Spanish Grand Prix – Race

Provisional grid at the end of Qualifying: ROS, HAM, VET, RAI, ALO, MAS, GRO, WEB, PER, DIR; RIC, VER, SUT, BUT, HUL, GUT; BOT, MAL, VDG, BIA, CHI, PIC.

“Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and Sauber’s Esteban Gutierrez have [each] been handed three-place grid penalties by the Spanish stewards for impeding during Saturday’s qualifying session for the Barcelona race.” [source: FIA]

My GridBids picks for this weekend are: VET, ALO, BUT & HAM.

Tyre compounds this weekend: prime=hard (orange); option=medium (white)

Air temperature 20°C; track 34°C; wind 1.7m/s; humidity 48%

Grid (with *penalties applied): ROS, HAM, VET, RAI, ALO, GRO, WEB, PER, MAS*, DIR, RIC, VER, SUT, BUT, HUL, BOT, MAL, VDG, GUT*, BIA, CHI, PIC.

ROS leads everyone away on the formation lap
Looks like everyone but the last 3 cars (BIA, CHI, PIC) are starting on options
DRS is disabled for the first 2 racing laps, as usual
VET complains that ROS is not leading the round fast enough
Radio for ROS telling him to slow and bunch up the pack so he’s not sitting on pole for too long
The Mercedes drivers take up the front row of the grid

01/66: lights out; clean start
VET past HAM for P2
ALO past HAM too
VET pushing ROS
MAS and PER fighting over P6

02: ROS, VET, ALO, HAM, RAI, PER, MAS, SUT, GRO, DIR
BUT has dropped down to P17
MAS takes P6 from PER

03: ROS fastest lap 1:31.123
MAS f/lap 1:30.339
BIA pits – front wing damage
DRS now enabled
Radio for ROS – “really important to look after left-rear”
HAM being harried by RAI and MAS

05/66: ROS, VET, ALO, HAM, RAI, MAS, PER, SUT, GRO, DIR
Radio from BUT – “can’t get any heat in the tyres”

06: ROS can’t open a gap over VET
MAS all over the rear of RAI

07: RAI down the inside of HAM to take P4
Radio for WEB – “box this lap” – must be a 4-stop strategy

08: WEB pits; primes
MAS takes P5 from HAM

09: MAS, SUT, HUL, MAL, PIC, GRO all pit
Suspension damage on GRO’s car?

10/66: ALO, HAM, DIR, VER, VDG all pit
WEB f/lap 1:29.767
Incident involving car 16 (MAL) under investigation – speeding in pit lane

11: ROS, VET, RAI, PER all pit
ROS stays just ahead
MAS f/lap 1:28.778
Drive-through penalty for MAL
SUT f/lap 1:28.245

12: BUT pits
GUT leading the race – he & CHI yet to pit
ALO all over the rear of ROS

13: ALO takes P2 from ROS (effectively the lead as GUT will have to pit soon)
MAS makes a fairly easy pass on ROS

14: GUT pits, so ALO now P1
MAL serves his drive-through penalty

15/66: ALO, VET, MAS, ROS, RAI, WEB, PER, DIR, RIC, HAM; retirement: GRO
RAI uses DRS to take P4 from ROS

16: ALO has 1.9sec lead over VET
CHI makes a late 1st stop

17: ALO lead up to 2.4secs

18: Front runners seem to be on 3-stop except WEB on 4-stop
BBC interview GRO – no contact before rear suspension failed
Radio from WEB – “trouble with front-left”

19: PER closing on WEB
RIC past DIR for P8
GUT dives down the inside of VER to take P12

20/66: ALO, VET, MAS, RAI, ROS, WEB, PER, RIC, HAM, HUL
DIR pits
Radio from MAS – tyres – told to box

21: MAS pits from P3 – more primes
WEB pits, as does VER, MAL and VDG

22: ALO pits – VET takes the lead – not a quick stop
Radio from VDG – wheel not on properly?
VDG loses his rear-left wheel

23: MAS f/lap 1:28.132
VDG limps back to the pits

24: ALO f/lap 1:27.731
PER pits
VDG pushed into the garage
Incident involving car 21 (VDG) will be investigated after the race – unsafe release

25/66: VET, RAI, ALO, MAS, ROS, RIC, GUT, WEB, HAM, BUT; retirements: VDG, GRO
VET pits, as does RIC
WEB takes P7 from GUT
VET past ROS for P4

26: HAM pits; rejoins P14

27: RAI pits; options

28: ROS pits
ALO has 7.0sec lead over his teammate
Radio from HAM complaining he’s been passed by a Williams (MAL)

29: GUT pits, followed by BUT
HAM re-passes MAL for P14

30/66: ALO, MAS, VET, RAI, WEB, DIR, HUL, PER, ROS, RIC, VER
Radio for HAM warning him about tyre wear; “I can’t drive any slower”
RAI all over the gearbox of VET

31: RAI not able to find a place to attack VET

32: CHI pits just as VET closes to lap him
Radio for MAS – “hold it together”
RAI looks around the outside of VET – VET holds his line and keeps P3

33: RAI down the inside into Turn 1 – brave move – takes P3 from VET
RIC takes P9 from PER

34: ALO has 12.7sec lead over MAS, who in turn has 6.7sec over RAI

35/66: ALO, MAS, RAI, VET, WEB, DIR, ROS, HUL, RIC, PER; retirements: VDG, GRO
(my picks: VET=P4, ALO=P1, BUT=P11 & HAM=P12)
HUL pits; released alongside VER; contact!

36: Incident involving cars 11 (HUL) and 18 (VER) under investigation – unsafe release
HUL pits – new nose

37: ALO pits; options
MAS pits, as does WEB
HAM pits, followed by SUT

38: RAI pushing hard ahead of ALO
10-second stop/go penalty for HUL

39: MAS f/lap 1:27.537
DIR pits; PER too
VER’s rear-right tyre fails

40: SUT f/lap 1:26.564
Radio for RAI – front brakes too hot, rear too cold
VET pits – he’ll have to make another stop, surely
BUT attacking GUT for P7

41: Radio for GUT – “push, push” … in case he hadn’t thought of that as BUT is all over his tail
BUT takes P7 from GUT

42: ALO 4.8sec clear of RAI

43: ALO laps BOT (P15)
GUT pits

44/66: ALO, RAI, MAS, VET, WEB, ROS, BUT, DIR, PER, RIC; retirements: VDG, GRO
Radio for VET giving him the OK to “use up your tyres”

46: RAI pits – final stop – rejoins P3 – that’s going to be a long last stint

47: DIR takes P7 from BUT
BUT pits

48: HAM “no grip; sliding everywhere”
ROS pits

49: MAS told 3 more laps before he pits

50/66: ALO pits; good clean stop; rejoins still safely in P1 ahead of his teammate
BUT past HAM for P11

51: PER and HAM pit

52: MAS pits, as does VET

54: ALO 11.3sec ahead of RAI and lapping about 1sec/lap quicker
Radio for VER telling him to retire due to damage
DIR pits

55/66: ALO, RAI, MAS, VET, WEB, DIR, ROS, GUT, BUT, PER, RIC
(my picks: VET=P4, ALO=P1, BUT=P8 & HAM=P13)
GUT pits

56: DIR harrying ROS but can’t find a way past

57: MAS f/lap 1:26.394
PER closing on BUT – will he attack his teammate again?

58: GUT f/lap 1:26.217 with new tyres on his Sauber, although he has been lapped

59: PER just 0.5sec behind BUT
Blue flags for RIC as ALO closes to lap the P10 car

60/66: ALO, RAI, MAS, VET, WEB, ROS, DIR, BUT, PER, RIC; retirements: VER, VDG, GRO
Looks like PER is holding station behind BUT

61: Radio for PER – “don’t damage tyres trying to pass Jenson”

62: GUT closing on RIC – could he challenge for P10?

63: Radio for DIR encouraging him to use DRS to attack ROS

64: ROS defending P6 from DIR
GUT on the tail of RIC

65/66: ALO, RAI, MAS, VET, WEB, ROS, DIR, BUT, PER, RIC; retirements: VER, VDG, GRO

66: ALO starts the final lap of his home Grand Prix with a 12sec lead over RAI
DIR not finding a way past ROS, and nor is GUT on RIC

ALO takes the chequered flag
Stops to be handed a Spanish flag – that used to result in a penalty

Provisional result: ALO, RAI, MAS, VET, WEB, ROS, DIR, BUT, PER, RIC; GUT, HAM, SUT, MAL, HUL, BOT, PIC, BIA, CHI; DNF: VER, VDG, GRO
(my GridBids picks: VET=P4, ALO=P1, BUT=P8 & HAM=P12)

Next race: Monaco, May 23-26.