Image obtained from mclaren.com
Max’s Meltdown
In what was a reasonably dull Spanish Grand Prix, the final few laps were brought to life by the safety car. For Max Verstappen it brought about a rare meltdown from the champion. Such has been the dominance of Verstappen the last couple of years we have not seen the darker side of his personality. I will cover this talking point in a separate post, but the incident cost Max and Red Bull significant points, the loss of points is probably more significant to Red Bull as they still can’t get that second car regularly scoring points and they run the risk of being usurped by Mercedes and Ferrari.
F1 Says Goodbye to Barcelona
2025 will be the last year Barcelona hosts the Spanish Grand Prix, for 2026 the race will be switching to the streets of Madrid. For me, Barcelona has always been a bit of a dud race, made worse in recent years by the change to the last couple of corners. Last year they returned the F1 layout to the original format in a bit to increase overtaking down the main straight.
Despite this reconfiguration, overtaking has been difficult. I really worry that with the loss of DRS next season, overtaking will be even harder. Barcelona has always had the added difficulty because the teams have so much data on the circuit and its layout from years of testing, I think it ends up nullifying most races.
Technical Directive Introduction
This race also saw the introduction of a new technical directive from the FIA on front wings and the amount they are allowed to flex. The directive comes after months of complaints from other teams that the front wing of the McLaren in particular flexes more than what is allowed, despite it regularly passing the FIA load tests.
As a result, most teams brought new front wings to the race, there were a couple of exceptions, McLaren being one. Instead of a whole new wing, they modified their existing wing. There was speculation around the grid that the directive would impact McLaren the most. Judging by the times from practice, qualifying and the relatively untroubled race, it seems that is not the case.
Stroll Out
Other news came post qualifying. Aston Martin announced Lance Stroll would miss the race due to needing surgery on the hand he injured several years ago. Rumours are that he may not make his home race in Canada with Valteri Bottas waiting to take his place. One amusing fact is, if Bottas does replace him, he will have a 5-place grid drop following a penalty that was handed to him after the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Results
| 1st | Oscar Piastri | 11th | Liam Lawson |
| 2nd | Lando Norris | 12th | Gabriel Bortoleto |
| 3rf | Charles Leclerc | 13th | Yuki Tsunoda |
| 4th | George Russell | 14th | Carlos Sainz |
| 5th | Nico Hulkenberg | 15th | Franco Colapinto |
| 6th | Lewis Hamilton | 16th | Estaban Ocon |
| 7th | Isack Hadjar | 17th | Oliver Bearman |
| 8th | Pierre Gasly | DNF | Kimi Antonelli |
| 9th | Fernando Alonso | DNF | Alex Albon |
| 10th | Max Verstappen | DNS | Lance Stroll |
Race Rating: 4/10
What’s next?
Canada is up next, I always look forward to the Canadian Grand Prix. Its a traditional circuit that is fast and unforgiving. Throw in the changeable weather and it always makes for a great race.
Let me know what you think below:
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