Mercedes success far from assured
Lewis Hamilton’s dominant win from the front proved he and his car were the class of the field in Barcelona. There is no sense, however, that Mercedes have solved their problems nor that they will necessarily enjoy such an advantage again. This season it is all still to play for.
It is the first race since Australia that they have finally optimised tyre temperatures with the car and found the pace, grip and balance it displays when working in harmony. The team played it down but Pirelli’s use of a 0.4mm thinner tread in Spain after blistering in testing may well have played a major part. Certainly the Ferrari drivers believed it to be the cause of Mercedes’ success and their relative lack of performance.
The same tyres will be used in France and Great Britain but elsewhere Hamilton’s team will still have to work hard to ensure they stay competitive. They have found performance in Barcelona, an easy-to-benchmark circuit where they had form in testing, but it will be another task altogether in Monaco and Canada.
Silverstone considers the future
With Silverstone celebrating the 70th anniversary of the first time it hosted the British Grand Prix in 1948, its F1 future remains uncertain. Last year Silverstone executed the break clause from its contract and will only host the race again this year and the next. The organisers were in Barcelona to promote this year’s celebrations but, while confirming they were in talks for a new deal with Liberty, would not reveal how it was progressing.
That it is complex is clear, with one member of the team admitting they had to factor in the effect on sales should Lewis Hamilton retire during the period of a new contract and an expected decline when F1 ceases to be on free-to-air TV in 2019. They were not alone in putting the pressure on Liberty. Hockenheim’s organisers were also in Spain and explicit in wanting to strike a fresh deal, including a completely new business model with a share of revenues. Other circuits, especially in Europe, will be following developments closely.
Williams failings identified
Another tough weekend for Williams but one that suggested at least they know what has put them so far off the pace this season. They had a torrid time in Spain. Lance Stroll crashed twice and he and Sergey Sirotkin were well at the back of the grid in qualifying, slowest in Q1, a huge three and a half seconds off Hamilton’s pole time.
But Williams have at least identified the cause of their woes. The team consultant Alex Wurz said in Barcelona the problem was “an aerodynamic stall” that meant their drivers had “no confidence”. It was caused, he said, by “losing downforce at the diffuser, at the floor”.
Wurz does not expect a quick fix, with new aero solutions unlikely to be available until just before the summer break. He called it a crisis but also insisted the team were now pulling in one direction to solve the problem.
Drivers’ gripes dismissed
Both Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel were dismissive of the recent decision to change aero regulations for 2019 in an attempt to enhance overtaking. Vettel said he found the decision “a bit comical” and the rate of introduction of new regulations in recent years was “a bit like cruising to America and changing direction 100 times”. Hamilton, too, was unimpressed by suggestions that they would make the cars slower and both drivers were vocal in questioning why they had not been consulted. Jean Todt, the president of the FIA, had little sympathy, however. “I do respect them and know how busy they can be but they have access,” he said. “Unfortunately very often there is a meeting and they don’t come to the meeting.”
The FIA, Todt insisted, were reacting to drivers’ complaints of the difficulty in overtaking and aiming to improve the show. “I have always tried to hear what the drivers were saying. The drivers are invited to participate, to do something,” he remarked pointedly.
Time for Grosjean
The writing had looked on the wall already for Haas’s Romain Grosjean.With the team fiercely competitive this season and the potential to take fourth place, he has been generally out-raced by Kevin Magnussen. Then the Frenchman made an unforced error in spinning behind the safety car in Baku and compounded it in Barcelona with leaving the circuit on the opening lap in a way that could have had catastrophic results. He lost control at the turn three right-hander and spun. In trying to control the spin he went across the track on the throttle, causing huge amounts of smoke and collecting Pierre Gasly and Nico Hülkenberg in the process.
It could have been much worse but Grosjean claimed he was trying to cross to the other side of the track as his momentum was taking him that way. The stewards were unsympathetic, awarded a three-place grid penalty for Monaco and two penalty points. Magnussen was sixth – best of the rest – and just what Haas need. They may choose to unload the Frenchman, who is looking like a liability, sooner rather than later.
