Five Key Talking Points from the F1 Paddock After a Thrilling Spanish GP

Five major discussion topics from the F1 paddock following the Spanish Grand Prix

A rundown of the important conversations from within the Barcelona paddock after the F1 Spanish Grand Prix

Max Verstappen secured consecutive victories by fending off Lando Norris in Barcelona, yet the Spanish Grand Prix hinted that this season could feature more competitive diversity.

Crash.net's Formula 1 editor, Lewis Larkam, shares his insights and observations from attending the 10th race of the 2024 season…

Can Lando Norris, who is often hard on himself, compete for the championship?

Although Norris couldn't turn his second career pole position into a win in Spain and faced his second consecutive loss to Verstappen, the McLaren driver has recently been a consistent competitor against the Dutchman.

After defeating Verstappen to secure his first grand prix victory in Miami, Norris has placed second to the Red Bull racer three times in the last four events. The 24-year-old British driver’s reliable performance has allowed him to overtake Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, moving into second place in the world championship standings, trailing Verstappen by 69 points.

With 14 races remaining, is it possible for Norris to compete against Verstappen for the F1 championship this year?

When questioned about it, Norris responded affirmatively, then admitted, “I should have performed better today. We should have gained some points on Max. There was possibly an opportunity to defeat him in Canada. In two races, I finished second while he claimed victory.”

"Max needs to stop winning. Even though I've climbed to second place in the championship, it doesn't matter to me. I don't care if I'm second or tenth. What matters is the gap between me and Max, and it's still growing."

"I can't allow him to take the lead. Had I made smarter choices in Canada and gotten off to a stronger start today, we could have secured victories in two races."

"There have always been many 'what ifs' and missed opportunities, but we possess the necessary skills; it's simply a matter of bringing everything together."

Is McLaren now the team with the quickest car?

Norris missed winning at Imola by under a second and was only two seconds behind Verstappen in Spain as he made another strong push at the end.

Securing the top starting position on merit in Barcelona emphasized the capabilities of McLaren's MCL38, which Ferrari's Carlos Sainz believes is currently the leading car in Formula 1.

Lando Norris was visibly disappointed after securing second place behind Max Verstappen 🗣️#F1 #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/hVaCfDVm8h— Crash.net – Formula 1 (@CRASH_NET_F1) June 23, 2024

Lando Norris was visibly disappointed after securing second place behind Max Verstappen 🗣️#F1 #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/hVaCfDVm8h

In Sainz's opinion, McLaren currently has the most reliable car.

"Red Bull seems to be having difficulty on certain circuits, similar to our team. On the other hand, McLaren is performing well on all tracks. They are fast in low-speed sections, they handle turns three and nine with ease, and they posted the fastest time in turn five."

"I really can't find any flaws in McLaren at the moment. In my opinion, Red Bull remains at the top, but McLaren's speed across all tracks is truly remarkable."

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff concurs, asserting that McLaren and Red Bull are presently the leading teams in Formula 1.

"The McLaren appeared to be extremely fast. Exactly how fast, I'm not sure. I believe that Max always has a little extra in reserve and can make a significant impact," he remarked.

"Right now, these two are very close in performance, but they are undoubtedly the ones setting the standard."

Is there discord at Ferrari?

The atmosphere turned tense between the Ferrari drivers when they clashed during the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday.

The two drivers collided at Turn 1 when Carlos Sainz maneuvered around the outside of Charles Leclerc. Leclerc’s front wing made contact with Sainz’s rear right wheel, causing Sainz to veer onto the escape road.

In the end, Leclerc secured a position ahead of Sainz, finishing in fourth place. However, after the race, both drivers blamed one another and were observed having an intense conversation in parc ferme.

Leclerc implied that Sainz was trying to make a strong impression at his home race, especially since his future in F1 is up in the air after being replaced by Lewis Hamilton. In response, Sainz said, "He [Leclerc] has complained about something after the race too many times."

Ferrari's team boss, Frederic Vasseur, swiftly dismissed any speculation about rising friction between Leclerc and Sainz, emphasizing that emotions typically run high right after a race.

"Let's have a discussion and refrain from making a judgment based on the driver's initial remarks when he exited the vehicle," he stated.

What are Sergio Perez's next steps?

Sergio Perez came to Barcelona knowing that he needed to perform well to improve his recent decline in form, but he failed to achieve that.

In another disappointing performance, the Mexican driver struggled while his teammate secured his seventh victory in ten races. On the other hand, Perez has not yet won a race this season and has only finished in the top three four times.

Perez managed to reach Q3 for the first time in his last four attempts, but his performance only earned him the eighth-fastest lap. He lagged considerably behind Verstappen, who secured the second spot. A subsequent three-place grid penalty further relegated Perez to the 11th position on the starting grid.

Red Bull chose a plan involving three pit stops for Perez, who managed to overtake Pierre Gasly's Alpine car in the later stages to secure eighth place. Despite this, he ended up nearly a minute behind Verstappen.

Red Bull might have increased their lead in both world championships despite Perez's performance, as team boss Christian Horner promptly highlighted, although he acknowledged that Verstappen is currently the key factor.

Horner stated, "It's important for us to have Checo involved. Both he and the team understand this. Checo performed exceptionally well in the initial four to five races of this year. Our goal is to help him regain that mindset."

"He has faced a few challenging races recently where things didn't work out in his favor. I believe his performance is heavily influenced by his confidence. This time, he finished in the points and had a solid race, so hopefully, this will boost his confidence for the upcoming races."

Alpine sees progress with the return of Flavio Briatore

Flavio Briatore's comeback to Formula 1 with the Alpine team was a major highlight during the weekend in Barcelona.

Flavio Briatore, aged 74, initially received a permanent ban from Formula 1 due to his involvement in the 'Crashgate' controversy during the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. However, the FIA later reversed this decision upon appeal.

The appointment drew attention to Alpine, putting team principal Bruno Famin in the hot seat as he staunchly defended Briatore's return.

On the track, the weekend showed much more promise for the struggling French manufacturer after a dismal beginning to the season.

Gasly turned a remarkable qualifying performance into a ninth-place finish, beating his teammate Esteban Ocon, who also scored points, helping Alpine rise to seventh in the constructors' championship.

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