Gasly surmised that the result probably “flatters” the team.
“It’s been a positive Friday for us, especially Free Practice 2. The end result, finishing in fourth place, probably flatters us and it was certainly a surprise, but a pleasant surprise, and one that brings a smile to my face! In Free Practice 1, we had some minor aerodynamic issues on the car, which we had to fix,” added Gasly. “Once we did that, the car felt good right from the start of the second session. We have a strong baseline to work from and my push lap on the C3 was good but I’m not completely comfortable in the car. There are some things we need to fine tune with the aim of feeling even better in the car tomorrow when it counts.”
If there is a team in need of some flattery, it is certainly Alpine. Even their result in Montreal — their first double-points finish of the season — was not without some controversy, as Ocon seemed frustrated after the race at some team orders that were handed down in the closing stages of the Canadian Grand Prix.
Then there was the other bit of news on Friday, the announcement that Alpine was bringing Flavio Briatore aboard in an executive role:
BWT Alpine F1 Team announces Flavio Briatore as Executive Advisor
BWT Alpine F1 Team can confirm that Flavio Briatore has been appointed by Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo as his Executive Advisor for the Formula One Division. pic.twitter.com/KAdNVkQBPP
Briatore is a long-time F1 figure and has what you might call a bit of a checkered past. He was convicted in Italy on fraud charges during the 1980s, before his F1 career, and decades later was forced to resign from the ING Renault F1 team due to his involvement in the “Crashgate” scandal surrounding the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. Briatore was then banned indefinitely from any events sanctioned by the FIA, a ban that was later overturned by a French tribunal.
The appointment was a focus in Friday’s FIA Press Conference when Alpine Team Principal Bruno Famin was repeatedly questioned about the move.
“I already answered questions about the past and I don’t really mind about the past. I’m always looking about future and trying what we can get and to get our team better,” said Famin in response to questions from David Croft of Sky Sports F1. “And that’s really our goal. And what I see with having Flavio as an advisor of the team is the opportunity to have his experience and to help us. He has a very high-level knowledge of Formula 1. He knows a lot of people. And I’m sure he will support us in developing the team faster and better. That’s all.”
As the saying goes, winning cures all. Alpine might not be ready to contend for wins just yet, but another strong weekend would certainly be welcome.
Even if some flattery is part of the story.
A “tricky” day for VCARB
At the other end of the spear, it was a “trickier” day for Visa Cash App RB F1 Team.
Friday’s first session saw Daniel Ricciardo in P15, with Yuki Tsunoda at the back of the field in P20. Things did not improve much in FP2, as Tsunoda crept up to P15 and Ricciardo slid back to P16.
Both drivers, however, are hopeful that answers can be found overnight.
“Today was trickier than usual. The pace isn’t where we would’ve liked it to be, so we’ll look into what we’re missing and hopefully, it’ll be better tomorrow.,” said Tsunoda in the team’s post-practice report. “The upgrade is working the way we were expecting but we are not where we want to be and off the pace we usually have, so we’ll review all the data to find what we were missing today.”
As for Ricciardo — who said on Thursday he wants to “earn” his seat at VCARB for next season — it was still fun to get a crack at the reconfigured Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, even if the team “struggled” Friday.
“We struggled a little bit today and missed a bit of competitiveness, but driving is always fun and before today I hadn’t done this track with this last sector. It was the old one a long time ago, now the new one again, and I have to say that I much prefer it because I think that it definitely brings the track to life a bit more,” said Ricciardo. “The main upgrade we brought here is the floor, and with these cars, it’s such a big part of development. There’s still some optimism and once we dive into it tonight, we’ll find how it’s working and better ways to set up the car around it. We still have a bit to do but I hope we can improve for tomorrow.”
As noted by both drivers, VCARB brought a host of upgrades to Barcelona, including a new floor for the RB01. That may have put them on the back foot Friday, but hopefully for the team they can unlock more pace and performance after diving into the data overnight.
Checking in on the title fights
Returning to the front of the field the teams and drivers fighting for position at the top of their respective standings might be in different frames of mind heading into Saturday.
McLaren saw both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri inside the top ten of both sessions, with Norris topping the sheets in FP1 and then finishing third in FP2. “Overall, no surprises. It looks pretty tight at the front of the field, and we can see, like we’ve been seeing lately, that all cars seem to be able to produce quick laps,” said Team Principal Andrea Stella. “We’ll have to stay focused and deliver good laps, but the potential is encouraging, and we’ll try to maximise our performance to score as many points as possible this weekend.”
Ferrari, who are hoping for a bounceback after a disastrous Canadian Grand Prix saw both Carlos Sainz Jr. and Charles Leclerc finish outside the points, might view Friday as a bit of a mixed session. Results-wise Sainz had a particularly strong day, finishing third in FP1, and second in FP2. But both drivers described Friday’s dual practice sessions as “tricky” from their point of view.
“Quite a tricky Friday, as always here in Barcelona when the sun is up and the track changes quite quickly. We struggled a bit in both sessions to get the right balance on the car, but I think everyone had similar issues today. So overall, I’m reasonably happy with the car, but we have work to do, especially race pace-wise,” said Sainz in the team’s post-practice report. “What I really enjoyed today was the atmosphere at the track. Thank you to all the fans for their support. I’m looking forward to putting on a good show tomorrow!”
On the other side of the garage Leclerc — who finished P11 in FP1 and P6 in FP2 — echoed his teammate’s thoughts. “Overall, a tricky day on my side. We struggled quite a bit with the balance of the car, so set-up work will be our main focus ahead of tomorrow,” said Leclerc. “We ran a new package in FP2, but we still have lots of work to do as I am not fully comfortable yet.”
As for Red Bull, they too are left looking for some answers. Verstappen was inside the top five in both sessions but never seemed confident in the RB20. At one point in FP2 Verstappen reported that the car was rather “loose,” radioing into the team that “[t]he car is loose in the exits in general. Still just weird understeer mid-corner, this car doesn’t bite.”
Teammate Sergio Pérez placed fifth in the first session, but was outside the top ten in the second, posting the 13th-fastest time.
Following the session Team Principal Christian Horner indicated that it was going to be “tight” this weekend in Barcelona. “Obviously it’s going to be tight. It’s going to be close,” said Horner. “I think we got some very good data, so plenty of work to do this evening.
“It’s going to be a very tight race here in Barcelona.”
With the grid in Barcelona for this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, reports emerged Friday of an email blast to numerous F1 journalists from an insider purporting to have information regarding Mercedes sabotaging Lewis Hamilton, ahead of his move to Ferrari for the 2025 F1 season. That email was sent following the Canadian Grand Prix, which saw George Russell finish third, and Hamilton fourth.
In the interest of full disclosure, SB Nation has not received this email and is therefore unable to independently verify the content contained therein. According to this report from Reuters, the email “[h]eadlined ‘a potential death warrant for Lewis’, it accused Mercedes of ‘systematic sabotaging’ of Hamilton, his car, tyre and race strategy and mental health.”
Speaking at the FIA Press Conference Friday, Mercedes Team Principal indicated he was given clearance to “go in full force,” and the team boss did just that.
“Yeah, so it’s not from a member of the team. When we are getting these kind of emails, and we’re getting tons of them, it is upsetting, particularly when somebody is talking about death and all these things,” began Wolff. “So, on this particular one, I have instructed to go in full force.
“We have the police inquiring it. We are researching the IP address. We are researching the phone, all of that, because online abuse in that way needs to stop. People can’t hide behind their phones or their computers and abuse teams or drivers in a way like this,” continued Wolff. “I don’t know what some of the conspiracy theorists and lunatics think out there. Lewis was part of the team for 12 years. We have a friendship. We trust each other. We want to win this. We want to end this on a high. We want to celebrate the relationship.”
Wolff then made it clear that even if you did not trust him on that point, the team is still trying to win a Constructors’ Championship, which requires both Hamilton and George Russell performing well.
“And if you don’t believe all of that, then you can believe that we want to win the Constructors’ World Championship. And part of the Constructors’ World Championship is making both cars win. So to all of these mad people out there… take a shrink.”
The Mercedes boss also received backing during the FIA Press Conference from long-time friend — and Hamilton’s next boss — Frederic Vasseur. The Ferrari Team Principal called such allegations “irrational” given Mercedes’ quest for a title.
“Yeah just on this one, and I’m putting my relationship with Toto aside, how you could imagine that a company with 1,500 people working night and day, pushing like hell to bring upgrades, and for you it’s not enough, but bringing upgrades each races, we could kill one of our cars or damage one of our cars? This is completely irrational and nobody in the paddock could do something like this,” declared Vasseur. “We are fighting for the championship. Each weekend we are trying to score one point more than the other one. How you could imagine that we say ‘OK, that Lewis, we don’t want to score points anymore with him’. For me it’s completely irrational and completely out of the scope of the person who are doing my business.”
Wolff also addressed recent comments on social media that have turned largely negative regarding the relationship between the two Mercedes drivers.
“So first of all, I’m not reading any comments. I don’t have social media. And I think it’s important to protect oneself by doing so. And I’ve commented about this many times before, there will always be people that have their laptop on the chest in their bedroom and just typing away.,” started Wolff. “And if people feel like they’re abusing, want to abuse and hit out and hide behind a made-up Instagram account or anything else, that for me is… Come up, say who you are, and we’ll take the criticism and discuss, but don’t hide.
“And there seems to be lots of irrationality also, because we want to be successful. We want to be successful with the most iconic driver the sport has ever had. The privilege that we had to work with Lewis as an incredible driver, a great personality, that goes through the ups and downs like any other like any other sports person. I totally respect the reasons for him going to Ferrari. There is no grudge. There is no bad feeling.”
The Mercedes boss then outlined how the matter is being handled internally.
“The interaction we have in the team is positive. And so every comment from the outside of what is going in the team is just simply wrong. But there’s always a limit. I mean, if emails are being sent or telephone numbers are being used for these messages, then for me, the joking stops,” outlined Wolff. “And we will pursue it, whether that is successful or not. But there are limits to certain things. And obviously, online abuse is not only something that happens to us or to the team or to the people, it happens badly to Lewis, badly to Lewis, and to George.
“And therefore, people should, and we’ve seen Max [Verstappen] speaking out about it and Kelly [Piquet, Verstappen’s partner]. People that abuse are cowards, because they hide. So whatever is going on out there with social media, with all the good things that it provides, and all those people that have been given a platform, that’s just the negatives that come with it. I have no feelings to someone that abuses for the reasons I just said before.”
Both Hamilton and Russell addressed some of the social media commentary on Thursday, with the seven-time champion declaring the team needs “support not negativity” from fans. Verstappen and his partner Piquet also took to social media in recent weeks to blast rumors about their relationship, with the F1 driver calling the “falsehoods” on social media “insane and ridiculous.”
Returning to Mercedes, the team addressed some of the social media rumors during Thursday’s media session at the Spanish Grand Prix. “I think they know if you look over the years, we’ve always been a strong team. We’ve always worked really hard together,” said Hamilton at the team’s Thursday media session in Barcelona. “I think we need support, not negativity, and I wasn’t actually aware that George was experiencing negativity.
“George has done nothing but his best every single weekend and is delivering for the team, so he can’t be faulted at all,” continued Hamilton. “Of course, there can always be things done better within the team, and that comes through conversation, through communication, and that’s something that we are consistently working on. But we’re all in the same boat. We’re all working hard together. We want to finish on a high and feel that we owe that to our long-term relationship that we’ve had.”
Heading into the third race weekend of the 2024 F1 Academy schedule, the biggest question was whether anyone could catch Abbi Pulling.
During Friday’s qualifying session, the answer was no.
The Alpine driver swept qualifying on Friday and will start both races up front at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix. However, Pulling certainly had to work for those pole positions, as several drivers put themselves on provisional pole position throughout the session.
Track evolution was a massive part of the story. As time wound down in the qualifying session the sun was doing the same in the sky, and the lap times began to tick down lap-by-lap. With two minutes to go Pulling was atop the timing sheets and on provisional pole, but several drivers were still on the track looking for those critical tenths — or more — to catch Pulling at the top of the timing sheets.
Ultimately, however, they could not.
Haas driver Chloe Chambers came closest, just 0.059 seconds behind Pulling’s fastest time. Nerea Martí, the hometown heroine, qualified third.
Doriane Pin, recovering from the rib injury that kept her out of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, will start fourth. Bianca Bustamante, who enters this F1 Academy weekend sitting fifth in the standings, will start in that position in the first race.
“That was a nailbiting one, wasn’t it?” radioed in Pulling to her team following the session.
As for the second race, Pulling will be again starting up front. Under F1 Academy rules, the fastest time in a qualifying session sets the grid for the first race, but the starting order for the second race is set by each driver’s second-fastest time. Chambers will start third, with Pin in P3 for the second race this weekend, which takes place on Sunday.
Here are the full qualifying results:
F1 Academy Race 1 Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying Results
Position
Driver
Team
Time
Position
Driver
Team
Time
1
Abbi Pulling
Alpine
1:41.396
2
Chloe Chambers
Haas
+0.059
3
Nerea Martí
Hilfiger
+0.133
4
Doriane Pin
Mercedes
+0.384
5
Bianca Bustamante
McLaren
+0.525
6
Tina Hausmann
Aston Martin
+0.597
7
Hamda Al Qubaisi
Red Bull
+0.727
8
Lia Block
Williams
+0.837
9
Jessica Edgar
American Express
+0.838
10
Lola Lovinfosse
Charlotte Tilbury
+0.980
11
Emely de Heus
Red Bull Ford
+1.023
12
Maya Weug
Ferrari HP
+1.049
13
Amna Al Qubaisi
VCARB
+1.099
14
Carrie Schreiner
Sauber
+1.106
15
Aurelia Nobels
Puma
+1.359
F1 Academy Race 2 Spanish Grand Prix Qualifying Results
The 2024 Formula 1 season is serving up a solid amount of drama. While the year began with concerns that Max Verstappen and Red Bull would again run away with the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships respectively, as they did a season ago, things are much tighter at the top of the table this season. While both Red Bull and Verstappen remain the favorites in those respective Championships, neither title is done and dusted at the moment.
However, the specter of the 2025 driver transfer market has hung over this entire season, kicked into gear early with the stunning announcement that Lewis Hamilton would be leaving Mercedes for Ferrari next year.
The grid is in Barcelona, for this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, and still almost half of the seats on the grid are open for next season. That includes two teams — Haas and Alpine — who have yet to announce any drivers for next year.
And sure, you could read what one singular F1 writer thinks could happen, or you could learn what F1 fans believe will happen. That is the approach we are taking today, looking at four drivers in particular: Carlos Sainz Jr., Esteban Ocon, Valtteri Bottas, and Mercedes driver program phenom Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Earlier this week I posted a series of polls on Threads — shoutout to the wonderful people on F1 Threads — featuring a question on each driver:
Where will they be next year?
Where should they be next year?
Here are the supremely scientific results.
Carlos Sainz Jr.
By an large, there is every expectation that Carlos Sainz Jr. is headed to Williams next season. Williams team boss James Vowles has made it clear that Sainz is his top driver target, and while Logan Sargeant is in that seat at the moment and Vowles has outlined that Sargeant can still keep that spot, it seems an uphill battle.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, an overwhelming majority of respondents believe that Sainz is headed to Williams. 84% of those who voted indicated that Sainz would be with Williams next year, followed by 12% of votes for Sauber/Audi, and 5% of votes for Mercedes.
However, should Sainz be headed to Williams?
That vote was much closer.
Williams was still the winner when it came to that question, with 44% of the vote. However, the big gainer was Mercedes, as 31% of respondents believe Sainz should be headed to the Silver Arrows. Sauber received 25% of votes.
Valtteri Bottas
Next up? Valtteri Bottas, who is in the last year of his current deal with Sauber. Sauber already announced that Nico Hülkenberg would be joining the team for next season, ahead of the organization becoming the Audi works team in 2026. Pairing a German driver in Hülkenberg with a German team certainly seems like a good fit.
But will Bottas be his teammate?
According to 42% of respondents, Bottas will remain at Sauber next season. Interestingly enough, “Other” led the way with the second-most votes, clocking in at 16%. A return to Williams could be in the cards — if Sainz ends up elsewhere — while teams mentioned in the “Other” category included Haas and Alpine.
As for where Bottas should land, Sauber was again the winner, with 50% of respondents picking his current team as his 2025 home. On this question “Other” was the clear second-place vote getter, with Haas and Alpine again mentioned as possibilities.
Esteban Ocon
So this was fun …
The four options listed for Esteban Ocon for next season were: Haas, Mercedes, Sauber/Audi, and “Other.”
Haas was the winner for the first question, with 49% of respondents indicating that Ocon would move to Haas next season. However, a close second was “Other” with 30% of the vote.
And many of those respondents indicated that Ocon would not even been in Formula 1 next season.
Then came the true stunner of this exercise. When asked where Ocon should be next season 56% selected “Other,” with the majority of those respondents replying on Threads to indicate that Ocon should be out of F1 entirely.
Will the people get it right?
Andrea Kimi Antonelli
We conclude with the young phenom, Andrea Kimi Antonelli. By every indication he is being fast-tracked to F1, with the FIA even adjusting their rules in recent weeks to allow drivers under the age of 18 to be granted a dispensation to drive on the grid before their 18th birthday.
Antonelli turns 18 in August.
The FIA even tweaked the rule that requires drivers on the grid to have a driving license in their home nation. Antonelli is from Italy, where the driving age is 18.
Now, Antonelli might not see the grid this season — although the door is now open to that happening sooner rather than later — but will he be on the F1 grid next year?
And should he be?
A large majority of respondents, 79% to be exact, believe Antonelli will be driving for Mercedes next season. That does seem to be where he is headed, with reports consistently surfacing that Toto Wollf wants to move in a new direction at Mercedes. The Silver Arrows boss discussed that in Montreal, addressing the decision to make it clear they were moving on from Sainz as an option.
“I think first of all, Carlos deserves a top seat,” Wolff told Sky Sports F1ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix. “He’s done a fantastic job. But for us, we’ve embarked on a route now to say, ‘You know what, we want to reinvent ourselves a little bit, going forward.’ Kimi Antonelli definitely plays a part in that.”
But should that part begin in 2025?
Most respondents to the poll do not believe so.
According to 59% of respondents, Antonelli should remain in F2 next season, rather than make the leap to F1 after just one season in F2 and skipping F3 altogether.
Of course, it is fair to offer some caveats. This is just a very small sample size of around 80 respondents per question. Not exactly an overwhelming selection of voters. Furthermore the formatting of the questions could be tweaked, as the question about where each driver “will” land received many more votes than where they would land. We can blame he poll designer — the undersigned author — for that failure in sampling.
Still, the votes come from a very knowledgeable fan base, who follow the ins and outs of F1 on a daily — if not hourly — basis.
Will their votes hold true over the next few months?
As the 2024 Formula 1 season unfolded, Mercedes found themselves lingering in the middle of the pack. Drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell described the W15, their team’s challenger for the current season, as being on a “knife’s edge.”
But in recent weeks, that edge has widened a bit.
A series of upgrades the team started rolling out beginning at the Miami Grand Prix, including a redesigned front wing, have seen the team deliver improved performance on the track, and in the standings. The Silver Arrows are coming off their best Grand Prix result of the season in Montreal, as Russell secured the team’s first Grand Prix podium with a P2 and Hamilton finished in P4. Those results, plus Hamilton picking up a bonus point for recording the fastest lap of the race, saw Mercedes bank 28 points in the Constructors’ Championship standings, their best result of the season.
According to Mercedes Technical Director James Allison, that result comes after feeling rather “dumb” when they finally pieced together some answers.
Speaking on the Beyond the Grid podcast, Allison opened up about the team’s start to the year, and their search for answers regarding the W15.
“The thing that has bedevilled us from the start of the year, the overriding thing, was that you could get the car okay in a slow corner, get it quite decent in a fast corner, but you couldn’t get it good in both at the same time,” described Allison.
That descriptions mirrors how Russell described the W15 at the Miami Grand Prix. Speaking to the media, including SB Nation, Russell outlined the difficulties in getting the car into the optimal operating window.
“The problems you know Lewis and I faced last year was with this sort of spiteful rear end, and now suddenly we are struggling to turn the car at its low speed corners, and it’s the front [end] That’s that’s sort of washing out,” described Russell in Miami. “So I think we’ve just gone too far in in the other direction, and we need to kind of find a halfway house from what we had last year and where we ended up right now.”
In Allison’s mind, the team finally solved the problems, delivering a more consistent car to Russell and Hamilton.
“What has changed in the last two, three races is that we’ve modified the car in such a way as it actually has a reasonable high-to-low-speed balance and a reasonable through-corner balance,” described Allison.
“Those are sort of boringly jargony things that it just means that the driver can trust both the front and rear axle in a fast corner and a slow corner, and can trust it from when he hits the brakes at the beginning of the corner, all the way through the apex and out the other side,” continued the Mercedes Technical Diretor. “That balance is crucial to a driver, that they know whether the car is going to understeer or oversteer, and that it’s going to follow the trajectory.”
Allison conceded the breakthrough was an “oh my God” moment for him and the team, terming it a “ … more of an ‘oh God, how can we have been so dumb?’-type moment where you see the path forward and you should have seen it sooner.”
Ultimately, the team went down an aerodynamic path to find the solution.
“A thing that we’d been fighting all year with springs and bars and all the mechanical accoutrements on the car, [we’re now] just attacking it with the aerodynamic characteristic of the car,” Allison told the Beyond the Grid podcast.
Having come to a solution, Allison believes Mercedes can be “as fast as anybody” over the rest of the season.
“I think that we definitely can get the car this season to be properly competitive and to fear no tracks,” he said. “I think that the specifics of this circuit [Montreal] might make our fans think prematurely that we’re already there. This circuit has quite a low range of cornering speeds in it, and it tests the car maybe slightly less severely than some of the others that are coming up.
“While I’m pretty sure that we will make a good showing in the nearby future races, I’d be surprised if we’re on pole at the next round, for example. But I am absolutely certain that we can be as fast as anybody over the coming period.”
You can listen to Allison’s entire appearance on the Beyond the Grid podcast here.
The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics are just over a month away, the the Olympic flame has begun its journey to the Opening Ceremonies.
And on Tuesday, the Olympic torch relay had a Formula 1 feel.
As the relay made its way through Monaco, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc was one of the individuals tapped to carry the torch through the Principality. Other Monaco figures involved in the relay with Leclerc — who finally broke through with a victory in his home race, the Monaco Grand Prix — included Princess Charlene, Prince Albert II, and bobsledder Rudy Rinaldi.
Leclerc shared some footage of his time with the Olympic torch on social media:
While the Olympic flame will continue its journey to Paris, Leclerc will soon head to Barcelona for the F1 Spanish Grand Prix. The driver is hoping to be part of a big bounce-back for Ferrari, as both Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. finished outside of the points the last time out, at the Canadian Grand Prix.
That result saw Red Bull pull 25 points further ahead of Ferrari in the F1 Constructors’ Championship. And with McLaren scoring 28 points — thanks to a P2 from Lando Norris and a P5 from Oscar Piastri — Ferrari absolutely needs a bounce-back performance in Barcelona.
Perhaps carrying the Olympic flame will provide Leclerc with some inspiration this weekend.
Through nine race weekends this Formula 1 season, the team at Visa Cash App RB F1 Team have placed themselves near the front of the midfield. VCARB currently sits sixth in the F1 Constructors’ Championship standings with 28 points, 21 points ahead of seventh-place Haas. As the grid heads to Barcelona, there are thoughts that VCARB could perhaps throw a scare into Aston Martin, and make a play for fifth in the standings by the time the season is over.
However, VCARB is certainly expecting a tough fight at the Spanish Grand Prix, thanks to the track in Barcelona. For years the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was used for pre-season testing, thanks to its long straights and mix of corners.
As such, many teams are bringing upgrades to the Spanish Grand Prix, which could make for a “competitive” weekend.
“Barcelona is always a track where everyone brings updates, so I think it’s going to be a really competitive weekend. Let’s see what everyone brings. I’m excited to drive it with the faster last sector that they changed for last year,” said Daniel Ricciardo in the team’s media preview. “I’m looking forward to getting back on that track. Normally, it’s quite familiar but we didn’t do any testing there this year, so should be fun.
“I’m looking forward to keeping this run going, trying to get some more Q3 appearances and points finishes. I’ve been waiting a while, but I like to think it’s the start of where my season continues to progress and show performances like I did in Montreal,” added Ricciardo. “Really looking forward to it and excited to get the European leg started!”
Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images
Yuki Tsunoda, who has scored 19 of VCARB’s points this season, is hoping to rebound after a disappointing Canadian Grand Prix. VCARB was in the running for a double-points finish, but a spin by Tsunoda in the late stages dropped him out of contention.
“Even though the race in Montreal didn’t go the way I wanted, and the weekend as a whole was a bit up and down, it was positive that we managed to turn things around from Free Practice to qualifying, from one extreme to another. It showed that, as a team, we know how to adapt, and we came back well to get to Q3 once again,” said Tsunoda. “This definitely gives me lots of confidence that we know how to turn things around and make them work!”
Tsunoda believes that getting a good feel for the team’s challenger early in the week will bre critical for success at the Spanish Grand Prix.
“Now it’s time for Barcelona, which is a tough test for the car, but so far this season the VCARB 01 seems to perform well at all tracks, so I have no concerns on the performance side. As for the track itself, Sector 1 and Sector 3 are different animals and you can’t really have a car that is well-balanced in both of them, so you need to compromise, but we are not worried about that,” described Tsunoda. “The key will be to get a good understanding of how our package is working at this track as soon as possible during Free Practice and then get the most out of it. It’s another track where overtaking is difficult so qualifying will again be very important.
“I seem to be performing quite well in quali in recent races, maybe it’s the way I build up to it over Free Practice and it’s also linked to controlling my emotions, managing myself better and doing it consistently,” continued Tsunoda. “That makes your driving and feedback better and gives me extra confidence, so I’m looking forward to it.”
As noted, many teams are bringing upgrades to Barcelona.
And VCARB is one of those teams.
“With regards to our approach to the race, recent results have been reasonable and we have been scoring points, began Jody Egginton, the team’s Technical Director. “However, the midfield battle is incredibly tight and we are under no illusion that we must deliver well-executed events to be towards the front of this group with a chance of scoring points. So, like for any other Grand Prix, there have been intensive preparations in the simulator and offline tools to prepare for this event.
“A significant amount of work was put in by Faenza and Bicester to prepare and deliver an aerodynamic update consisting of a floor, bodywork and rear wing for both cars, to provide a measurable performance benefit,” continued Egginton. “As a result of having this update, the Friday sessions will be especially busy, in order to gather and process as much data as possible and get ready for Saturday onwards.”
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