Mercedes offer first glimpse of vital W13 car upgrades for Spanish GP after private test.
Mercedes have provided a first glimpse of the car upgrades they hope will get their season back on track at this weekend's Spanish GP.
Last Updated: 19/05/22, 7:05pm
By Matt Morlidge in Barcelona

F1's world champions for the past eight seasons have fallen well behind frontrunners Ferrari and Red Bull at the start of 2022's new era and the Spanish GP is crucial as Mercedes both bring much-needed updates, and compare them against the car they debuted at pre-season testing.

The W13 car was rolled into the garage on Thursday in Barcelona and - while there will be much more clarity around the new parts during Sky Sports F1's exclusively live Spanish GP coverage, starting Friday - there are already clues that the Silver Arrows have a few tricks up their sleeve.

There also appears to be subtle changes to the floor, an area of weakness for the porpoising Mercedes so far this year, with the edge of the floor tweaked on the W13. The changes follow a filming day for Mercedes at Paul Ricard on Wednesday, where Sky Sports understands Mercedes shook down the car they intend to run this weekend.

‘W13 Upgrades Glimpsed’;

https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12...er-secret-test


Ferrari to bounce back this weekend? 2022 Spanish Grand Prix: what to watch for
F1 May 19th 2022, 10:47.
Author Edward Hardy

F1-75 is easier on the harder tyre compounds, will this come in handy for the Spanish Grand Prix? With its many turns, mostly mid-to-low speed, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is well known to be hard on the tyres.

The Spanish GP in recent years has been a two-stop race, so efficient tyre use is crucial for this weekend. Pirelli will be supplying teams with the C1 compound as hard tyre, C2 for the mediums and C3 for the softs – the hardest compounds for each tyre. This should come in handy for Ferrari – as pointed out by Mark Hughes, the F1-75 fires up the front rubber more readily than the Red Bull.

With the Ferrari getting its tyres up to a more efficient temperature quicker than the RB18, the two-stop strategy could favour the F1-75. Considering this, the signs point to a successful weekend for the Scuderia but we’ll just have to wait and see.

‘F1-75 Scuderia Favourite?’;

https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/a...-to-watch-for#


Spanish Grand Prix Picks and Predictions: Ferrari Fights Back in Blossoming Title Race
Publishing date: May 19, 2022
Author of the article: Alistair Corp

The European portion of the F1 calendar and a new phase of the season will get underway in Barcelona this weekend, with Spanish Grand Prix odds favourite Max Verstappen looking to continue to make up ground in the title race.

Adding a layer to race weekend at the Circuit de Catalunya is the importance this race has to the calendar. As the location of preseason testing, a track that has been in on the calendar for years, and one that’s fairly varied in its characteristics, it’s where teams will begin to bring in major upgrades to that season’s car.

This season has been defined by the blossoming title fights contested between Red Bull and Ferrari — and their drivers Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc. Red Bull and Verstappen have the lead in wins, 3-2, while Ferrari and Leclerc have the lead in points, fastest laps, and pole positions. The fight appears to be one that will swing back and forth depending on the circuit and in saying that, Spain should see Leclerc extend his championship lead after Verstappen made major grounds in the previous two races.

‘Picks and Predictions’;

https://calgaryherald.com/sports/spo...ing-title-race


Max Verstappen: “Hopefully we can keep the momentum going” in Spain
May 19, 2022, 19:08
By Paul Hensby

Max Verstappen will look to continue his remarkable 2022 run of winning every time he finishes in this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

The Oracle Red Bull Racing driver has won three of the opening five races – as well as the sprint race at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – but retired in the other two races in Bahrain and Australia. He currently sits second in the Drivers’ Championship behind Scuderia Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

After an ‘incredible’ week racing in Miami last time out, Verstappen is heading to Barcelona, the scene of his maiden Formula 1 victory back in 2016, with a lot of confidence, and he hopes the momentum Red Bull has had in recent races can continue.

‘Keep the momentum going’;

https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2...oing-in-spain/


Verstappen: It’s all going to be about car development
20 May, 2022
Editor

Max Verstappen said ahead of the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix that the race towards this year’s Formula 1 Title will be all about car development. Verstappen however is not concerned about his team’s development and said: “There’s plenty left in the tank!

“There’s always things we can do better, and I think at the moment the main one for us is reliability, so we’ll just try to get on top of that first. “I think we just have a team working really well on-track, but also back at the factory, it’s very efficient, and I think that, of course, with the cost cap is very important.”

“But I think we’re definitely one of the best on the grid with that,” the reigning World Champion added. “I expect us to do well here, but of course, you have to wait and see what the other teams are going to bring. We’ll see. I’m pretty relaxed. It’s a long season and I know that it’s all going to be about development in the car anyway. So, step by step, every race,” he explained.

‘Title will be all about car development’;

https://www.grandprix247.com/2022/05...r-development/


Major Aston Martin F1 car upgrade revealed before Spanish GP
Thu, 19 May 2022, 18:33
The Race
By Scott Mitchell

Aston Martin’s significantly revised Formula 1 car has broken cover ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix with major visible changes. The AMR22 has a completely different sidepod design and a new floor as part of a package designed to solve its porpoising problem and help it step out of the lower reaches of F1’s midfield.

Team principal Mike Krack had previously hinted upgrades designed to improve its situation would be ready in time for this weekend’s race and that has been confirmed by images on Thursday at Barcelona showing a dramatically different AMR22 in the pitlane.

The most striking change is the elimination of the aggressive ‘twin-floor’ style sidepod, replaced with a more conventional sidepod undercut at the front and a wide, flat top surface that angles down all the way towards the rear tyres. As a consequence of the new design, the cooling louvres have been repositioned from the top of the sidepod to the back of the monocoque and onto the engine cover.

‘AMR22 Upgrade’;

https://the-race.com/formula-1/major...re-spanish-gp/


Haas drivers face seven-race wait for team’s ‘quite big’ upgrade package
2022 Spanish Grand Prix
Written by Keith Collantine and Claire Cottingham
Posted on 19th May 2022, 14:22

Haas is planning to bring a significant upgrade for the French Grand Prix, team principal Guenther Steiner has confirmed. Several of the teams’ rivals are expected to run upgrades at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix. But the Haas drivers will have to wait another seven races for the team’s first significant change to its car.

“You will see when we bring the upgrade it’s everywhere,” said Steiner. “We will make a nice package. I wouldn’t say ‘everywhere’, that’s exaggerated, but quite a big one. It’s not just a turning vane or something like this, it’s quite a few changes.”

“It’s not only the upgrades, it’s also you understand the car better,” he explained. “You make improvements. Especially this year it’s difficult to say with the bouncing because if you have bouncing you are really slow. Then if you sort that one out you go really fast.”

‘Seven Race Upgrade Wait’;

https://www.racefans.net/2022/05/19/...grade-package/