Ahead of the Formula 1 race in Spain 2022, Mercedes is asking the question: is it worth keeping the bold concept or switching to something else?
– It is a question that we can only answer ourselves and I will ask for this answer after the competition in Barcelona, \u200b\u200bsays Toto Wolff.
The stable Mercedes boss is not at all happy with the start of this year’s season and ahead of F1 in Spain 2022, the team is admittedly third in the constructors’ championship and has George Russell in fourth in the drivers’ championship.
But it is well below your own expectations.
Mercedes has won a Formula 1 race in Barcelona every year since 2014, except in 2016 when drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg actually drove together on the first lap. But this year, the team has not been involved at all in the discussion of the win, nor does it have much to take with it from the tests held in Barcelona in February. At the time, Mercedes was driving a different version of the car, with less aggressive side pods. The current version was chosen until the last tests in Bahrain, in addition to having significant problems with porpoises, it also proved unpredictable.
F1 in Spain 2022
In Miami, Friday was successful, but during Saturday’s qualifying, for example, George Russell did not understand the car at all.
– We haven’t experienced the big differences in previous years, as the numbers we saw on the screen didn’t at all match the feeling of the driver and that makes the whole thing more difficult, Toto Wolff tells magazin.com.
We are behind our concept and of course we have to understand it before we can switch to something else. What happened? What is good and bad in this concept? This is only a question we can answer for ourselves and I will ask for that answer after the competition in Barcelona.
Even if it is not urgent yet Mercedes must find a solution so that the stable does not lose any more, it is soon time to shift more focus towards 2023 and then the regulations are the same.
Fast news from Formula 1
The Grand Prix of Russia has already been omitted, but there will be no replacement for that race either. The F1 2022 calendar will contain 22 races. The entire calendar can be found here.
Formula E champion Nyck de Vries who has also been said to be a possible replacement for Nicholas Latifi, will test Williams this weekend. He becomes the stable driver on Friday.
Incidentally, Ferrari has now announced why Charles Leclerc crashed with old Ferrari Niki Lauda last weekend. There was a problem with the brakes of the 45-year-old car. Here you can see how it went.
Then we can tell you about Plattan i Mattan, Felix Rosenqvist looked back and told us about what elliptical driving looks like, the differences between F1 and Indycar and offered a number of laughs. In addition, we name the listener who won two tickets to the Monaco GP.
Head to F1 in Spain 2022
Barcelona Circuit – Catalonia
Length: 4655 km
Role: 66
Competition distance: 307104 km.
Distance to the first curve: 730 AD
Number of left curves: 7
Number of right curves: 9
Curves over 250 km/h: 1 (T6)
Correfour less than 100 km / time: 4 (T5, T10, T14, T15)
Prompsoner: 8 (1 hard)
Max speed without DRS: 315 km / team
Minimum speed: 75 km / team.
Winning Strategy 2021: One stop (two depot was the most popular strategy last year)
Overtaking 2020: 21
Risks to the safety car: 36 percent.
Victory from the lowest starting point: Fernando Alonso, Ferrari, 2013, from fifth.
First place wins: 23
first winner: Nigel Mansell, 1991, but Gerhard Berger was in first place.
turns:
2020: 21
2019: 21
2018: 11
Spain GP stats in F1
8th place in qualifying qualifiers 2021
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
4. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
5. Esteban Ocon, Alpine
6. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
7. Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren
8. Sergio Perez, Red Bull
Best qualifying time:
Absolute: 1:14.648 (Fernando Alonso, Renault, 2006)
2021: 1:16,741 (Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes)
2020: 1:15.584 (Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes)
2019: 1:15.406 (Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes)
2018: 1: 16.173 (Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes)
2017: 1: 19.149 (Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes)
The drivers who took first place in the Grand Prix of Spain
Michael Schumacher (7)
Lewis Hamilton (6)
Nico Rosberg (2)
Mika Hakkinen (2)
Kimi Raikkonen (2)
Mark Webber (2)
Nigel Mansell (1)
Pastor Maldonado (1)
Top 8 in Spain GP 2021
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2. Max Verstappen, Red Bull
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
4. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
5. Sergio Perez, Red Bull
6. Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren
7. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
8. Lando Norris, McLaren
fastest roll:
Absolute: 1: 15.641 (Giancarlo Fisichella, Renault, 2005)
2021: 1:18.149 (Max Verstappen, Red Bull)
2020: 1: 18.183 (Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes)
2019: 1:18.492 (Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes)
2018: 1:18.441 (Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull)
2017: 1: 23.593 (Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes)
The last five winners of the Grand Prix of Spain
2021 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
2020 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
2019 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
2018 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
2017 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes
The drivers with the most victories in Formula 1 in Barcelona:
Lewis Hamilton (6)
Michael Schumacher (6)
Mika Hakkinen (3)
Kimi Raikkonen (2)
Ferdinand Alonso (2)
Nigel Mansell (2)