McLaren have claimed the front row of the grid but their rivals have strategic options to take the fight to them.
Here’s all the key data for the race over 66 laps of the Circuit de Catalunya.
Weather
It’s unlikely there will be any let-up in the very warm and sunny conditions which have characterised this weekend so far. Clear skies and ambient temperatures in the high 20s are expected.
Start
Distance from pole position to first braking zone. Source: Mercedes
The Circuit de Catalunya features one of the longest runs to the first corner on the entire calendar. It punishes poor getaways and rewards good ones.
This was one of only two races last year where the lead was taken by a driver who started outside the front row. George Russell shot forward from fourth on the grid to sweep around Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.
If Russell’s going to repeat that feat he’ll have to pass Verstappen, who lines up third, plus the McLaren drivers, who have annexed the front row.
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Oscar Piastri will start from pole position again, as he did at Imola. On that occasion he was too busy keeping Russell in check to prevent Verstappen flying past him on the outside. He may be more alert this time, and with Norris alongside him McLaren should expect to repel any threats from behind.
Strategy
Last year drivers chose the following compounds to start the race on:
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Tyre compound |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | Soft |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | Soft |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | Soft |
| 4 | George Russell | Mercedes | Soft |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | Soft |
| 6 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Ferrari | Soft |
| 7 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Renault | Soft |
| 8 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine-Renault | Soft |
| 9 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | Soft |
| 10 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin-Mercedes | Soft |
| 11 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | Soft |
| 12 | Valtteri Bottas | Sauber-Ferrari | Soft |
| 13 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas-Ferrari | Soft |
| 14 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes | Soft |
| 15 | Zhou Guanyu | Sauber-Ferrari | Soft |
| 16 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas-Ferrari | Soft |
| 17 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB-Honda RBPT | Soft |
| 18 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB-Honda RBPT | Soft |
| 19 | Logan Sargeant | Williams-Mercedes | Soft |
| 20 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | Medium |
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Almost every driver switched to the medium tyre compound for their second stint. Many of the leaders were able to use another soft tyre for the final stint, while others pitted earlier and opted for hards.
Charles Leclerc took the step of saving more fresh sets of tyres for the race than his rivals, which compromised his qualifying performance but could pay off in the grand prix.
Drivers have the following tyres available for the race. Entering the pits to change tyres costs around 22 seconds compared to a car which does not pit.
| Tyres available for the race | Hard | Medium | Soft | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | New | Used | New | Used | New | Used |
| Oscar Piastri | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Lando Norris | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Max Verstappen | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| George Russell | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Lewis Hamilton | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Charles Leclerc | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Pierre Gasly | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Isack Hadjar | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Fernando Alonso | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Alexander Albon | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Gabriel Bortoleto | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Liam Lawson | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Lance Stroll | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Oliver Bearman | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Nico Hulkenberg | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Esteban Ocon | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Carlos Sainz Jnr | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Franco Colapinto | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Yuki Tsunoda | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
Overtaking
There have been no changes to the DRS zones for this year’s race.
The long straight to turn one offers by far the best overtaking opportunity on the track. However it’s not uncommon to see clashes between drivers through this right-left corner combination. Any drivers which leave the track at this point must follow the designated route back onto the circuit.
We have seen several late defensive moves on the straight approaching the corner. Attacking drivers can have the option of putting their right-hand-side wheels beyond the track limits onto the asphalt which continues after the pit lane exit. However it is bumpy and does not run all the way to turn one, so it’s a risky course of action to take.
For any drivers who collide, the penalty points situation is as follows:
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Speed trap
Pole-winner Piastri’s speed through the trap indicates he may be difficult to dislodge from the lead:
| P. | # | Driver | Car | Engine | Model | Max kph (mph) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | Mercedes | W16 | 330.0 (205.1) |
| 2 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | Mercedes | MCL39 | 329.5 (204.7) |
| 3 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | Ferrari | C45 | 328.1 (203.9) |
| 4 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | Mercedes | AMR25 | 327.7 (203.6) |
| 5 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | Mercedes | W16 | 327.6 (203.6) |
| 6 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | Ferrari | SF-25 | 327.5 (203.5) |
| 7 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Williams | Mercedes | FW47 | 327.3 (203.4) |
| 8 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | Mercedes | FW47 | 327.2 (203.3) |
| 9 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | Mercedes | AMR25 | 326.9 (203.1) |
| 10 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber | Ferrari | C45 | 326.9 (203.1) |
| 11 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | Renault | A525 | 326.5 (202.9) |
| 12 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | Ferrari | SF-25 | 326.5 (202.9) |
| 13 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | Honda RBPT | RB21 | 326.3 (202.8) |
| 14 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | Mercedes | MCL39 | 326.2 (202.7) |
| 15 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | Ferrari | VF-25 | 326.0 (202.6) |
| 16 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | Renault | A525 | 325.8 (202.4) |
| 17 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | Ferrari | VF-25 | 325.7 (202.4) |
| 18 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | Honda RBPT | 02 | 325.2 (202.1) |
| 19 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | Honda RBPT | 02 | 325.0 (201.9) |
| 20 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | Honda RBPT | RB21 | 323.7 (201.1) |
Safety Cars
There were no Safety Car periods or similar in last year’s race, nor the year before that. What’s more, there were also no incidents which triggered a yellow flag in either race.
F1 therefore hasn’t seen a Safety Car restart at this circuit since the original final two corners were reinstated. Previously the tight, slow chicane offered a perfect place for the leader to restart after a Safety Car period and ensure they did not come under attack. However the simpler configuration of the final corners will likely make that trickier now.
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Grid
Only 19 cars will start the race as Lance Stroll has withdrawn. The grid for this year’s race is as follows. Any changes between now and the start of the race will be added here:
Championship implications
If the drivers finish where they start, Piastri will extend his championship lead to 10 points over Norris and 35 points over Verstappen. Fernando Alonso would also score his first point of the season.
Work out all the possibilities using the championship points calculator:
Over to you
How will the long run to turn one play out? Can anyone take the fight to McLaren? And will Leclerc’s strategy gamble pay off?
Share your views on the Spanish Grand Prix in the comments.
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