All The Heat Of The Spanish Grand Prix
The 2022 Spanish Grand Prix will be remembered as a race in which the cars and the drivers were pushed to their limits by extreme weather and track temperatures. With scorching temperatures reaching 36 degrees C in the air and 49 degrees C on the track before the race, it was hot at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Shakeup in the driver standings
The Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship has a new leader after Max Verstappen won the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend. The Dutchman’s triumph didn’t come easily, as mechanical difficulties and a trip through gravel slowed him down.
After Leclerc retired from the lead with a power unit failure, the scales between Leclerc and Verstappen are now a bit more balanced. The Dutchman has now won three races in a row, and with Red Bull’s strong performance to make it a second 1-2 in three races, he may be able to keep his championship lead for the remainder of 2022.
Perez unhappy with team orders
Despite scoring a 1-2 for the team, Sergio Perez had a disappointing Spanish Grand Prix. He was ordered to give way to teammate Max Verstappen despite having a better chance to win the race at one point.
“I’m happy for the team. But we need to speak later,” said Checo in a radio message, hinting that he is disgruntled about being the number two driver.
Tensions between drivers are common in Formula 1 because of the unique structure of teammates who are also rivals in the race. The tensions are amplified in the top teams, where both drivers are among the greatest, and each has a car capable of winning.
Breakthrough for the Mercedes
There was optimism in the Silver Arrows’ garage heading into the weekend.
After Miami, the team made potentially critical upgrades to the car, showing that as Hamilton and Russell sped through practice and qualified sixth and fourth, respectively.
However, Hamilton’s luck ran out when he collided with Kevin Magnussen on the opening lap, putting him to P19. But, with Mercedes confident that Hamilton would finish in the points despite the crash, Hamilton began progressively climbing the grid.
He got as high as P4 before seeing the warning of cooling difficulties in the final laps, allowing Sainz to pass and finish in P5.
Russell, meanwhile, is the only driver to finish in the top five every race this season.
For most of the race, the 24-year-old held off Verstappen and Pérez. But, despite the Red Bull drivers passing him, the young rising star hung on for his second podium of the season.
Disappointing run for Haas
Haas was in a perfect position after three corners of the Spanish Grand Prix. Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher were seventh and eighth, respectively, in the midfield, with only cars from the top teams in front of them. However, Haas departed Spain with nothing, far from delivering the team’s highest point total of the season.
Schumacher still has not scored any points, and that has put him on an unwelcome top-10 list. He is now among the top ten drivers with the most Grand Prix starts without a point (27).
Haas has only taken five points in five races since Magnussen finished fifth in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, dropping to eighth in the constructors’ standings. That’s still better than 2021, but it’s a letdown.
