Mercedes cruised to another dominant 1-2 to ostensibly leave the 2019 title fight as an in-house battle. Motorsport Week looks at the key talking points from the Spanish Grand Prix.
Mercedes, and the relentless pursuit of perfection
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In the Premier League Manchester City have taken football to new levels, taking 100 points in one season and following it up with a campaign in which they amassed 98, capping the season with 14 straight wins. What made the just-finished campaign so pulsating was the emergence of an impressive Liverpool squad, which fell agonisingly short on 97 points. Both teams pushed each other to new levels with remarkable displays of team work, strategy and moments of individual brilliance. If there is a parallel in Formula 1 it is that Mercedes is currently the only team atop its game and full throttle in its relentless pursuit of utter perfection. Mercedes cannot be criticised for underwhelming grands prix for it is up to the opposition to provide a challenge. Mercedes is a team operating on an astonishingly high plateau with everything falling into place. It has two drivers pushing the limit, not making mistakes, while – worryingly for the opposition – still not entirely happy with the W10. Mercedes is also remarkable for having in effect turned around its advantage through the hybrid era. It may no longer possess the best engine but it still has powerful grunt and now has by far the best chassis, with its entire package so far able to operate in a wide window. But it is not just about a car. It is about a team that blends the required mixture of self-confidence and humility, the need to retain total confidence in its convictions while having the character to be critical, and to do so in an environment where the boundaries are constantly being pushed to unknown territories. “Everyone is still pushing incredibly hard, which is still so great to see,” says Hamilton. “It really is a phenomenal group of people. In the engineers' room, nobody is over confident. We were just discussing improvements we could make and talking about how we could improve the car. They don't mind constructive criticism. They don't take it personally. I think this is the strongest team there is and has ever been and it would be hard to break that.” Could Mercedes win all 21? That it is a talking point at all goes to show just how there is barely a chink in the team’s armour.
Ferrari failures, Chapter 5
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Forget any discussion about team orders, strategy or the dynamic between Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc. It doesn’t matter at this stage. Ferrari’s package is no longer in the same postcode as Mercedes’. Pre-season there was genuine anticipation that the crews from Maranello and Brackley were neck-and-neck, but since then while Mercedes has unearthed substantial gains, Ferrari’s progress – in comparison – has stalled. Even more alarming is that there was not widespread frustration at an ill-handling car or deeply underwhelming updates. It also rushed through engine upgrades, originally earmarked for Canada, in order to boost its prospects in Spain. “The upgrades worked well, power-wise, straight-line speed we are good enough, but certainly we have some weaknesses on the car that were highlighted this weekend,” said Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto. There are various theories, including one that Ferrari’s car concept – stemming from its differing front wing design – is either trickier to develop, or has a lower potential, than Mercedes’ direction. “Right now we are losing a lot in each corner not only in the last sector. Each single corner we are slow with quite a lot of understeer. That is not only downforce, we have seen something in the data which we need to analyse and understand so I think an early conclusion would be a wrong conclusion. We need a fix on this, but we need a proper analysis and try to understand the matter of balance, the matter of downforce and maybe even car concepts. I think we do not have the answer and I would not like to go through it yet. If it is a concept design problem then it depends what it is and then we can address it within the season.” Ferrari’s title ambitions are already hanging by a the slimmest of threads and alarmingly its pace through the final sector at Barcelona was lacklustre. That is often an indication of Monaco potential. If Mercedes’ expected Monaco advantage materialises, and Red Bull shoehorns itself into a comfortable second, then Ferrari can kiss 2019 goodbye.
The quiet assassin?
Red Bull heads to Monaco for the first time in recent years not entirely convinced that it has the fastest package for the Principality's streets. Max Verstappen accepted that Mercedes is now faster than Red Bull across all types of corners but the Dutchman continued his very fine start to 2019 with another mature podium drive in Spain. Verstappen was opportunistic when Vettel blundered and his around-the-outside move at Turn 3 showed he’d done his homework on how to execute a strong first lap. Verstappen’s second podium of the season leaves him third in the championship, ahead of both Ferrari drivers. If Red Bull is in the ballpark around Monaco then it provides Verstappen with a golden opportunity to fully complete a year-long turnaround. It was in Monaco last year that he reached a nadir with (another) crash in the Principality’s streets, this time in qualifying, one which cost him a definite podium and realistic shot at the win. With Pierre Gasly still getting to grips with the RB15 it leaves Verstappen ostensibly unchallenged from within – having been battling Daniel Ricciardo 12 months ago. Verstappen has been crash-happy in Monaco in his Formula 1 career but this specification Verstappen is a formidable opponent.
The return of the motorhomes
The start of Formula 1’s European season marks the return of the motorhomes – more akin to palaces than campervans – that have been in storage since last September’s Italian Grand Prix. Three teams arrived in Spain with modifications – some more noticeable than others. At the more outrageous end of the spectrum was Red Bull, which has ditched the Energy Station after 14 years of usage and replaced it with the Holzhaus. It is an expanded and upgraded version of the Holzhaus that Red Bull roped in from its KTM MotoGP unit at last year’s Austrian GP, owing to logistical difficulties in using the Energy Station for the triple header. The Holzhaus has been built from sustainably-sourced Austrian timber, uses a natural convection design that reduces the need for air conditioning, and provides 27 per cent more floor space than its predecessor. As per the Energy Station both Red Bull and Toro Rosso use the Holzhaus. Meanwhile, further down the paddock, Racing Point introduced its three-storied glass-fronted motorhome that is a substantial upgrade on its erstwhile unit and acts as another break from the Vijay Mallya era. It brings Racing Point – the team was trying to nickname the structure ‘The Point’ – into the big boys league. Sergio Perez and ex-footballer Gaizka Mendieta were on hand to officially open the new motorhome. Over at Haas it too has made modifications by widening its existing structure (which was rather cramped) to provide more space for the team, media and other assorted guests. Williams’ Martini terrace is no more – having been introduced in 2014 – but its third-floor open-roofed bar area has simply been tweaked, meaning plenty of drinks (ie, non-Martini brands) can be served! Renault, meanwhile, is set for an upgrade from its single-tiered two-sided motorhome in time for its home grand prix in France.
Brazilian GP drama
One of the main off-track talking points surrounded the developments in the future of the Brazilian Grand Prix. The close ties held between the promoter and Formula 1’s previous ownership permitted Interlagos minimal hosting fees (aided by a now-expired payment boost from a broadcaster) and it was a black mark highlighted by Liberty Media when explaining its financial results in the wake of acquiring the sport. Brazil’s recently-elected President Jair Bolsonaro declared last week that the event will move to a yet-to-be-constructed privately-funded circuit in Rio de Janeiro, named after Ayrton Senna, proclaiming it would be a financial boon for the nation. This all sounds encouraging. And yet. Forget dreams of Formula 1 racing beneath Christ the Redeemer or on the fringes of the Ipanema or Copacabana beaches; instead the Deodoro district has been earmarked, in the vicinity of one of the country’s highest security prisons, and in one of the worst areas for gang-related violence. There’s a joke about sleaze and F1 in there somewhere. The nation’s notorious crime and security issues have been well-publicised due to incidents at Interlagos, but – according to those in the know – Rio is even worse. It did host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics (ironically an event that required the demolition of 10-time F1 host Jacarepagua) but matters have since deteriorated. Even so, further details about its charm were eloquently discussed during The Guardian’s visit to Rio’s 2016 Summer Olympics. In effect this is a political game between various parties and figures representing Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, with Formula 1 the football in the middle. It is thought highly improbable that a new Formula 1 level facility can be constructed in the timeframe envisioned by the loathsome Bolsonaro and it remains to be seen whether the project will ever get off the ground. Plenty of proposed Formula 1 circuits have never been built. Those that did were never constructed in less than a year. Even the money-no-object venues in the Middle East took over 12 months. Sao Paulo hit back by emphasising the water-tight nature of its 2020 deal and expressing claims that it wants a new long-term contract (though this was said by the state governor who, under his previous role as the city’s mayor, was keen to move Interlagos from public to private ownership). Sao Paulo or Rio for 2021? It’s going to rumble on for a while – and there’s always the chance it could end up being neither.
A farewell to Barcelona?
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The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is a home away from home for the Formula 1 paddock. Not only has it been a staple on the calendar but in recent years it has been the exclusive venue for pre-season testing as well. Many evenings have been spent frequenting the bars and restaurants of the nearby area and it’s easy to be on autopilot while driving around the region. But last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix may well be the last after a 29-year stint at Barcelona. Liberty Media expects to drop two – perhaps three – of the current events and with Italy and Britain lined up for renewals, it leaves Spain’s head in a precarious position on the chopping block. Few would miss it as a race venue even if replacement Zandvoort is hardly likely to be an improvement in terms of side-by-side action. It has nonetheless witnessed its moments in history, such as the Ayrton Senna/Nigel Mansell battle in 1991, Michael Schumacher’s maiden Ferrari victory in the 1996 rain, or the Mercedes clash in 2016 that opened the door for Max Verstappen to win on his Red Bull debut. Anyway, we’ll probably be back in February for pre-season testing…
