More than the sum of the parts
THE SPANISH GRAND PRIX EMBODIES A NEW BEGINNING FOR FORMULA 1
Red Bull is one team that will have a large load of new bits for the race weekend as part of the plan to get Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo back into championship and race- winning contention. In the words of the Red Bull team adviser Helmut Marko: “In Barcelona we are coming with a new car.”
Ferrari is more concerned with improving the aerodynamics of the SF70H chassis for Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen. For Mercedes, it is probable that its new parts will be considerably lighter to reduce the kilogram count of the car that is, in part, thought to be the cause of the perceived dip in performance.
That problem seems to have affected the driving of Lewis Hamilton more than new boy Valtieri Bottas, or perhaps other problems are affecting the sometimes enigmatic Hamilton.
After a superb drive in the Russian GP, Bottas has proved a threat to team- mate Hamilton, and finallyhas a race win under his belt. Ferrari is 12- time winner of the Spanish GP. Six of those wins came from Michael Schumacher, including his triumph, here, in 2003.
I wrote recently that Bottas was in danger of being the No 2 driver in the Mercedes team — but with that Sochi win he may have put a stay of execution to that impending role. He may even join in the fight for the championship.
It was at this event last year that the “wunderkind” that is Verstappen achieved his first, and so far only, win. Despite his obvious speed and virtuoso- like ability, it doesn’t seem like this year’s RB13 chassis is going to help him win many more grands prix, hence the “new car” quote.
Verstappen’s win, on debut for his new team after being promoted from the Toro Rosso squad in 2016, was impressive and shook up the world of Formula 1. But one win in a driver’s career does not a world champion make.
Since “modern” Formula 1 began in 1950 there have been34 drivers to have just one grand prix win to their name with nine of those drivers winning the Indy 500,