2022 Formula One Spanish Grand Prix

Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen.jpg
F1 returns to action this week for the Spanish Grand Prix, with Red Bull and Ferrari fighting a tightly contested battle and multiple teams bringing significant upgrade packages.

A modified Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is the site of the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix for Formula 1. The title battle for both drivers and constructors is still a close fight, with Ferrari narrowly holding onto a lead in the constructor's championship, and Max Verstappen inching ever closer to Charles Leclerc in the drivers standings.

Much of the buzz surrounding this week's race concerns upgrades from mid-pack teams. Aston Martin arrived to Catalunya with a car that bears more than a passing resemblance to the Red Bull. Mercedes is also turning heads, as their upgraded cars look to be more on pace with Ferrari and Red Bull than we've seen so far this year.

The action this weekend will be the first time for most fans to see the track's newest form. The difficult and slow La Caixa corner at turn 10 has been rounded, which will allow the cars to carry a little more speed while still retaining the intent of the circuit overall.

Leclerc's 19-point advantage over Verstappen could be considered a safe lead in some circumstances, but given the inconsistency of the Red Bull in the first few races and coming off of two consecutive Verstappen wins at Imola and Miami, that lead seems far from safe.

Ferrari's lead in the constructor's championship has likewise been threatened, as a tough outing for Ferrari at Imola saw Leclerc and Sainz manage to finish only 6th and 20th, respectively. However, the pair claimed two of the three podium positions in Miami to help retain the championship lead.

What are your predictions for this weekend? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter @RaceDepartment!
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About author
Mike Smith
Mike Smith
I have been obsessed with sim racing and racing games since the 1980's. My first taste of live auto racing was in 1988, and I couldn't get enough ever since. Lead writer for RaceDepartment, and owner of SimRacing604 and its YouTube channel. Favourite sims include Assetto Corsa Competizione, Assetto Corsa, rFactor 2, Automobilista 2, DiRT Rally 2 - On Twitter as @simracing604

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Comments

Colt459
Richard Wilks said:
Indycar in the 90s didnt need any DRS, nor did a lot of other single seater formulas, to have action on track. The DRS is a lazy band aid that should have never existed.
Click to expand...
They aren’t the same cars anymore. They’re bigger, faster, and grippier with aero that makes passing much more difficult.
 
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P
azaralamouri said:
Killing DRS = Killing F1.

Will be the most stupid sluggish boring dominating no action dead sport. Some of you haven't followed F1 since the 90's and for 30 years like me and this is why you don't know the consequence of cancelling DRS.
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Not only I have been following the sport since 1991, but I've also taken the time to rewatch full old races the last few years. Both for sheer pleasure, and for understanding with an adult point of view what has changed in the last 4 decades, and what the sport has lost.

And I stand by what I've said.
 
Copef1
LMGiorni said:
Yeah, you know that Knight do make mistakes from time to time. You for sure know that Lewis did some dirty drives and much worse than finishing in a crash fighting for a championship.
And for sure that he is not a Saint, but I never said that.
And the Villeneuve maneuver is not on him, the Damon Hill one is and the Monaco “mistake” are. But even if you see all of them as controversial, he did not have so many contacts or crashes with others in his career as Lewis had. And they are at least more understandable to had happened in comparison.
Schumacher received the same or sometimes a worst treatment than that, like Coulthard in 98 Spa, and Buenos Aires 98 and was not even seen close to what media said about Schumacher attempt of murder in 97 and 94.
There is a bias for British teams and drivers, the media push a lot on fans or F1 followers. Many did open their eyes and started seeing it clearly with the favoritism on Lewis, even when Bottas was so mistreated as teammate. Even never pointing out how Mercedes impeded him to win even if he had 30s lead. But Ferraris orders with Schumacher-Barrichello were the worst thing to happen to F1.
That's something that I call not to defend Schumacher but to be fair.
Click to expand...
I'm not even British, and this is laughable to me. So let me see if I understand what you are saying. If Lewis does it, its dirty driving, but if Michael Schumacher does it, it's a mistake? Is that about right? Parking your car on purpose in a corner to stop qualifying is a "mistake"? Again, totally laughable. Go back and watch the Villeneuve thing again. Jacques was passing Michael to clinch the 1997 WDC, and Michael drove right into the side of his Williams, like an entitled little prat, to stop that from happening.

It's funny, I have seen every F1 race since 1978, and the stuff I see on this board and others, about Lewis, is the same things people were saying about Michael, 20 years ago. The only difference is back then Senna was the "Knight". I guess things never change.

P.S. Senna, Schumacher, and Hamilton have all been Diva's at times in their respective careers.
 
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Richard Wilks
Colt459 said:
They aren’t the same cars anymore. They’re bigger, faster, and grippier with aero that makes passing much more difficult.
Click to expand...
That doesn't matter, physics dont change. The tires are grippier, so it even makes it more of a case that we should remove the wings almost entirely, or make them much simpler, so then the tires could hold the cars on the corners nicely right next to the car in front.

Again modern indycars dont need DRS.
 
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L
Copef1 said:
I'm not even British, and this is laughable to me. So let me see if I understand what you are saying. If Lewis does it, its dirty driving, but if Michael Schumacher does it, it's a mistake? Is that about right? Parking your car on purpose in a corner to stop qualifying is a "mistake"? Again, totally laughable. Go back and watch the Villeneuve thing again. Jacques was passing Michael to clinch the 1997 WDC, and Michael drove right into the side of his Williams, like an entitled little prat, to stop that from happening.

It's funny, I have seen every F1 race since 1978, and the stuff I see on this board and others, about Lewis, is the same things people were saying about Michael, 20 years ago. The only difference is back then Senna was the "Knight". I guess things never change.

P.S. Senna, Schumacher, and Hamilton have all been Diva's at times in their respective careers.
Click to expand...
Laughable is a comment that I did not expect as I gave you arguments, but I will not say such thing about yours as it is a bit disrespectful as even if I do not agree you did try to give your explanations and arguments about why you see it your way.

Never said it was a driver error, it was a sportsman mistake, a life mistake, nonetheless it's a mistake, clearly.
Foremost, I did say that 94 and Monaco are on him, sure. Villeneuve incident is clearly not the same and I invite you to watch it again, and say to me that Villeneuve would have turned the car and I will then laugh hard. If you watch the incident again and the cockpit cam, he attempted a pass where the other driver was taking just about to take the corner (with a car clearly behind). And that is why they forced the contact, both, but the one that had the right to the corner was Schumacher, not Villeneuve. But there was a bias against him as this was compared to Hills 94 maneuver, and this had nothing to do as he did not make a previous mistake and was in racing speed without car issues.
Remember that later the F1 changed the rules not allowing to do a pass on a braking zone because incidents like this are called to happen.
You could disagree, but it's a quite different maneuver. The Couldhard Buenos Aires 98 maneuver against Schumacher is much worse and more comparable with the 94 Schumacher-Hill incident, and it was not a championship definition or anything, and never got the same media against him not even close.
So, yeah, Schumacher had British F1 media against and that is part of the business that that's why he never complained, is part of what he knew came with the job and accepted it. And that is why I consider him a Knight, he had more working ethics than Lewis and that is by a far margin.

And Schumacher Diva's time at Ferrari was earned through challenge. Lewis Diva's was from start, remember the treatment he got from McLaren when he was teammate of Alonso the 2 times World Champion at the moment.

So yeah, Lewis was always specially treated in F1.
 
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Copef1
LMGiorni said:
Laughable is a comment that I did not expect as I gave you arguments, but I will not say such thing about yours as it is a bit disrespectful as even if I do not agree you did try to give your explanations and arguments about why you see it your way.

Never said it was a driver error, it was a sportsman mistake, a life mistake, nonetheless it's a mistake, clearly.
Foremost, I did say that 94 and Monaco are on him, sure. Villeneuve incident is clearly not the same and I invite you to watch it again, and say to me that Villeneuve would have turned the car and I will then laugh hard. If you watch the incident again and the cockpit cam, he attempted a pass where the other driver was taking just about to take the corner (with a car clearly behind). And that is why they forced the contact, both, but the one that had the right to the corner was Schumacher, not Villeneuve. But there was a bias against him as this was compared to Hills 94 maneuver, and this had nothing to do as he did not make a previous mistake and was in racing speed without car issues.
Remember that later the F1 changed the rules not allowing to do a pass on a braking zone because incidents like this are called to happen.
You could disagree, but it's a quite different maneuver. The Couldhard Buenos Aires 98 maneuver against Schumacher is much worse and more comparable with the 94 Schumacher-Hill incident, and it was not a championship definition or anything, and never got the same media against him not even close.
So, yeah, Schumacher had British F1 media against and that is part of the business that that's why he never complained, is part of what he knew came with the job and accepted it. And that is why I consider him a Knight, he had more working ethics than Lewis and that is by a far margin.

And Schumacher Diva's time at Ferrari was earned through challenge. Lewis Diva's was from start, remember the treatment he got from McLaren when he was teammate of Alonso the 2 times World Champion at the moment.

So yeah, Lewis was always specially treated in F1.
Click to expand...
I saw the Villenueve incident live, and I have seen it about 100 times since. I completely disagree with what you are asserting. I watched it on Speedvision live when it happened, and even the American announcers were saying it looked on purpose by Michael. I remember an interview with Jacques after the race where a reporter asked if he thought that Michael would try to hit him on purpose, when he passed, and Jacques said that he totally expected it.

I believe your love for Michael has blinded you from any objectivity when looking back on his career, and some of his obvious character flaws. I certainly don't see him, from a character standpoint, as superior to Lewis. Both drivers have their faults. That being said, both drivers will go down in history as some of the finest to every race in F1. You don't win 7 titles by accident, or luck.
 
L
Copef1 said:
I saw the Villenueve incident live, and I have seen it about 100 times since. I completely disagree with what you are asserting. I watched it on Speedvision live when it happened, and even the American announcers were saying it looked on purpose by Michael. I remember an interview with Jacques after the race where a reporter asked if he thought that Michael would try to hit him on purpose, when he passed, and Jacques said that he totally expected it.

I believe your love for Michael has blinded you from any objectivity when looking back on his career, and some of his obvious character flaws. I certainly don't see him, from a character standpoint, as superior to Lewis. Both drivers have their faults. That being said, both drivers will go down in history as some of the finest to every race in F1. You don't win 7 titles by accident, or luck.
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Yeah, many in the media even none Britain said a lot of things about Schumacher, but not everything said is true or at least is a fact.
I didn't say he did not make a mistake there, he did. For me clearly was not as stated by media as the memory of 94 influenced a lot on that controversy of a maneuver. It was quite different as the one with Hill, as he was on racing pace, racing line, about to turn in the braking zone.
So no, I don't love Schumacher, but I do like his driving style, a lot.

And for me, you are on a hateful mode when talking to Schumacher and a condolence mode when talking about Hamilton, but the difference on character is evident for the ones that are open to see.
An expression like the one Hamilton said on the radio in Spain would have never got out of Schumacher's mouth. And that is quite a difference in character, and that is why he achieved so many memorable wins that if you put another driver there would have never happened. Like French GP 2004 or Hungary 98, above many others.
 
Copef1
LMGiorni said:
Yeah, many in the media even none Britain said a lot of things about Schumacher, but not everything said is true or at least is a fact.
I didn't say he did not make a mistake there, he did. For me clearly was not as stated by media as the memory of 94 influenced a lot on that controversy of a maneuver. It was quite different as the one with Hill, as he was on racing pace, racing line, about to turn in the braking zone.
So no, I don't love Schumacher, but I do like his driving style, a lot.

And for me, you are on a hateful mode when talking to Schumacher and a condolence mode when talking about Hamilton, but the difference on character is evident for the ones that are open to see.
An expression like the one Hamilton said on the radio in Spain would have never got out of Schumacher's mouth. And that is quite a difference in character, and that is why he achieved so many memorable wins that if you put another driver there would have never happened. Like French GP 2004 or Hungary 98, above many others.
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Not true. I don't hate Schumacher, or excuse Hamilton. I see them both as great drivers who could be Divas at times, and have character flaws. I don't favor one over the other, as you so obviously do.
 
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L
Copef1 said:
Not true. I don't hate Schumacher, or excuse Hamilton. I see them both as great drivers who could be Divas at times, and have character flaws. I don't favor one over the other, as you so obviously do.
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No, I don't favor one over the other just because I like it more. I pointed out a difference in character that is there, for anyone that wants to see.
They are not equal, they are not the same, treating them the same is not fair. As I pointed before, that type of comment would never have come out from Schumacher's mouth. Not because he is nicer or whatever, because he had another kind of character, he took those circumstances as challenges.

That means that Hamilton is bad, no. I stated that before on another topic.
It does point out that in difficult positions like today, without having the best car as previous year he had quite a different statement than in for example Brazil last year starting from the back.

And that says a lot on character.
 
Copef1
LMGiorni said:
No, I don't favor one over the other just because I like it more. I pointed out a difference in character that is there, for anyone that wants to see.
They are not equal, they are not the same, treating them the same is not fair. As I pointed before, that type of comment would never have come out from Schumacher's mouth. Not because he is nicer or whatever, because he had another kind of character, he took those circumstances as challenges.

That means that Hamilton is bad, no. I stated that before on another topic.
It does point out that in difficult positions like today, without having the best car as previous year he had quite a different statement than in for example Brazil last year starting from the back.

And that says a lot on character.
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So, you don't favor one over the other, but then go on to say how they aren't equal, and then explain how Michael is better. You then say how Michael would have never made the comment that Lewis did, and basically try to show he has better character. In your last paragraph you again try to besmirch Hamilton's character. Anyone with a rudimentary understanding of the English language can see that you do favor one over the other. :)
 
L
Copef1 said:
So, you don't favor one over the other, but then go on to say how they aren't equal, and then explain how Michael is better. You then say how Michael would have never made the comment that Lewis did, and basically try to show he has better character. In your last paragraph you again try to besmirch Hamilton's character. Anyone with a rudimentary understanding of the English language can see that you do favor one over the other. :)
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No, I said facts.
Lewis and Michael are different in so many aspects that you can clearly see some differences.
I never said one is better over the other as a driver (I have my opinion on that, but never was that in the discussion).
I just pointed out that Schumacher starting career in F1 was quite special in the fact that was a quite lucky location and Hamilton did start on the best team of the season multi-year contract. That my friend do a lot on character. As you say, both were Divas at times, but that statement as is not fair. Getting to Diva's for one meant a lot more effort and sacrifice than for the other, and that forge character. And for me, that shows Schumacher clearly with a plus compared to Hamilton.
 
Damage Inc
BP said:
You've just proven my point.

Max could be equally judged the same way. He says he's cool and collected and he isn't phased by drivers or whatever...but he has also said pretty crazy stuff on radio...not to mention his attitude on the podium in Saudi Arabia...but he's not judged on that...Max is always remembered for his insane speed in the car, not for those moments. I don't hold them against him, because again, F1 (hell, racing in general) is intense and your emotions may get the better of you from time to time.

Lewis has done some amazing things in the car, but all many of you remember is what he said in this interview, what message of defiance he said on that shirt, what he complained about on the radio...and thus his achievements in the car mean less to you because his emotional outbursts resonate more in your mind than the driving...that is unfair bias towards him. Apply the same standards to all drivers or else it's simply bias...let's be real.
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Max get's a tonne of stick from a certain section of F1 fanbase, especially on Social Media. I have no idea why you think Lewis is singled out as the only driver to get stick. Yes there's a LOAD of bias in F1, as humans are inherently biased. Expecting someone to NOT receive negative bias is where it goes wrong. And the main reason Lewis get's a load of stick is mainly because a significant proportion of his fanbase thinks he's far better than he is, and that anyone saying that he's not the "GOAT" is saying he's shite. Also people don't seem to understand "dislike" does not equal "hatred" (but that's prevailant all over social media now).

Also I don't think Lewis has done "amazing" things in the car. Max impressed me today because he overcame a technical fault to get a win, like he impressed me in Hungary with a significant proportion of his car missing, Like Schumacher when he was stuck in one gear and got a podium. It's when the car has issues but the driver overcomes them is when we see the drivers mettle, I don't think I've ever seen Lewis overcome a car issue along those lines.
 
Damage Inc
F1's biggest problem is aero grip as many have said, but it's compounded by the insane brake performance and sheer size of the cars. How on earth do you outbrake someone when both cars start braking at the 100 metre board (or less!!). I'd like to see F1 cars have a maximum length, Even less aero reliance, and smaller less efficient brake systems to increase braking distance. Pie in the sky wish is to dump hybrid, racing isn't about saving the planet...if it was we'd be watching trains or buses race (far more efficient means to mass move people about).
 
Taj Johal
Premium
LMGiorni said:
And Schumacher Diva's time at Ferrari was earned through challenge. Lewis Diva's was from start, remember the treatment he got from McLaren when he was teammate of Alonso the 2 times World Champion at the moment.

So yeah, Lewis was always specially treated in F1.
Click to expand...
You seemed to be under the impression that Lewis was "given" his race seat by McLaren.

Nope, his performances and wins in various lower tier race categories EARNED him his race seat. His continued performances have kept in 2 top tier teams.

If he hadn't performed he would have soon been dropped. Just like may other drivers have been.
 
Copef1
LMGiorni said:
No, I said facts.
Lewis and Michael are different in so many aspects that you can clearly see some differences.
I never said one is better over the other as a driver (I have my opinion on that, but never was that in the discussion).
I just pointed out that Schumacher starting career in F1 was quite special in the fact that was a quite lucky location and Hamilton did start on the best team of the season multi-year contract. That my friend do a lot on character. As you say, both were Divas at times, but that statement as is not fair. Getting to Diva's for one meant a lot more effort and sacrifice than for the other, and that forge character. And for me, that shows Schumacher clearly with a plus compared to Hamilton.
Click to expand...
What you consider facts, are really just your opinion. This includes your take on the Villeneuve incident.
 
BrunoBæ
davehenrie said:
They really should take a look at the steering angles for both KMag & Hamilton. If only because Sir Lewis has a history of contact between cars that attempt outside passes or defending pass attempts. Kmag 'MAY' have crowded Lewis as well. It is something that should at least be reviewed.
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Checking the Mag-Lewis collision from Lewis perspective then there actually is a short moment where Lewis turns his wheel rapidly to the left into Magnussens path.
But its difficult to reveal if this is an effect of the collision or the cause of it.

Only the telemetry can show if the rapid twist of the wheel was before or after the actual collision - so...

Mag-Lewis-collide.jpg

WATCH: The best onboards from the start of the Spanish Grand Prix​

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WATCH: The best onboards from the start of the Spanish Grand Prix | Formula 1®

Charles Leclerc had a great getaway from pole at the start of the Spanish Grand Prix, but while it was plain sailing for the Ferrari man on the first lap, the same couldn’t be said for those behind.
www.formula1.com www.formula1.com
 
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Colt459
Richard Wilks said:
That doesn't matter, physics dont change. The tires are grippier, so it even makes it more of a case that we should remove the wings almost entirely, or make them much simpler, so then the tires could hold the cars on the corners nicely right next to the car in front.

Again modern indycars dont need DRS.
Click to expand...
The whole point is the physics have changed when the track remains the same size but the cars are bigger, faster, grippier with aero that makes the car behind slower. You cannot make a move to get around another car when all those physical factors change compared to the past.

And Indycar has push to pass because the same problems exists, without it there would be no passing.
 
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Richard Wilks
Colt459 said:
The whole point is the physics have changed when the track remains the same size but the cars are bigger, faster, grippier with aero that makes the car behind slower. You cannot make a move to get around another car when all those physical factors change compared to the past.

And Indycar has push to pass because the same problems exists, without it there would be no passing.
Click to expand...
Reread my post, specifically the parts where i say that the cars should be made smaller, and the aero should be massively simplified.

And there is plenty of passing on indycar even without push to pass. Go watch the races.
 
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L
Copef1 said:
What you consider facts, are really just your opinion. This includes your take on the Villeneuve incident.
Click to expand...
What Hamilton told on the radio about giving up is not my opinion, is a fact. And later after the race he said that thankfully he did not give up, he did not say, thanks to the team that persisted on me not giving up. That is a double standard hypocrisy of a statement and that is on him and is not the first time nor the last.
You will never find this type of statements on Schumacher, and that shows a lot of character. Not opinion, fact.

And I did say in my opinion Villeneuve incident was not Schumacher's fault, not to say he did not participate in the incident he could have avoided.
But you read and interpret whatever you like as when calling laughable another one's opinion. But yeah, the bias is on me.

And who in F1 did not work hard and got plenty of accomplishment to be able to have a seat? But that doesn't change the fact that he was quite privilege, I said in another post, the only two drivers I remember starting in the best car of the grid is Villeneuve Jacks, and Lewis Hamilton.
The other drivers had to develop their careers to get into top teams or even build the top team, what makes a huge difference on showing up talent and adding to the statistics.
 

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