![]() Considering the team pushed for the current regulations to place a heavy emphasis on aerodynamics, an area it has traditionally been strong in, to be almost two seconds off the pace at points isn’t great going.īut the team has always said it would be bringing a major, major update to the Spanish Grand Prix. Red Bull’s 2017 campaign has been a mighty disappointment thus far. The question now is can it keep up in the development race.Īcronym questions aside, Red Bull looks to make a step It has already surprised the paddock by producing a base car that is good enough to take the fight to the Silver Arrows at the front of the field. With this apparently resolved, the team should be in a more feisty mood this weekend, particularly with a raft of other updates also set to arrive for the W08 car.įor Ferrari, its big challenge will be keeping hold of Mercedes’ coattails. Mercedes’ big problem through the opening four races was that its car, the W08, was running at a heavier weight than that of the rival Ferrari SF70H. It was going to be decided by who could outdevelop their rival across the course of the season. This title race was never going to be decided by tire management, though. Much of their raceday performance has come down to tire management, with the closest sniff of a wheel-to-wheel battle on-track coming in Russia when Bottas soaked up pressure from Vettel late on. ![]() ![]() It has been difficult to judge who out of Ferrari and Mercedes has been quicker through the opening four rounds of 2017. If he can keep doing that, then a title bid of his own wouldn’t be so unthinkable. Going on his performance in Russia, you’d want Bottas in your corner, hands down.įor Bottas though, there will be loftier ambitions on the table. He proved in Russia he has what it takes to beat Hamilton and Vettel. With Hamilton and Vettel so evenly-matched, it has seems more and more likely that it will be their Finnish teammates who decide the title race. Kimi Raikkonen has looked off the boil for a while now, even if he did reach the podium in Russia. It not only proved that Bottas has what it takes to win grands prix and control races, but it also showed how crucial he will be in denying the rival Ferrari team – and, perhaps more importantly, Sebastian Vettel – points in the title battle. He may only have been given a one-year deal, but to already be in the winner’s column after just four races in a Mercedes is likely to have done Bottas’ chances of a renewal for 2018 a world of good. Valtteri Bottas’ maiden grand prix victory last time out in Russia may have not been one of the most spectacular successes in recent memory, yet it was an important one for both the Finn and the wider title battle playing out.įor Bottas, on a weekend where he was bombarded with questions about status as a number two driver at Mercedes behind Lewis Hamilton, to have outperformed his illustrious teammate so convincingly was a big statement of intent. ![]() Here are the key talking points for the Spanish Grand Prix weekend. Should Mercedes or Ferrari have found a magic bullet, it could lay the foundations for a purple patch of form that will prove crucial come the end of the season in Abu Dhabi. With 2017 marking the start of a new technical cycle for F1, the gains – and, therefore, the losses also – to be made are huge in the development race. The start of the European season ordinarily brings with it the introduction of significant update packages for cars, which will sport plenty of revised bodywork parts and new elements over the weekend that weren’t present last time out in Russia. We may only be four rounds in to the year, and the battle between Mercedes and Ferrari may be as tight as ever at the front of the pack, but the upcoming weekend in Barcelona could be a decisive one. ![]() With the four early-season flyaways now out of the way, Formula 1 returns to mainland Europe for one of the most important races of the season: the Spanish Grand Prix. ![]()
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