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Spanish Grand Prix – Preview, Timings and Prediction

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Spanish Grand Prix – Preview, Timings and Prediction

 

F1 will complete its third and final leg of their triple-header this weekend for the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona.

In a very different post-COVID era, teams will finally return to Barcelona after winter testing in February to take part in the Spanish Grand Prix around six months later.

Most eyes will be on Red Bull’s Max Verstappen following winning his first Grand Prix of 2020 at Silverstone, thanks to tyre problems on both Mercedes. We still don’t know why Mercedes suffered severe blisters on their rear tyres, but Pirelli using the softer compounds and the notably hot weather had a major part on the result.

The Dutchman will be pleased to know temperatures are set to soar in Barcelona, with highs of 33 degrees and the track temperature set to be around the 40’s – similar to Silverstone. It was clear to see over the two weekends in Silverstone that Mercedes struggled in extremely warm weather, with both cars sustaining punctures in British GP and blisters throughout 70th Anniversary Grand Prix. So, could the warm weather in Spain help Max Verstappen close the gap to Lewis Hamilton in the Driver standings, as the British driver currently remains 30 points ahead of Red Bull driver.

Another reason why the 70th Anniversary GP was intense and thrilling was Pirelli decision to use softer compound tyres. This led to teams to either utilising a one-stop or two-stop strategy and was highly instrumental to Mercedes downfall and Red Bull’s rise. Unfortunately, Pirelli has opted to revert to the harder compound tyres – C1, C2 and C3 – for the Spanish Grand Prix.

Racing Point the talk of the paddock

Racing Point continued to be the talk of paddock, on and off the track. Nico Hulkenberg was back in ‘Pink Mercedes’ seat for 70th Anniversary Grand Prix and was on-course to earn his first podium in his career. However, Racing Point has since announced this morning (Thursday) that Sergio Perez has tested negative for coronavirus and will return for Spanish Grand Prix.

Racing Point was also part of an intense battle against other teams in the paddock. The Silverstone-based team were docked 15 constructors’ championship points and handed them a €400,000 fine for illegally copying Mercedes 2019 brake ducts.

Renault originally protested at Hungary and British GP and many expected the FIA’s decision to end any controversy. However, their verdict has entirely made teams more unsettled, with Ferrari and Renault appealing the outcome, and also Racing Point in a bid to clear their name.

Ferrari improve Vettel’s car

Sebastian Vettel’s 70th Anniversary Grand Prix was one to forget, similar to so many races in 2020 for the German driver. The former World Champion finished 12th in Silverstone last weekend, failing to score points for the second time this season, and admitted he had “run of answers” to explain his struggles.

Ferrari has announced that Vettel’s Ferrari has been given a chassis for this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix in a bid to turnaround his fortunes. Following an investigation at the factory, Ferrari engineers found an issue with chassis but stressed they don’t think the problem was fundamental.

Timings

Friday

Practice One: 10:00am to 11:30am

Practice Two: 2:00pm to 3:30pm

Saturday

Practice Three: 11:00am to 12:00pm

Qualifying: 2:00pm to 3:00pm

Sunday

Race: 2:10pm

 

Prediction

1st – Max Verstappen

2nd – Lewis Hamilton

3rd – Alex Albon

4th – Valtteri Bottas

5th – Sergio Perez

 

We hope you enjoyed this article ‘Spanish Grand Prix – Preview, Timings and Prediction’. Who do you think will come out on top in Spain? Let us know!

 

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