The Official 2018 Spanish Grand Prix Thread **SPOILERS**

The Official 2018 Spanish Grand Prix Thread **SPOILERS**

Author
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Dr Z

Original Poster:

3,396 posts

170 months

Monday 7th May 2018
quotequote all
Date(s): Friday 11 May 2018 - Sunday 13 May 2018

UK Broadcast Timings (and local time)

All sessions are live on Sky F1. Highlights on Channel 4.

Session Day Sky F1 Channel 4 Session Start Local Time
Practice 1 Fri 0945 - 1000 1100
Practice 2 Fri 1345 - 1400 1500
Practice 3 Sat 1045 - 1100 1200
Qualifying Sat 1300 1730 1400 1500
Race Sun 1230 1800 1410 1510


Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya



Live timing for all sessions available here:

https://www.formula1.com/en/f1-live.html

Lap times, PU component use, technical reports and Stewards' decisions for the weekend will appear here:

https://www.fia.com/events/fia-formula-one-world-c...

Weather forecast:

http://www.myweather2.com/Motor-Racing/Spain/Catal...

The tyre choices:




2017 Qualifying





2017 Race



Fastest Race Lap: 1:23.593 (L64, L. Hamilton; Mercedes)





It’s race week, and it’s the start of the European leg of the Championship (let’s ignore the Canadian GP for a moment wink). And as is tradition, teams bring big update packages to their cars at this race with the practice sessions being used to test the parts and check correlation, in addition to the usual programme of working towards the race setup.

The circuit has lots of long high speed corners in sector 1 & 2 with a lot of time to be gained there with a better performing chassis. Despite being a shorter lap (than races so far), the downforce requirements of the track also pushes up the power sensitivity. This in turn has an effect on fuel consumption with this being higher than any of the races of 2018 thus far. Sector 3 (aka Monaco sector) is a tight and technical section, with cars having good mechanical grip doing well there.

Last year we had an unusually interesting race at the front here, with a race long fight between Hamilton and Vettel for the race lead and even an overtake for the lead--helped a little bit by an elongated DRS section. Hamilton drove a brilliant race, with the Mercedes strategy team and Bottas doing their bit to provide an opportunity to pass Vettel for the lead and win.

This was also the race Mercedes turned up with a huge update package last year, however Ferrari had the quicker car in qualifying and race..except one place where the Vettel/Ferrari combination was not quick enough--at the final chicane and that proved to be their undoing.

Pirelli have modified the tyres slightly for this race--the tread depth for the tyres have been reduced by 0.4mm. It is alleged that the blistering experienced by Merc in the pre-season test here was to force Pirelli in to this decision. Merc didn’t have the quickest car here last year, and don’t appear to have the quickest car this year so far, so if they suddenly take pole position and disappear into the sunset… wink

Lots of reliability gremlins were experienced by Ferrari by this time last year on the PU front (Vettel had to take his 3rd engine during that weekend), and things have improved this year. However, the engines still have a couple of races to go before the new engines are scheduled for introduction, so one wonders if we would start to see some issues, with teams running more detuned than usual in the practice sessions to help the situation.

Even with the harder tyres last year, it was a 2-stop race (the track was resurfaced, so it is smoother than last year). The tyre choices are suggesting Merc will most likely have the flexibility with the harder compounds (Soft & Medium) than Ferrari.

Support races include F2 and GP3 Championship opener:






Edited by Dr Z on Friday 11th May 13:59

AW111

9,455 posts

132 months

Monday 7th May 2018
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I'll have 15 laps and Ferrari in the Max sweepstake for this weekend, thanks.

sandman77

2,366 posts

137 months

Monday 7th May 2018
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I’ll be at the race on Sunday watching from grandstand G. smile

DanielSan

18,746 posts

166 months

Monday 7th May 2018
quotequote all
Praying this isn’t a Melbourne fest of no overtaking and slow going. We can but hope but if any tracks are going to be dull it’s here and a dry Monaco

old'uns

540 posts

132 months

Monday 7th May 2018
quotequote all
DanielSan said:
Praying this isn’t a Melbourne fest of no overtaking and slow going. We can but hope but if any tracks are going to be dull it’s here and a dry Monaco
not a chance....

have you not heard that McLaren are bringing fantastic upgrades alongside Fred getting his mojo back for overtaking after Spa? smile
he's going to deliberately not get into Q1 so we can see the results

Derek Smith

45,513 posts

247 months

Monday 7th May 2018
quotequote all
DanielSan said:
Praying this isn’t a Melbourne fest of no overtaking and slow going. We can but hope but if any tracks are going to be dull it’s here and a dry Monaco
We've been spoiled over the last three races. Whilst it would be great to make it four, I haven't got high hopes. This isn't the circuit.

Still, you never know.

Thanks, Dr Z.


LaurasOtherHalf

21,429 posts

195 months

Monday 7th May 2018
quotequote all
Derek Smith said:
DanielSan said:
Praying this isn’t a Melbourne fest of no overtaking and slow going. We can but hope but if any tracks are going to be dull it’s here and a dry Monaco
We've been spoiled over the last three races. Whilst it would be great to make it four, I haven't got high hopes. This isn't the circuit.

Still, you never know.

Thanks, Dr Z.
I think we have to accept Barcelona for what it is, I'll probably keep reading the thread up until race day and then bow out when all the "boring! F1 is broken!" lot arrive afterwards.

Having said that, I've watched every race so far with family and friends and we still find plenty to talk about-even when it does get a bit precessional.

sparta6

3,689 posts

99 months

Monday 7th May 2018
quotequote all
Now that Merc have alledgedly bribed Pirelli into making a bespoke compound.
Hamilton 1
Bottas 2
Vettel 3


Jasandjules

69,825 posts

228 months

Monday 7th May 2018
quotequote all
Be interesting to see if the DRS zones actually enable any overtakes or whether Max just crashes into someone to get them out of the way. And will Alonso win, that McLaren has the best chassis after all....

DanielSan

18,746 posts

166 months

Monday 7th May 2018
quotequote all
Jasandjules said:
Be interesting to see if the DRS zones actually enable any overtakes or whether Max just crashes into someone to get them out of the way. And will Alonso win, that McLaren has the best chassis after all....
Especially as it’ll be the proper 2018 car... hehe

zokovic

31 posts

76 months

Tuesday 8th May 2018
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Barcelona is always an exciting time of the year, it’s the start of the European season, the time where you see lots of car development and in a way the start of summer which I love. The Barcelona circuit is fun, we’ve done a lot of laps around there and we know it very well, nonetheless it’s certainly not boring and we always enjoy going back.

Vaud

50,289 posts

154 months

Tuesday 8th May 2018
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zokovic said:
Barcelona is always an exciting time of the year, it’s the start of the European season, the time where you see lots of car development and in a way the start of summer which I love. The Barcelona circuit is fun, we’ve done a lot of laps around there and we know it very well, nonetheless it’s certainly not boring and we always enjoy going back.
Are you part of a team?

London424

12,826 posts

174 months

Tuesday 8th May 2018
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That looks like a lot more variation of tyre selection than most races...should throw up some interesting issues throughout the weekend.

HustleRussell

24,602 posts

159 months

Tuesday 8th May 2018
quotequote all
I've got a feeling that we're finally going to see the arrival of Hamilton proper. It staggers me that he's leading the WDC but I suppose that shows how effective he is in 'championship points' mode even when his performances haven't been electrifying.

If Alonso finishes he will at least equal his best result of the Hybrid era so far.

Derek Smith

45,513 posts

247 months

Tuesday 8th May 2018
quotequote all
LaurasOtherHalf said:
I think we have to accept Barcelona for what it is, I'll probably keep reading the thread up until race day and then bow out when all the "boring! F1 is broken!" lot arrive afterwards.

Having said that, I've watched every race so far with family and friends and we still find plenty to talk about-even when it does get a bit precessional.
It's been a great season, hasn't it. Even Oz was livened up by being the first. Since then we've been spoiled and Barca would struggle in any case.

Still, tyres might make a difference this season.

HustleRussell said:
I've got a feeling that we're finally going to see the arrival of Hamilton proper. It staggers me that he's leading the WDC but I suppose that shows how effective he is in 'championship points' mode even when his performances haven't been electrifying.
Perhaps this is the proper Hamilton. Maybe he's matured into a driver who will go for the WDC and not the wins. I was quite impressed by his drive in the last race. He changed his driving dependent on what those in front were doing. He held back when SV went for outbraking, presumably intent on picking up the pieces. If he'd collided with SV he would have been the overall loser, still behind. I doubt he sees Bottas as a rival. He also set the car up nicely, ensuring Kimi would not pass.

We've seen him circumspect at starts.

I prefer the old one but there are one or two who might benefit from copying the new LH.


anonymous-user

53 months

Tuesday 8th May 2018
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I have to say the first four races have been amazing. The best start to a season in a very long time.

But each race has had a safety car just at the worst moment for the leader which has spiced things up nicely.

Hopefully more of the same in Spain but I have my doubts.

suffolk009

5,344 posts

164 months

Tuesday 8th May 2018
quotequote all
Dull race until Max crashes in a blundered overtake. Safetycar out and the race might get interesting again.

I'll take lap 22 in the sweepstakes.

HustleRussell

24,602 posts

159 months

Tuesday 8th May 2018
quotequote all
Derek Smith said:
HustleRussell said:
I've got a feeling that we're finally going to see the arrival of Hamilton proper. It staggers me that he's leading the WDC but I suppose that shows how effective he is in 'championship points' mode even when his performances haven't been electrifying.
Perhaps this is the proper Hamilton. Maybe he's matured into a driver who will go for the WDC and not the wins. I was quite impressed by his drive in the last race. He changed his driving dependent on what those in front were doing. He held back when SV went for outbraking, presumably intent on picking up the pieces. If he'd collided with SV he would have been the overall loser, still behind. I doubt he sees Bottas as a rival. He also set the car up nicely, ensuring Kimi would not pass.

We've seen him circumspect at starts.

I prefer the old one but there are one or two who might benefit from copying the new LH.
Of course, as I say it’s no coincidence that he’s leading the points table, he is very much a ‘thinking’ driver.

That said I don’t think we’ve seen Hamilton ‘proper’ since Melbourne. What we have seen in rounds 2-4 has been slightly out of sorts, slightly mardy, not quite on top of his new car Hamilton IMO. He gives a lot away in radio messages. Bottas did a markedly better job in Baku and looked stronger in China and Bahrain too.

We’ve seen this in previous seasons where he spends several weekends trying to understand the car and get his setups nailed while his competitors build a points advantage. Then, just in the nick of time, it all falls into place and Hamilton engages his favourite mode: Championship catch-up. I think Rosberg and Vettel had a championship points advantage in the order of about 40 points around this time in ’16 and ’17 respectively?

Hamilton seems to really enjoy playing off the underdog / triumph against adversity storyline. He doesn’t seem to turn it on until people have started fancying his opponent for the championship. All of that seems to bring out the best in him.

The difference this season is that Ferrari genuinely have the faster car (I was on the fence on this last year) but thanks in part to Verstappen, Vettel hasn’t built the advantage he could’ve.

NRS

22,079 posts

200 months

Tuesday 8th May 2018
quotequote all
London424 said:
That looks like a lot more variation of tyre selection than most races...should throw up some interesting issues throughout the weekend.
I think this is the first race that the teams choose the tyres after driving with them, but might be wrong on that.

suffolk009 said:
Dull race until Max crashes in a blundered overtake. Safetycar out and the race might get interesting again.

I'll take lap 22 in the sweepstakes.
Lap 3 for me.

Jasandjules

69,825 posts

228 months

Tuesday 8th May 2018
quotequote all
NRS said:
Lap 3 for me.
I will take Lap 2 - a nice banzai overtake