Race 9 - 2025 Spanish GP [Circuit de Catalunya - Barcelona]

[Nitrodaze]

We head to the last race of the European triple header in Barcelona, Spain, at the Circuit de Catalunya. This weekend, the weather for the race is hazy sunshine with temperatures of 30 to 32 degrees Celsius. Home race for Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz. Being a formal test track for preseason testing, any car that performs well here is likely to perform very well at most tracks on the calendar.

The Flexiwing regulation comes into effect at this race, and we shall see if it will have any impact on the current pecking order. Toto Woolf is quoted as saying that he thinks Ferrari may benefit the most from the regulation. McLaren is confident that it would be unaffected by the regulation.

General talk in the fanzone is of the publication of the Bild magazine stating that Ferrari is chatting with Christian Horner for a move to Ferrari. Bild as a source is not very trustworthy, hence many are taking these rumours with a pinch of salt. Horner and Hamilton working together would be very interesting, considering the Abu Dhabi scenario.

Lando Norris bounced back with a win at Monaco. But the main headline of the Monaco weekend was his qualifying lap to snatch pole from LeClerc. After the failed two-stop race of Monaco, Barcelona offers a normal race weekend with a fast-flowing track with lots of places for overtakes.

The inter-teammate battle of the McLaren drivers intensifies as Norris closes up to Piastri with merely three points separating them. Piastri leads the driver's championship with 161 points to Norris at 158. Verstappen is 22 points behind Norris but very much still in contention. Russell is 59 points behind Norris and increasingly falling out of contention for the driver's title.

In the constructors' championship, McLaren has more than double the points of its nearest rival, Mercedes, with 319 to 147 points. Redbull is merely four points behind Mercedes. With Ferrari only one sole point behind Redbull. The fight for second place in the constructors intensifies. Ferrari is notably the biggest mover as they recovered considerable lost ground in the last three races.

The question on everyone's mind is whether McLaren has done enough to absorb any setback if they suffer from the Flexiwing regulations. The driver's championship would immediately be under threat. But it would take some doing for the competition to claw back the considerable points of McLaren in the constructor's championship.

At the end of the Spanish GP, we shall have an inkling of what the rest of the season will look like. An unscathed McLaren would imply that the driver's title would be fought between both McLaren drivers and Verstappen. The constructor would most likely be insurmountable by mid-season or soon after. An affected McLaren may imply that the driver's championship is wide open and extends contention to as far into the drivers' standings, as Hamilton in sixth.

This could be a pivotal weekend of racing. With such high temperatures this weekend, Mercedes may suffer as a result. With fewer very slow corners, it may play to the strengths of Ferrari. Verstappen may spring another surprise win to really open up the championship.

[Nitrodaze]

After free practice one and two, it seems no team is affeccted by the change in regulation. That said, we have to see what happens in quali and the race.

[F1nKS]

I wonder when Tsunoda seat gets "hot". He is only getting worse and worse as the season progresses—20th in Qualifying.

[Nitrodaze]

I wonder when Tsunoda seat gets "hot". He is only getting worse and worse as the season progresses—20th in Qualifying.

No one in their right mind would be interested in that seat. Yuki is there for the rest of the season, at least. The only other driver they would be considering would be Hadjah, and l think that would be a very bad idea as they would be burning out a very promising talent in a useless second seat next to Verstappen.

[Nitrodaze]

The McLarens are in another league from the rest of the field.

[Nitrodaze]

PIASTRIIIIIII
What a lap???

[F1nKS]

Piastri blows the field away in qualifying.

Hamilton with a good qualifying effort at P4. The change in regulation looks to have just been a bunch of media hype. If anything, McLaren came out better.

[F1nKS]

No one in their right mind would be interested in that seat. Yuki is there for the rest of the season, at least. The only other driver they would be considering would be Hadjah, and l think that would be a very bad idea as they would be burning out a very promising talent in a useless second seat next to Verstappen.

I don't think Red Bull will make any changes to the seat this year. Red Bull has no chance at the constructors' championship. However, I don't see how he will be racing for Red Bull after this year if these types of performances continue to occur.

Of course, if Max leaves Red Bull at the end of the year, then Red Bull may not have any option but to elevate him to their number 1 driver.

Hadjar looks promising. I hope they go slow with Hadjar and let him get a couple of seasons under his belt.

[Used to be Starter]

Piastri blows the field away in qualifying.

Hamilton with a good qualifying effort at P4. The change in regulation looks to have just been a bunch of media hype. If anything, McLaren came out better.

Yeah, Lewis was P3 for a short period of time with about a minute left. He's at Ferrari at the wrong point in history for sure.

[Nitrodaze]

Great race. Piastri extends the gap to Norris to 10 points as the gap yo-yos from race to race. Great for Ferrari to have a Ferrari on the podium. But the Hamilton side of the garage did a terrible job at this race. From fourth to sixth is not a good effort from the mechanics on the Hamilton side. He was not in the fight at all. Two races in a row, we have seen the quality of work put into the Hamilton car to be very poor. It was terrible at Monaco and now at Barcelona; what is going on at Ferrari? Are there favours going on? Because l don't get it? The car was poor enough for a Kick-Sauber to overtake it to take a place. Hamilton was driving a Haas at this race.

It went south for Verstappen, putting him 39 points behind Norris in second. Russell has closed the gap to Verstappen to 26 points. Both McLarens are now beginning to streak ahead in the driver's championship. How did Redbull get Verstappen's strategy so wrong? This has cost him dearly and is making the championship fight less interesting. Having Verstappen in the fight keeps the championship interesting. Vestappen needs to be there or thereabouts to keep the McLaren boys on their toes.

Not a good outcome to the race in my opinion. At this rate, it is going to be a McLaren procession to the end of the season. How boring is that???