The Spanish Grand Prix was fascinating, although not significantly thrilling aside from the ultimate laps. From a technical perspective, lots was on show, as is to be anticipated on a monitor just like the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Montmeló, referred to as by some an “open-air wind tunnel,” and lengthy used as a testing floor by groups. The information for the remainder of the 2025 Method 1 season’s present, nevertheless, doesn’t look promising. McLaren’s benefit proved particularly stable throughout all fronts—performance-wise and in tire administration—which made it practically unimaginable even for Max Verstappen to pose an actual menace to Lando Norris, and particularly to Oscar Piastri, regardless of an aggressive and well-judged technique from Pink Bull, not less than till the Security Automotive.
TD018 modified some issues however not the pecking order. Trying on the Barcelona weekend as an entire, the notion is that the brand new directive limiting entrance wing flexibility has certainly difficult issues for a lot of groups, significantly those that closely relied on it, like McLaren or Mercedes, particularly within the pursuit of the best steadiness between gradual and quick corners. In McLaren’s case, they opted to unload the rear finish, probably counting on the automobile’s means to regulate rear temperatures because of its progressive brake ducts. This led to some steadiness variations even between the 2 drivers, with Oscar Piastri complaining in the course of the race of earlier rear tire degradation—maybe from a front-heavy setup—whereas Lando Norris suffered graining on the front-left. Clearly, although, this didn’t cease or decelerate the McLaren duo within the slightest. These have been minor results from the brand new wings, nothing that impacted the on-track hierarchy, the place the MCL39 continues to excel.
The flexibility to run the automobile extraordinarily low gave the 2 papaya-colored arrows the possibility to generate very excessive ranges of aerodynamic load whereas sustaining effectivity and good steadiness. It’s no coincidence that each Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris have been in a position to prolong their stints—particularly the center one—controlling the tempo with none drop-off in tire efficiency. This was helped, after all, by glorious administration from each drivers. Lando Norris appeared to have a bit extra within the center stint, probably as a result of he was busier holding Max Verstappen at bay, however he by no means significantly threatened a flawless and ice-cold Piastri, who was quick and dominant all weekend.
Pink Bull was inferior however sensible with a three-stop technique, which was undone on the finish. The Milton Keynes staff discovered themselves technically inferior on a monitor that ought to have highlighted the RB21’s strengths in downforce and tire administration. Already by Saturday, Christian Horner’s staff needed to concede that their tire administration wasn’t on par with Woking’s. The setup, geared toward defending the rear, hindered a extra aggressive qualifying run, with rear-end points so pronounced that engineers shifted Yuki Tsunoda’s steadiness even additional rearward than Max Verstappen’s—with the end result being the Japanese driver ending final within the qualifying session.
As soon as it turned clear that Max Verstappen had no probability of competing with the McLaren vehicles underneath equal circumstances, Hannah Schmitz and her strategists went for a three-stop race, additionally to maximise use of the gentle tire—the most effective compound within the race. The plan labored till the Security Automotive, inserting Max Verstappen simply 1.5 seconds behind Lando Norris, although the hole was shortly rising once more, in comparison with the 15–20 seconds he would probably have misplaced on the identical technique.
The chaotic end involving the exhausting tire, the one one left, and Max Verstappen’s outburst undid what had till then been the absolute best race for the reigning World Champion. A blunder that was definitely his personal, but in addition the staff’s: they first pitted him in the course of the Security Automotive to suit new exhausting tires, a compound everybody else had averted this weekend, when maybe it might have been higher to strive defending with used softs, not less than to safe a podium, after which instructed him to offer the place to George Russell, one thing that, in accordance with the stewards’ notes, could not even have been crucial. From that time, the Dutchman’s fury was unleashed. He was visibly much less composed than normal. Usually, even in tense moments, Max Verstappen stays calculating his actions, generally unsporting, however at all times deliberate. The incident with George Russell, nevertheless, seemed to be pure irrationality, probably pushed by frustration at McLaren’s at present unreachable type, and the belief that holding the #1 on the automobile now appears to be like more and more unlikely.
Ferrari’s race on the Circuit de Catalunya, and the weekend generally, for the Maranello staff, some technical specifics stand out. First, in Barcelona, the SF25 confirmed the best stage of aerodynamic load seen on the automobile this season. This got here on the expense of high pace, with a transparent push for additional downforce by means of the higher aero surfaces. However not solely that: it appears the Maranello engineers and technicians tried to run the automobile decrease to the bottom than that they had to date. This could be supported by Charles Leclerc’s early tempo and by a late-race steadiness shift he skilled—one thing not beforehand noticed. The dearth of very gradual corners probably allowed for an especially stiff suspension setup, probably alongside a small preliminary replace, hinted at by Frederic Vasseur in a number of interviews, and this will have enabled a decrease journey peak than normal.
On the finish of the race, nevertheless, Bryan Bozzi instructed Charles Leclerc to do an infinite quantity of so-called Elevate and Coast, which the Monegasque brazenly criticized for a way a lot time it value. Usually, groups are open about brake or engine temperature points, since they don’t impression laws, so Frederic Vasseur’s refusal to elucidate the necessity for such heavy Elevate and Coast may counsel they have been making an attempt to protect the plank, by decreasing cornering speeds that, because the automobile lightened, have been growing and inflicting extra contact with the monitor floor earlier than braking zones. It’s only a speculation, however the impression of a distinct longitudinal setup is additional supported by Charles Leclerc’s transient dialog with the McLaren duo on the post-race stage, the place he requested whether or not they too had skilled a big steadiness shift late within the race, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri implied that they had by no means.
Charles Leclerc’s lap occasions present that, from mid-race onward, tire administration began to turn out to be extra problematic. The SF25 seems to have reached its restrict on this configuration, pushed to the bottom doable journey heights. That’s probably why Charles Leclerc strongly referred to as for updates to face the subsequent a part of the season with an actual shot at podiums and wins, as a result of after this Grand Prix, the Championships now appear to be McLaren’s alone.
As for Lewis Hamilton, there’s not a lot so as to add. The British driver made plenty of post-race feedback that have been puzzling: he described the race as certainly one of his worst ever, stated he couldn’t wait to go house, claimed he had no solutions, and even advised the issue lay inside himself and never the Maranello staff, implying that since Charles Leclerc discovered the rostrum, he have to be the one unable to make the SF25 work. A whole give up on all fronts, compounded by feedback earlier within the weekend that he would quickly ask the staff to focus fully on the 2026 Method 1 automobile. Sadly, Lewis Hamilton seems to be in clear issue and is evidently extra affected than he lets on by comparability along with his Maranello teammate. The seven-time Method 1 world champion is seemingly misplaced in a era of vehicles that by no means suited him, mixed with an SF-25 automobile that clearly doesn’t match his driving type. It’s now a second of disaster, a desert he should cross whereas ready to rediscover each himself and a automobile that may as soon as once more showcase the skills of essentially the most profitable driver in Method 1 historical past.
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