Formula 1 is back in Spain, in Barcelona which this year, unlike 2022, did not host pre-season tests. In fact, it will be the first time on the Catalan track for the "evolved" new generation single-seaters. Compared to last season, we arrive in Barcelona with a rather clear situation on the hierarchies on the track, at least for the first position. Dominating is the Red Bull of the reigning champion, Max Verstappen. The fight with the Austrian team seems out of reach for all the others, even for Ferrari which last year was about to bring home a victory on Spanish soil, which had been missing for 9 years. The dream of Ferraristi and Leclerc however, it broke with a word, which has now become a catchphrase, by Carlo Vanzini: “Problems, problems, problems”. A word that the fans hope not to have to hear in the Grand Prix where they bring adults updates in Ferrari, to at least hope to recover second place in the constructors. Barcelona is also an important appointment for the two drivers who play at home, Fernando Alonso who took the last victory of his career right here in 2013, and Carlos Sainz. Let's see, after the first day of free practice who should line up at Fanta F1 and the forecast for the Grand Prix!
Max Verstappen the indispensable
“It transforms into a rocket missile, with circuits of a thousand valves, between the stars it sprints and goes. Eat cybernetics books, math salads and go play on Mars” it is not Ufo Robot but Max Verstappen on the RB19. While he goes to play on Mars, the others challenge each other on earth – including his teammate, who doesn't seem to have the time to fight with Max. In Monaco, the only occasion in which the Dutchman and the RB19 seemed more vulnerable, even with the arrival of the rain, Max Verstappen silenced everyone again by winning the victory that promotes him to Red Bull's most successful driver. In Barcelona, Red Bull manages to extract the maximum, it has demonstrated it in the past and is ready to do it even now with the certainty of having no rivals. Even Fernando Alonso admitted it. To win here, a twist would be needed.
Ferrari bodes well but…
Ferrari in Barcelona must understand where the new road taken with the updates to the bellies and the bottom will take it. The admission, of the Red that has understood that it has to change course, comes with a hybrid version of the SF-23 that cannot drastically change its forms but which is close to the concepts already adopted by other teams that have followed the Red Bull philosophy in view of 2024. Leclerc, Vasseur do not believe in a miracle with the arrival of these updates. Rather, the team hopes to have taken a step forward, especially in terms of race pace. Positive data has emerged since Friday, but will it be enough to conquer the podium?
Ranking center
In the middle of the standings there is a big scrum. The data from the race pace simulation are all very similar and obviously different from Verstappen's. Or with, after the podium conquered in Monaco he hopes to be able to repeat himself. Expectations are high and Alpine seems capable of being able to enter the top half of the group standings. Unlike the Monte-Carlo team from Woking, McLaren did not have a good Friday. Bottas' Alfa and Magnussen's Haas are better than them, even if the American team in the race always raises some doubts. Stroll, on the other hand, is in a bit of difficulty as he is unable to extract the potential of the AMR23.
Who to deploy
Based on what we were able to observe on Friday, let's see who to deploy at Fanta F1. Our choice is based on 100 Masi (credits). This is our top 5. By choosing Max and Alonso – the price went up in the last GP – we must necessarily be content with the other positions but with more credits we can bet on other riders.
Verstappen - Alonso - Tsunoda - Zhou - Sargeant
Forecasts
Here are the predictions we risk for the Spanish Grand Prix. At the moment the weather still seems uncertain. The chances of rain for the Race are around 30-40%.
Safety Car in the race: NO
Virtual Safety Car in the race: YES
Red flag in the race: NO
Drivers unmark Wet/Full Wet tires in the race: NO
Driver who starts from pole wins the race: YES
One-two by a team in the race: YES
Number of teams to bring both riders to the Top 10: 4
Number of cars forced to retire: 2
