Autosport Podcast: F1 Spanish GP review
A strategy masterclass from Mercedes paved the way for Lewis Hamilton to score his third victory of the Formula 1 season in the Spanish Grand Prix, defeating Max Verstappen.
While Verstappen won the wheel-to-wheel fight at Turn 1, he didn’t have the pace to beat Hamilton over the race distance as Mercedes switched to an audacious two-stop strategy.
In flashbacks to Hungary 2019, Hamilton was able to hunt Verstappen down and pass with seven laps to go, clinching a win that extended his championship lead and marked his best-ever start to an F1 season.
Red Bull was accepting in its defeat, realising there was little it could have done to outfox Mercedes on the pit wall. But the battle looks set to rage on throughout the year between F1’s two dominant squads.
Recapping all of the action from Sunday’s race in Barcelona, Ariana Bravo is joined by Autosport F1 Reporter Luke Smith, GP Racing Executive Editor Stuart Codling and Motorsport Network Director of Digital Strategy Jess McFadyen for the latest edition of the Autosport Podcast.
You can listen to the podcast using the player below, or listen and download from all good audio platforms including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.
Leclerc explains sensational Bottas pass in F1 Spanish GP
Spanish Grand Prix Driver Ratings
Why Red Bull can win a Spanish GP that looked perfect for Ferrari
Formula 1's return to Spain on Friday ended with Ferrari leading the way from Mercedes, while Red Bull could only manage third fastest overall courtesy of Max Verstappen. But its chances of victory are far from remote with a deeper dig into the times despite Ferrari's strong start
Explaining the key aspects of Porsche and Audi's planned F1 entries
The VW Group’s German superpowers of sportscar racing have all but confirmed they are coming to F1 when the next set of engine rules come into force in 2026. Here's why both manufacturers are all set to take the plunge, and crucially how it might work
How Vegas went from byword for F1 indifference to grand Liberty coup
Holding a race in Las Vegas – party central, a city of dreams and decadence and, yes, more than a smattering of tackiness – has been on Liberty Media’s most-wanted list since it acquired Formula 1’s commercial rights. But, as LUKE SMITH explains, F1 has been here before and the relationship didn’t work out
Why de Vries' F1 practice debut could add a new path to his current crossroads
A Formula 2 and Formula E champion, Nyck de Vries is currently considering where his future in motorsport lies. Continuing in WEC and Formula E is possible and he's also courted glances Stateside after impressing in an IndyCar test. But ahead of his Formula 1 FP1 debut with Williams, he could have another option if he impresses...
Why Leclerc's historics crash shouldn't put off F1 drivers tasting history
OPINION: For a demo run ahead of Monaco's Historique Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc was blessed with the opportunity to drive Niki Lauda's former Ferrari 312B3 - but a brake failure at Rascasse suggested Leclerc's Monaco hoodoo transcended contemporary F1. Although an awkward incident, Leclerc deserves credit for embracing F1's history
Why the lack of “needle” between Red Bull and Ferrari in F1 2022 is a mirage
OPINION: The fight for the 2022 Formula 1 world titles between Red Bull and Ferrari so far features little of the public animosity that developed between the former and Mercedes last year. But that isn’t to say things are full on friendly or won’t get much worse very quickly…
The underdog F1 squad that thrust Senna into the limelight
The Toleman TG184 was the car that could, according to legend, have given Ayrton Senna his first F1 win but for Alain Prost and Jacky Ickx at Monaco in 1984. That could be stretching the boundaries of the truth a little, but as STUART CODLING explains, the team's greatest legacy was in giving the Brazilian prodigy passed over by bigger outfits an opportunity
Why Aston Martin is unlikely to repeat Jaguar’s F1 mistakes
Two famous manufacturer teams born out of humble midfield origins, splashing the cash while attempting to rise to the top of F1 in record time. There are clear parallels between Lawrence Stroll’s Aston Martin and the doomed Jaguar Racing project of 22 years ago, but MARK GALLAGHER believes struggling Aston can avoid a similar fate