2014 Spanish Grand Prix Sunday - Spanish GP
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That brings our live coverage from the Spanish Grand Prix to a close.
Our GP Live commentary will be back at 8.30am UK time on Thursday May 22, when Monaco GP practice begins - remember it's a day early as F1 takes Friday off in Monte Carlo.
Before then there will be more from Race Centre Live next Sunday, with coverage of the Le Mans MotoGP race day plus the DTM at Oschersleben and the return of top-class international sportscar racing to Brands Hatch with the Blancpain Sprint Series.
Keep on eye on our news section through the evening for more from the Barcelona F1 paddock.
And as ever there are plenty of post-GP features coming up, including EDD STRAW's race analysis and driver ratings tomorrow morning, and GARY ANDERSON's verdict on Tuesday.
Thanks for your company this weekend.
Our GP Live commentary will be back at 8.30am UK time on Thursday May 22, when Monaco GP practice begins - remember it's a day early as F1 takes Friday off in Monte Carlo.
Before then there will be more from Race Centre Live next Sunday, with coverage of the Le Mans MotoGP race day plus the DTM at Oschersleben and the return of top-class international sportscar racing to Brands Hatch with the Blancpain Sprint Series.
Keep on eye on our news section through the evening for more from the Barcelona F1 paddock.
And as ever there are plenty of post-GP features coming up, including EDD STRAW's race analysis and driver ratings tomorrow morning, and GARY ANDERSON's verdict on Tuesday.
Thanks for your company this weekend.
Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton on the 2014 Spanish GP podium
Breaking news
BEN ANDERSON tried his best to get Kimi Raikkonen to open up about those highly disgruntled radio messages he threw Ferrari's way after Fernando Alonso jumped him.
But making Raikkonen open up about something he's not keen to talk about isn't easy, as most of the F1 media has found this afternoon.
Here's what Raikkonen had to say, and Alonso insisting his focus today was Vettel, not Kimi:
Raikkonen wanted to 'clear up' Ferrari tactics
But making Raikkonen open up about something he's not keen to talk about isn't easy, as most of the F1 media has found this afternoon.
Here's what Raikkonen had to say, and Alonso insisting his focus today was Vettel, not Kimi:
Raikkonen wanted to 'clear up' Ferrari tactics
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Force India finished ninth (Perez) and 10th (Hulkenberg) today at Barcelona. And according to Hulkenberg, a double points finish actually surpassed the team's expectations at what they had figured would be one of their weakest races.
"It was a case of damage limitation today. We knew from the early practice sessions that this wasn't going to be our strongest track so to get two cars in the points is a positive result.
"The tyre degradation was high and the car was not so easy to drive, but I think everybody was struggling in the final part of the race. I thought we would need to make a third stop, but fortunately the tyres held on and I was able to score a point.
"We will use all the data we got over the weekend to improve for the next few races where we hope to be a bit more competitive."
"It was a case of damage limitation today. We knew from the early practice sessions that this wasn't going to be our strongest track so to get two cars in the points is a positive result.
"The tyre degradation was high and the car was not so easy to drive, but I think everybody was struggling in the final part of the race. I thought we would need to make a third stop, but fortunately the tyres held on and I was able to score a point.
"We will use all the data we got over the weekend to improve for the next few races where we hope to be a bit more competitive."
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Felipe Massa
Felipe Massa finished 13th today, but feels that he could have scored points today, had he enjoyed some better luck in terms of traffic while trying to make his three-stop strategy work.
"I made a good start and could have made more positions, but Ricciardo was in front so I couldn't do anything.
"The three-stop strategy would have worked had the first stint been clean, but I had cars in front which damaged my tyres a lot. This meant that rather than pulling away from them and having clean track, when they pitted they had the advantage.
"This happened again at the start of the second stint, so things just didn't go my way."
JONATHAN NOBLE has also been hearing from an upbeat Red Bull team boss Christian Horner.
Horner reckons third and fourth for Ricciardo and Vettel confirms that Red Bull has made a clear step to become second-best team behind Mercedes - and he certainly hasn't given up on catching the silver cars.
Horner reckons third and fourth for Ricciardo and Vettel confirms that Red Bull has made a clear step to become second-best team behind Mercedes - and he certainly hasn't given up on catching the silver cars.
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It was a points-less race for McLaren in Spain, and Jenson Button says a lot of the problem lies with a lack of tyre temperature at the start of the race.
"The first lap was pretty bad. I got a bad launch, and struggled to get heat in the tyres, which we seem to do.
"Just the first lap made all the difference really, putting [me] in a bad position. It’s so difficult to overtake or to get close enough because of the aero on the car, so the first lap cost us a lot."
"The first lap was pretty bad. I got a bad launch, and struggled to get heat in the tyres, which we seem to do.
"Just the first lap made all the difference really, putting [me] in a bad position. It’s so difficult to overtake or to get close enough because of the aero on the car, so the first lap cost us a lot."
JONATHAN NOBLE reports from a delighted Lotus camp, where the team is celebrating its first points of a very tough 2014 so far.
They reckon finishing ahead of the Ferraris with Romain Grosjean wouldn't have been a problem but for the ERS issues mentioned earlier. In the end, Grosjean fell to ninth.
They reckon finishing ahead of the Ferraris with Romain Grosjean wouldn't have been a problem but for the ERS issues mentioned earlier. In the end, Grosjean fell to ninth.
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While he wasn't able to hold off a charging Sebastian Vettel towards the end of the race, Valterri Bottas says fifth place is still a good result for him and Williams.
"I’m really happy for us. We got the maximum out of the tyres, strategy and me in the car. It was a shame in the end that Vettel came so quickly and there was nothing we could do but still, good points.
"I think everyone and the team's atmosphere is completely different. We are fighting all the time for points and having close races, so everyone is pushing much harder than before. It's always good to feed that hunger and score points, it's what we want to do."
"I’m really happy for us. We got the maximum out of the tyres, strategy and me in the car. It was a shame in the end that Vettel came so quickly and there was nothing we could do but still, good points.
"I think everyone and the team's atmosphere is completely different. We are fighting all the time for points and having close races, so everyone is pushing much harder than before. It's always good to feed that hunger and score points, it's what we want to do."
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Jean-Eric Vergne
Jean-Eric Vergne was one of just two retirements in Spain, an exhaust problem leaving him side-lined for the third time this season. But he's not ready to start cursing his luck just yet...
"Somebody has asked me if I feel a bit persecuted by bad luck at the moment. It might look like this, but this is part of the game. I always do all I can, my team is working really hard and problems can happen.
"I'm still very positive that I will have my chance. I drive a Formula 1 car and I enjoy doing it, no matter what!"
Meanwhile, his Toro Rosso team-mate Daniil Kvyat reflected on a tough race, which saw the young Russian finish 14th.
"To be honest it was quite a difficult race today. We lacked pace, even though I must say that the first stint was quite positive and it seemed possible to even fight for some points.
"In the end, tyre wear was quite heavy and together with the lack of pace, it turned out to be a tough race."
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Newshound BEN ANDERSON is currently pacing up and down the paddock and reports a rather gloomy atmosphere at Ferrari:
"Downbeat mood in the Ferrari camp. Both drivers disappointed to be so far away from the Mercedes. Now a year since the Scuderia last won a Formula 1 race..."
"Downbeat mood in the Ferrari camp. Both drivers disappointed to be so far away from the Mercedes. Now a year since the Scuderia last won a Formula 1 race..."
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On the other side of the Caterham garage, Kamui Kobayashi has confirmed it was a brake problem that caused his retirement from the race.
"I had a pretty scary moment going into Turn 1 when the left front brake failed and I was just able to keep the car out of the wall. That was the end of my race and the end of a difficult weekend.
"We clearly don’t have the performance we’re targeting, but changes have been made to help us sort this out and the whole team is working harder than ever to make progress. We have two days of testing here to help us learn more about the new parts we brought to Spain, so we’ll aim to fight back in Monaco.”
"I had a pretty scary moment going into Turn 1 when the left front brake failed and I was just able to keep the car out of the wall. That was the end of my race and the end of a difficult weekend.
"We clearly don’t have the performance we’re targeting, but changes have been made to help us sort this out and the whole team is working harder than ever to make progress. We have two days of testing here to help us learn more about the new parts we brought to Spain, so we’ll aim to fight back in Monaco.”
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According to Marcus Ericsson, his race was hampered by contact with Pastor Maldonado on the first lap.
“I was pleased with how I got off the line and was with Kamui in 19th but then Maldonado hit me pretty hard as he tried to pass going into Turn 13. His move risked putting both of us out of the race, but luckily the car was ok and I was able to continue, even though that had put me back to 22nd."
The Caterham driver ultimately finished 20th.
"For me it’s another grand prix under my belt, another chance to learn and as hard as it’s been, I know we can improve so I’m as positive as ever and excited about racing in my first F1 race in Monaco in a couple of weeks.”
“I was pleased with how I got off the line and was with Kamui in 19th but then Maldonado hit me pretty hard as he tried to pass going into Turn 13. His move risked putting both of us out of the race, but luckily the car was ok and I was able to continue, even though that had put me back to 22nd."
The Caterham driver ultimately finished 20th.
"For me it’s another grand prix under my belt, another chance to learn and as hard as it’s been, I know we can improve so I’m as positive as ever and excited about racing in my first F1 race in Monaco in a couple of weeks.”
Breaking news
Despite claiming his fourth win in a row and leading team-mate Rosberg by three points in the drivers' championship, Hamilton claims he is struggling at the moment.
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EDD STRAW reports that Romain Grosjean's slide down the field was due to a power unit problem developing during the race. Seems it was related to the Energy Recovery System, hence his drop in pace.
Grosjean was fifth in the first stint but ended up only ninth.
Grosjean was fifth in the first stint but ended up only ninth.
You want more statistics? Well, Chilton finished his 24th consecutive race and a points finish for Grosjean was a decent way of marking his 50th grand prix.
Mercedes' fifth straight win to the start of the season is a feat that's not been seen since 2005 when Giancarlo Fisichella and Fernando Alonso were the class of the field for Renault.
EDD STRAW has been hearing from Sebastian Vettel in the scrums after the race. The world champion is happy with his result, describing it as the best possible in the circumstances.
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And according to Nico Rosberg, it would have taken just one more lap for him to have passed his team-mate and won the race.
"I think one more [lap] to be honest, I could have given him a go. I wasn’t close enough, but one more I would have been.
"[It's] still close in the championship, and there are many races to go as well."
"I think one more [lap] to be honest, I could have given him a go. I wasn’t close enough, but one more I would have been.
"[It's] still close in the championship, and there are many races to go as well."
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Lewis Hamilton feels he wasn't fast enough today, despite actually winning the race...
"I wasn’t fast enough really today. Nico was quicker, and I struggled a lot with the balance. I had to rely on the engineers more and try to find where I can find time, moving the settings up and down.
"Fortunately I was able to keep him behind."
Nico Hulkenberg is an unhappy man. He tells Force India that he was disappointed with both car performance and strategy today.
Ricciardo says third was as good as could be expected today:
"We knew a boring race would be a good one for us. We looked like a third-placed car, in the end that's what it was."
"We knew a boring race would be a good one for us. We looked like a third-placed car, in the end that's what it was."
Kimi Raikkonen isn't happy with being jumped by Ferrari team-mate Fernando Alonso. After the race he quizzes his engineer about "who is making the calls? We seem to get second choice."
Bottas and his Williams engineer agree over the radio that fifth today was the maximum possible - the Mercedes and Red Bulls just too quick.
Vettel also reassures his team that "we will get there, the star will go down." He means the Three-Pointed variety, we assume.
Vettel's engineer cheers him up on the slowing-down lap by telling him he got fastest lap this time. "I'm happy with that!" replies Vettel, who so often got told to slow down and stop taking risks in his pursuit of fastest laps when dominant.
The anthems are done and the trophies are being handed out.
The drivers are now on the podium. Shockingly, Ricciardo is smiling.
The Mercedes drivers are in the waiting room for the podium; it looks civil, but not overly friendly.
Hamilton now has a three-point championship lead over Rosberg.
So, confirmation of the final result:
1 Hamilton
2 Rosberg
3 Ricciardo
4 Vettel
5 Bottas
6 Alonso
7 Raikkonen
8 Grosjean
9 Perez
10 Hulkenberg
11 Button
12 Magnussen
13 Massa
14 Kvyat
15 Maldonado
16 Gutierrez
17 Sutil
18 Bianchi
19 Chilton
20 Ericsson
DNF Kobayashi
DNF Vergne
1 Hamilton
2 Rosberg
3 Ricciardo
4 Vettel
5 Bottas
6 Alonso
7 Raikkonen
8 Grosjean
9 Perez
10 Hulkenberg
11 Button
12 Magnussen
13 Massa
14 Kvyat
15 Maldonado
16 Gutierrez
17 Sutil
18 Bianchi
19 Chilton
20 Ericsson
DNF Kobayashi
DNF Vergne
That makes Hamilton only the third British driver to win four grands prix in a row, matching Damon Hill in 1995/6 and Jenson Button in 2009.
It will be nearly 50s before Ricciardo comes home in third.
Trophy
Hamilton wins the Spanish GP by just 0.6s and takes the world championship lead.
Rosberg uses DRS on the back straight, locks up into Turn 10 but Hamilton should have this now.
The Mercedes are only 0.6s apart but Rosberg seems to have run out of time and chances unless he can do something at Turn 10.
Hamilton stays far enough ahead out of the final corner to avoid a Rosberg DRS attack as they lap Raikkonen and begin the final lap.
Grosjean looks to have steadied things in the fight for eighth with Perez, Gap stable at 1.6s.
"No more feedback, please" Hamilton now asks.
Rosberg closes right in on the backstraight.
Hamilton starts the penultimate lap just 0.7s ahead of Rosberg.
By: Scott Mitchell, Ben Anderson, Matt Beer, Edd Straw, Andrew van Leeuwen, Dan Cross
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