The Strength of Strategy

 

An unexpected start, a crazy strategy call, and 66 laps of tyre management. The Spanish Grand Prix returned once again to Circuit de Catalunya but was not as exciting as one may think. 

A record-breaking qualifying session saw reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton reach a ton of poles, the first man in the history of the sport to ever achieve the feat. It was once again the Red Bull of Max Verstappen behind him who was close to denying him the record with the fast, not flying anymore, Finn behind the pair. 

A tremendous getaway by the Red Bull as the lights went out saw him take the lead from the Briton into turn 1 as he kept his elbows out. In the worlds of Crofty, his elbows had razor blades on them which is why Lewis was smart to not challenge it. Right behind the duo, Bottas lost his 3rd place to Charles Leclerc who also had a fantastic getaway, taking a smarter line through turn 3 to easily fly past Bottas before turn 4. The Alpines of Ocon and Alonso, who had been ever so impressive in qualifying, were all in the mix as McLaren, Ferrari, Alpine, Alpha Tauri, and Aston Martin all were fighting for the points. 

As the drivers set into their respective grooves, Yuki Tsunoda's car had a loss of power bringing out the safety car. The 9-second gap that Max and Lewis had carved ahead of Leclerc and Bottas was rendered inert. It did not take long though for the pair to build that gap once again. Meanwhile, the midfield battle was getting juicy once again with Perez and Ricciardo fighting for P5 and Sainz not far behind them either. 

Laps 20 through 26 saw most cars make their first pit stops, besides the Williams boys who took the early safety car as a chance to refresh their rubber. Unlike their usual flying stops, however, the Red Bull boys could not perform under pressure with Max having to wait for 4.2 seconds as his right rear tyre was slow to be put on. This compared to 2.5 seconds for Hamilton who still came out behind the Dutchman because he decided to go longer on the first set of soft tyres. As Hamilton tried to chase Max once again, a key call was made on lap 46 to bring Lewis into the pits once again for a new set of medium tyres. 

With 22 seconds to be made up with 23 laps to go, Hammertime had to be initiated once again. The new tyres on a Mercedes meant that Hamilton was lapping between 1.5 to 2 seconds faster every lap compared to Max and finally on lap 60 he made the pass down the pit straight. As Christian Horner said it himself as the race ended, there was nothing much the Red Bulls could have done. It was either sacrificing track position (which is not ideal at a track like Catalunya) or pit straight after which would have meant they lost their lead. Although the second option would have spiced stuff up given that the Red Bulls also had very good pace around this circuit. 

Fortunately for Bottas, Ferrari's fight was not with him and he was able to fly past Charles with a new set of soft tyres. Ricciardo and Perez's duel resulted in the Mexican taking P5 and the Aussie in 6th place. It has been a shame though for Perez who has been unable to match the performance of his teammate. Had he been in a place closer to Bottas and Hamilton, the Red Bulls could have used both their cars to bully the Mercs to stay out, however, with the Mexican so far back it made the call for the boys from Brackley ever so easy. 

A key question that I have been asked multiple times is whether Perez is just another Alex Albon who failed to make a proper impression last season. Under pressure from the immense talent of Max Verstappen who has consistently outdriven the Red Bull car, no teammate besides Daniel Ricciardo seems to have been able to put up a fight. However it has only been 4 races for the Mexican in the Red Bull outfit and he has proven he can do it, out qualifying Max in Imola which was indeed very impressive. All eyes will be on him as he hopes to bring the gap down between him and his fellow Dutch teammate. 

On the other side of the grid, we have the opposite in the form of Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin who are in 2 different leagues of their own. Nikita has had a very tough introduction into Formula 1 and if I am to be honest - does not deserve the seat just yet. Coming from 5th in the F2 championship really does not make sense whereas drivers such as Callum Ilott definitely deserve the seat. 

Bringing the conversation back to the race, an epic duel took place in the second half for the final points position with Gasly, Russel, Alonso, Vettel, Raikonnen, and Stroll all fighting for that one point. Whilst Alonso had kept all of them at bay, a run of 5 corners saw him lose 6 positions as he finished P17 in the end - not an ideal race for the Spaniard in his home Grand Prix. Gasly, who finished 10th and got that point, would have been kicking himself as he was given a 5-second penalty for starting outside of his grid box, a rookie mistake for the Frenchman who truly has become an experienced campaigner on the grid. 

I would like to add a small note for the Prancing Horses. Last year was one of their most difficult years in the history of Formula 1. Constant issues, poor pace and just problem after problem saw them finish 6th place, their worst ever in god knows how many years. Since then, their winter development has been commendable as Leclerc and Sainz have been close to the front runners and always in the points. Good signs to see for the boys from Marinello. 

Moving ahead, it is the return of F1 to the streets of Monaco after a one-year break due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It has always been a strong circuit for the Red Bulls given that there are many slow corners. We shall wait to see who comes out on top in 2 weeks' time. Monte Carlo has always been a driver's favorite. Who knows what is ahead. Mo money, mo problems maybe?