Well into the third year of the current
\nregulations it is clear that the teams, and cars, are beginning to converge in
\nterms of performance. While some, like Mercedes and Ferrari, still linger
\nslightly adrift, it is evident that McLaren are well and truly at the sharp end
\nof the grid. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lando Norris continues to
\nunderline this and did so again in Spain by taking pole position by 0.0020 of a
\nsecond from Max Verstappen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Verstappen himself, in the post-quali press
\nconference, said he believed the McLaren to be the quickest car. It could be
\njust mind games but Verstappen has always been a quite straightforward
\ncharacter. He wasn\u2019t bluffing either. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The McLaren, as has been shown over the
\nlast two months, is a machine to be reckoned with. The only factor that likely
\nkept Norris from winning the Spanish grand prix was a slightly sluggish pull
\naway. And by slightly sluggish we do mean a fraction of a second. As it were,
\nit was George Russell who swept dramatically into the lead of the race from
\nfourth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This left Verstappen and Norris in second and third and this was enough
\nto seriously dent the McLaren driver\u2019s chance at winning. Verstappen however,
\nas decisive as ever, made short work of Russell and took the lead of the race.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It wasn\u2019t the same for Norris who was stuck behind the Mercedes until the first
\nflurry of pitstops started on lap 15. However, unlike his closest competitors
\nNorris opted to extend his first stint to earn himself fresher tyres for the
\nmiddle stint of the race. It did mean that he emerged from the pits behind the
\nMercedes of Russell. A determined Norris took second place on lap 35 with a
\nbrilliant move around the outside of Russell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By now Verstappen held a near nine-and-a-half
\nsecond gap in the lead. Norris\u2019s fresher tyres and superior pace reduced the
\ngap to just under six seconds by the time Verstappen made his second stop. This
\ntime around Norris opted to stop only two laps after Verstappen which would
\nallow him to rejoin in second place. As neither Mercedes could keep pace with
\nthe leading two it quickly became clear that Norris had a quicker car than
\nVerstappen. Again, he reduced the gap from 6.6 seconds to just over two seconds
\nby the end of the race. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Given that Norris had lost just over four seconds at
\nthe start of the race by being stuck behind Russell it shows that the McLaren
\nhad the pace to win. And it was evident too in Norris\u2019s demeanour post-race. McLaren
\nand Norris are no longer satisfied with finishing second. And they shouldn\u2019t
\nbe. The car is clearly quick enough to win and the expectation has risen to the
\nlevel of victory being the only acceptable result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And while there will be those that bemoan yet
\nanother Verstappen win the last few drives have been mightily impressive. It is
\nclear that Red Bull must be at the very top of their game to win these races.
\nWith more than half of the season to go and assuming that McLaren can maintain
\ntheir pace, it is set up for cracking run all the way to Abu Dhabi. Norris\u2019s
\nsecond place in Spain also moves him to second in the driver\u2019s standings for
\nthe first time in his career. Speaking of firsts, Lewis Hamilton\u2019s third place
\nthis weekend marks his first podium of the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
George Russell was ultimately fourth for
\nMercedes while Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were fifth and sixth for
\nFerrari. It was, although not as bad as Canada, another disappointing weekend
\nfor Ferrari. Oscar Piastri was seventh in the other McLaren while Checo Perez
\nwas an underwhelming eighth for Red Bull. Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon were
\nninth and tenth for Alpine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An interesting factoid from the 2024 Spanish
\ngrand prix is that not only were there no retirements but there was also no
\nsafety car, no virtual safety car, and not a single yellow flag. It could
\nperhaps be deduced that the Spanish circuit simply doesn\u2019t offer a genuine driving
\nchallenge. Yes, those that occupy the cockpits of the cars in the world\u2019s
\npremier racing series are, arguably, the twenty best drivers in the world. But
\nnot a single yellow flag is perhaps an indication that the circuit de Catalunya
\njust doesn\u2019t have enough jeopardy like, for example, a Suzuka does. While tyre
\ndegradation demands pinpoint strategic calls and requires drivers to balance
\ntheir driving on a knife edge there isn\u2019t much else that is offered in the way
\nof being a real trial. Perhaps it is time to reconsider the circuit de
\nCatalunya\u2019s spot on the calendar?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If Max Verstappen gets a boost from supporters,
\nthen he\u2019ll be launched into the stratosphere this weekend as F1 makes its way
\nto Austria. It won\u2019t be straightforward though for Red Bull. After all, it is
\nhere that the famed \u2018Last-Lap-Lando\u2019 moniker was born and given Norris\u2019s recent
\nrun he\u2019ll be chomping at the bit to get back to the top step of the podium. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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Lando Norris continues to underline this and did so again in Spain by taking pole position by 0.0020 of a second from Max 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