![]() ![]() – MB Lando NorrisĮighth place is by no means a headline result for McLaren, particularly as it had a sizeable upgrade package for Barcelona yet now seems to be adrift of Alfa Romeo in the pecking order and behind Alpine too, but in the context of the rest of Lando Norris’s weekend, it represented a good return. But in performance terms, this was a great weekend. Perhaps the outcome showed a lingering lack of strategic sharpness that will hurt when Alfa Romeo’s racing in such illustrious company. While fourth would’ve been outstanding, this is still a team that’s gone from just about scoring on occasion and often going out in Q1 to being sad when it finishes only sixth because a Mercedes and a Ferrari passed it late on. It’s a points loss that might hurt too – Alfa Romeo could be seven points behind fourth-placed McLaren in the championship now not 11, and nine clear of chasing Alpine not five.īut Alfa Romeo’s return to F1 respectability is not yet so well established that a sixth place feels disappointing. ![]() Given he’d spent the majority of the race in a pressure-free fourth place, Valtteri Bottas was right to sound peeved on team radio that Alfa Romeo sticking to a two-stop strategy left him only sixth at the end. In both pace and fighting spirit terms, Mercedes offered so much hope to its fans today. Though Russell looked like he would again be Mercedes’ hero with his gallant efforts to fend off the Red Bulls for a podium and then the race lead, Lewis Hamilton went from first-lap damage to intimating he ought to retire the car to a remarkable charge from a distant 19th to fourth before the water leak that dropped him to fifth. Still only third and fifth, and limping at the end with overheating cars, but Mercedes provided strong evidence in Spain that it’s back in business and both its drivers had a huge amount to be proud of. Red Bull made the tough but necessary call with Sergio Perez who did a stellar job to earn Red Bull’s second one-two of the season. It gives Verstappen the championship lead, and although in slightly fortuitous circumstances, considering Verstappen’s reliability-induced retirements from Bahrain and Australia, he’ll likely have little sympathy for Leclerc’s plight. Formula 1 is back this weekend for the 2017 Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona at the Circuit de Catalunya.His DRS woes during the multitude of laps he spent behind George Russell looked to further cement his loser status but then Leclerc retired and Verstappen fired in the fast laps on the soft tyres to ensure the victory was his – via a Red Bull team order that he probably didn’t need to overcome Sergio Perez. Can Williams reply to that with a performance upgrade? Will there be respite for McLaren Honda? It will be interesting to see how the upgrades will shake up the midfield as well.įorce India believe their upgrades will cement them at the top of the midfield. Ferrari and Red Bull, however, are bringing upgrades with a major focus on aerodynamic improvement. It is believed that the upgrades Mercedes are bringing to Spain are to do with car weight reduction because they believe the increased weight is the cause for their balance problems. “You cannot say this but he is certainly a very good replacement for Nico, I have to say, because twice pole position and to win the fourth race is not a bad performance for us.” Bottas beat him but perhaps the next three times maybe Lewis will do that. “Bottas was quicker in Russia because he won the race but Lewis is an outstanding talent, a world champion. This is one race, he has won his first race and now we have to wait and see. But we will see in Barcelona in practice and then in the race.”Īsked if Bottas can mount a serious title run, Niki said : “Nobody knows. “It’s very simple, everyone will come with upgrades”, said Niki, “The season will start new and whoever has the better upgrades, we don’t know yet. The first four races of the season have made it clear that Ferrari and Mercedes are the current title contenders and Red Bull Racing are operating at a significant performance deficit to the top two teams. Given the significant upgrades most teams including the top three are bringing to this weekend’s 2017 Spanish Grand Prix, Non executive chairman of Mercedes and F1’s elderly fan Niki Lauda has suggested that the 2017 F1 season will basically start from scratch in Spain. ![]()
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