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<\/p>\nAfter the stop-start opening months of the season and the extreme outlier of Monte Carlo, this weekend\u2019s rebranded Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix signals the beginning of the most important part of the season.<\/p>\n
The former host of the Spanish Grand Prix \u2014 a title that now belongs to the new event in Madrid that will debut in September \u2014 signals the start of a long run of races at traditional, well-known permanent circuits.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s from now that we\u2019ll get the true shape of the season.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Fox Sports, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every practice, qualifying session and race in the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship\u2122 LIVE in 4K. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\n Barcelona is a particularly important litmus test. A well-rounded circuit with a variety of corner speeds as well as long straights, a car\u2019s aerodynamics and engine power will both be put to the test. It\u2019s why it was such a preseason testing staple before warmer Bahrain became the preference. <\/p>\n Early in the European season and usually the scene of big upgrades, Barcelona is typically the first best litmus test of the season.<\/p>\n Still true today, there\u2019ll be nowhere to hide at the decades-old Spanish track.<\/p>\n Red Bull arrive with upgraded engine | 01:02<\/p>\n CAN McLAREN GET BACK TO THE FRONT?<\/p>\n McLaren dominated the Spanish Grand Prix last year, with Oscar Piastri charging to victory ahead of Lando Norris to extend his title lead.<\/p>\n It was a display of the McLaren car\u2019s mighty potential in Piastri\u2019s hands in the first half of the year \u2014 and of Spain doing its job as a benchmarking circuit.<\/p>\n This year, however, it arrives with its tail between its legs, with underperformance and unreliability combining to leave it 126 points off the title lead<\/p>\n \u201cI think you can gain the points back from reliability that we\u2019re missing but you can\u2019t gain the points back from the performance that we\u2019re missing,\u201d Piastri said.<\/p>\n \u201cDefinitely both areas are costly, but at the moment we would be a little bit further ahead but we wouldn\u2019t be winning \u2014 it\u2019s not like we\u2019ve cost ourselves any wins or anything like that from reliability.<\/p>\n \u201cWe clearly need to improve the performance of the car, but hopefully once we\u2019re in a position to be able to do that, obviously we have to be able to finish the races as well. Both are costly, but the performance is the bigger focus at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n PIT TALK EXCLUSIVE: We chat with Jack Doohan on his route back to Formula 1 as Haas reserve driver | Listen to <\/a>Pit Talk<\/a> | Watch Pit Talk on YouTube ><\/a><\/p>\n But the results from the last two races, where the team returned just 12 points across both grands prix, are likely outliers related to weather and track conditions. Two races ago McLaren threatened to win in Miami, where the weather was warm and the circuit layout was somewhat more conventional.<\/p>\n \u201cCertainly has been up and down, that\u2019s for sure,\u201d Piastri said. \u201cObviously Monaco was tough last week \u2026 [but] even Canada until Sunday certainly wasn\u2019t bad.<\/p>\n \u201cHopefully we\u2019ve learned a few things about some of the conditions we\u2019ve been in, some of the corner types, and hopefully it\u2019s a bit track specific, but we\u2019ll find out this weekend.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019ll be a good test on a more normal circuit he to see where everyone stacks up.\u201d<\/p>\n The clock is ticking on McLaren\u2019s title comeback. Spain will tell us if there\u2019s any hope left.<\/p>\n Brundle’s awkward Kardashian grid moment | 00:34<\/p>\n WILL THERE BE A TWIST IN THE MERCEDES NARRATIVE?<\/p>\n A lack of speed has put George Russell behind in the championship, but it\u2019s a lack of luck that\u2019s left him a whopping 68 points \u2014 almost three clear race wins \u2014 behind title leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli.<\/p>\n Not that he\u2019s been dwelling too much on it.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve sat down and thought about this season as a whole,\u201d he said, per ESPN. \u201cIf it was just a clean season, not a season that I had bad luck, but just a neutral season, I think I\u2019d have had three more podiums to my name and it would have been five out of six races on the podium, maybe a couple of wins, two out of three sprint race victories.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course bad luck has played a role in Russell\u2019s deficit, but as out analysis this week showed, it doesn\u2019t explain all of it.<\/p>\n Even without the costly Monaco penalty, and other misfortune, Russell has been second-best to the Italian for most of the season.<\/p>\n In Monaco, after a poor qualifying performance, he admitted for the first time that his driving style wasn\u2019t working with the 2026 car, but this week he said that he was working on ignoring the psychological pressure of his massive deficit.<\/p>\n \u201cThe pressure feels off, to be honest,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m going to try and enjoy every race, not even think about a championship \u2014 it\u2019s so far out of reach right now.<\/p>\n \u201cEnjoy the races and have fun, drive fast, and do what I know I\u2019m capable of doing and I\u2019ve done that for my whole career in Formula 1. That\u2019s what I\u2019m excited for.\u201c<\/p>\n His no-pressure strategy is as much for his benefit as it is \u2014 he hopes \u2014 to Antonelli\u2019s detriment, with the Englishman hoping to turn the blowtorch onto his younger teammate in the hope he\u2019ll crack.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not the first time we\u2019ve seen mind games,\u201d Antonelli told Autosport. \u201cPeople always try to shift the pressure onto their opponent, whether it\u2019s an external rival or a teammate.<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t make much difference. Fortunately those things don\u2019t really affect me.\u201d<\/p>\n Mercedes will certainly be hoping not. Not only will it remain braced for another Canada-style duel, but it\u2019s been 10 years since the Barcelona circuit saw the last big blow-up between battling Mercedes title-contenders, when Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg wiped each other out on the first lap of the race.<\/p>\n The gap isn\u2019t indicative of the true performance gulf, but it will be indicative of Russell\u2019s desperation to hit back \u2014 and Antonelli\u2019s eagerness to stamp his authority on the championship and his team.<\/p>\n ‘Engine sounded really awful’ Verstappen | 02:04<\/p>\n FERRARI\u2019S BATTLE OF THE BRAKES<\/p>\n Charles Leclerc\u2019s decision to scorch the earth following his race-ending Monaco crash had a bit more behind it than just frustration over his \u201cf***ing brakes\u201d.<\/p>\n His Ferrari brakes have been giving him trouble for weeks but were especially tricky in Canada and Monaco, two brake-dependent venues.<\/p>\n Leclerc alluded after the race that Ferrari had a solution lined up for Spain and that it would take him closer in set-up to what Lewis Hamilton was running, the Briton having been strongest while Leclerc struggled, taking home two second-place finishes from the last two grands prix.<\/p>\n It subsequently transpired that that means he will ditch his Brembo brake discs in favour of a set from Carbon Industrie.<\/p>\n It\u2019s significant for Ferrari, which has enjoyed more than half a century partnered with its Italian brake supplier, though Brembo will still supply the rest of the braking system, including the callipers.<\/p>\n More interesting, however, is that Hamilton has been using Carbon Industrie since Japan, having lobbied all of last year for the change \u2014 and that Leclerc had the chance too but didn\u2019t take up the offer.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s down to driver preference and feel,\u201c Hamilton said, per Autosport. \u201dBoth of us tested the option around racing and Charles didn\u2019t want it in the end; he chose the one he\u2019s on and now he\u2019s changed his mind.<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t make any difference to me. That\u2019s, again, not a single factor that\u2019s made the difference, as I said, and my goal is to put input that elevates the whole team, and Charles is a part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n Leclerc, though, contended that \u201cit was a decision that we made as a team to have the cars split\u201d, suggesting it may not have been his choice to stick with Brembo for the last three grands prix.<\/p>\n The difference between discs isn\u2019t performance per se but rather about how the braking material responds to each driver\u2019s driving style. Hamilton, who has used Carbon Industrie brakes for his entire career, is naturally attuned to what reportedly is a stronger initial bite, whereas Brembo is brakes are designed for more consistent performance.<\/p>\n \u201cI still have to test it and to see how much it will change,\u201d Leclerc added. \u201cI don\u2019t expect a revolution.\u201d<\/p>\n Combined with upgrades coming to the Ferrari this weekend, it sets up an interesting test for where Hamilton and Leclerc are relative to each other \u2014 as well as where Ferrari is relative to the front.<\/p>\n Selfless Lando sacrifices race for Oscar | 00:59<\/p>\n WHERE IS RED BULL RACING, EXACTLY?<\/p>\n Of all the frontrunning teams, Red Bull Racing has been the hardest to place in the pecking order.<\/p>\n It started in reasonable shape in Australia but then disappeared in China in Japan.<\/p>\n Monaco and Canada were tentative steps forward, and then Verstappen contended for pole on Monaco but couldn\u2019t complete the race. Isack Hadjar finished on the podium but was well off Antonelli\u2019s pace.<\/p>\n The car has looked extremely difficult to get into a competitive window this season, and despite the FIA declaring the Red Bull motor to be the most powerful in the sport, it\u2019s clearly also been adrift of Mercedes down the straights.<\/p>\n Not helping the picture is the variety of circuits in recent rounds, with Canada and Monaco two outliers at opposite ends of the spectrum. Miami, a hot street track with a peculiar tarmac, also does little to inform the competitive picture.<\/p>\n Spain, however, will put the team to the test.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s still a little bit of an unknown,\u201d Verstappen admitted. \u201cWe had some issues before the last three races with high-speed cornering. I hope we have fixed a few of these things, but I\u2019m not sure by how much, so we have to wait and see how our car is going to perform here.\u201d<\/p>\n With the mercury hovering around 30\u00b0C and forecast to rise into the mid-30s by Sunday, tyre usage is also going to play a role, having been a relatively minor talking point for much of the season to date.<\/p>\n \u201cNormally then you have quite high degradation around here, so it will be interesting to see all of that evolve and see where we are at,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n It was 10 years ago that Verstappen clocked his maiden victory in Barcelona, having entered the mix for the win after the two Mercedes drivers crashed out on the first lap.<\/p>\n He\u2019ll likely need some assistance if he\u2019s to contend for victory again this year. What\u2019s not clear is just how much.<\/p>\n ‘Something is going to explode!’ | 00:55<\/p>\n IS THIS ALONSO\u2019S LAST RACE IN BARCELONA?<\/p>\n The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is the scene of Fernando Alonso\u2019s last grand prix victory. It was 13 years ago.<\/p>\n Now it could be the circuit at which he first teased his Formula 1 retirement.<\/p>\n Ahead of the weekend, the out-of-contract two-time champion admitted he was treating the year like a quiet farewell tour as he weighs up his future.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a special weekend, probably my last Barcelona race in Formula 1,\u201d he said. \u201cSo I want to say thanks to everyone.<\/p>\n \u201cI will try to enjoy the weekend. I will not be competitive, and I will not be too long in the car in qualifying, and in the race hopefully yes, but not at the pace that we all want. But I want everyone to still enjoy the weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n Alonso will be 45 in July but has been mixed in his messaging about his future. Though he had previously suggested this could be his final contract, he has also said he wanted to leave Aston Martin in competitive shape, and earlier this season he hinted that his heart was set on continuing.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have anything in mind,\u201d he said. \u201cAfter summer I will take the decision to continue or not, but I consider every race that I go this year that potentially could be my last time.<\/p>\n \u201cBarcelona there is a little bit more of that chance, as it\u2019s not happening next year as well.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me the hardest thing is not to win races and not to be competitive. If it\u2019s the last or not the last, it\u2019s not affecting too much; I\u2019m in peace with my career and with my life.\u201d<\/p>\n Aston Martin\u2019s first point last week came at the end of a race of high attrition and despite Monte Carlo being the team\u2019s least competitive weekend of the season.<\/p>\n Chief trackside officer Mike Krack expected more pain this weekend \u2014 so much so that his mind was turning to protecting the morale of his drivers.<\/p>\n \u201cIt will be very tough in Barcelona,\u201d he said, per Crash. \u201cBarcelona is normally a reality check for your pace.<\/p>\n \u201cI think for the drivers will be the toughest, because we know that Barcelona is very hard on your package and there will be not so much they can do about it, so I think we need to protect them maybe a little bit from getting too much negative out of this, because there\u2019s nothing they can do about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Not exactly the sort of homecoming Alonso would have preferred for what could be his final salute in Barcelona.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After the stop-start opening months of the season and the extreme outlier of Monte Carlo, this weekend\u2019s rebranded…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":731058,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[349793,2095,12295,1724,64,63,689,937,352242,353861,353876,352236,2065,353875,13275,265937,512,353866,349871,312389,353870,21743,9239,261491,82605,800,2057,817,845,353867,2755,813,816,3875,2105,21782,14211,353872,353865,941,33584,1737,246133,2557,22298,825,353860,5140,39542,927,353874,353873,2041,2067,677,353864,349869,353868,12022,99083,349249,353869,3232,353862,2643,3595,2020,85,353863,353871,99282,146947,21784,2614,2062],"class_list":["post-731057","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-aid-teammate","tag-america","tag-andrea-kimi-antonelli","tag-asia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-barcelona","tag-brake-discs","tag-brake-dependent-venues","tag-braking-material","tag-braking-system","tag-canada","tag-cars-split","tag-charles-leclerc","tag-chief-trackside-officer","tag-china","tag-circuit-layout","tag-clear-race-wins","tag-disappointing-race","tag-driver-preference","tag-driving-style","tag-eastern-asia","tag-engine-power","tag-engine-problems","tag-espn-inc","tag-europe","tag-f1","tag-fernando-alonso","tag-final-contract","tag-florida","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-george-russell","tag-getty-images-inc","tag-grand-prix-victory","tag-grands-prix","tag-initial-bite","tag-italian-brake-supplier","tag-japan","tag-kim-kardashian","tag-lando-norris","tag-litmus-test","tag-madrid","tag-martin-brundle","tag-max-verstappen","tag-mercedes-narrative","tag-miami","tag-mike-krack","tag-monaco","tag-neutral-season","tag-no-pressure-strategy","tag-north-america","tag-northern-america","tag-oceania","tag-peculiar-tarmac","tag-performance-gulf","tag-permanent-circuits","tag-province-of-barcelona","tag-province-of-madrid","tag-qualifying-performance","tag-quiet-farewell-tour","tag-reality-check","tag-seen-mind-games","tag-sky-sports","tag-southern-europe","tag-spain","tag-sports","tag-sprint-race-victories","tag-stop-start-opening","tag-team-game","tag-tentative-steps","tag-title-lead","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-western-europe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/731057","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=731057"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/731057\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/731058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=731057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=731057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=731057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}