On to Barcelona
Formula 1 has no time for a break right now, because the next Grand Prix is scheduled for next weekend; the GP of Spain.
Times GP Spain
If you thought last weekend’s times were ideal, we have good news for you: Barcelona is in our time zone just like Monaco, so you can switch on at the same times. Moreover, there are no special events such as sprint races or tire tests this weekend. Just a straight-forward race weekend, although hopefully things will be a bit more exciting on track.
| Date | Session | Time (NL) |
| Friday June 2 | First free practice | 13.30 – 14.30 |
| Friday June 2 | Second free practice | 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm |
| Saturday June 3 | Third free practice | 12.30-13.30 |
| Saturday June 3 | Qualification | 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm |
| Sunday June 4 | Grand Prix | 3:00 pm |
Championship standings
Due to Max Verstappen’s victory and the disastrous weekend for Sergio Pérez, the points difference between the two Red Bull drivers has grown further. Pérez is already 39 points behind Verstappen and should rather focus on the upcoming Fernando Alonso. He concedes only 12 points to Pérez. Behind them, the two Mercedes drivers have provisionally established themselves ahead of the two Ferrari drivers, but the margins from fifth to seventh place remain small.
| driver | Pt. |
| 1. Max Verstappen – Red Bull | 144 |
| 2. Sergio Perez – Red Bull | 105 |
| 3. Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin | 93 |
| 4.Lewis Hamilton-Mercedes | 69 |
| 5.George Russell-Mercedes | 50 |
| 6. Carlos Sainz – Ferrari | 48 |
| 7.Charles Leclerc-Ferrari | 42 |
| 8. Lance Stroll – Aston Martin | 27 |
| 9. Esteban Ocon – Alpine | 21 |
| 10. Pierre Gasly – Alpine | 14 |
Among the teams, Mercedes in particular took a big hit in Monaco. The gap with Aston Martin has shrunk to just 1 point. Last year, Mercedes could only have dreamed of being so close to number two. The bitter reality is that Red Bull already has more than double the number of points and Mercedes can normally forget the constructors’ championship this year. Second place is the highest possible.
| constructor | Pt. |
| Red Bull | 249 |
| Aston Martin | 120 |
| Mercedes | 119 |
| Ferrari | 90 |
| Alpine | 35 |
| McLaren | 17 |
| Hare | 8 |
| Alfa Romeo | 6 |
| AlphaTauri | 2 |
| Williams | 1 |
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
For many years, the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has been the scene of Formula 1 winter testing, as it is a circuit that has a little bit of everything. Slow and fast corners, elevation changes and a long straight. In short: the team with the best all-round car logically has the greatest chance of victory here. Traditionally, sector 3 was a part where you could still make a difference if the car is good in very slow corners, but that is now less the case. The chicane before the last corner has been removed.
After the rather long GP of Monaco, the race next Sunday may be a bit shorter in time. After all, the average speed is a blow higher. The drivers complete 66 laps, covering a total distance of 307.24 km. Because the track layout has been adjusted, there is no lap record to shatter yet. Count on the fastest lap time of next weekend to be slightly below that of the previous layout. In any case, the clear favorite is Max Verstappen. He also won here last year and recorded his historic first F1 win here in 2016 in his debut race for Red Bull.
Weather forecast
It is wonderful spring weather in Barcelona, with temperatures approaching 25 degrees. The sun is showing itself, although the chance of precipitation is increasing as the weekend progresses. A drop of rain may fall, especially on Sunday, although it certainly does not seem to be a water ballet for the time being.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl