Spain Top 5

Number 1: Opposite Ends of the Spectrum for Ferrari

Every weekend Ferrari fans tune in in hopes of seeing their two drivers at the top of the times. Over the last year though fans have just been hoping to finish the race with no bad strategy calls or car failures. In Spain, fans experienced both ends of the spectrum. Carlos Sainz was able to secure a front-row spot on the grid during Qualifying while Charles Leclerc wasn’t able to put in a time better than 19th place.

Leclerc ended up starting the race from the pit lane. He fought his way back to 12th place which later became 11th after Yuki Tsunoda’s penalty was enforced.

Sainz finished the race in fifth place which was not the result the Spaniard wanted for his home race.

Number 2: A Qualifying to Remember for Lando Norris

Lando Norris has had a less-than-stellar start to the season. He has spent the entire season fighting to earn points. The goal during Qualifying each week is just to make it to Q3. Spain proved to be a lucky track for the Brit though. He topped the times in each session and finished Q3 in third place. Norris made it look easy and McLaren fans can only hope that this is the start of something great for the team.

Sadly, the team was not able to capitalize on the great starting position. A collision with Lewis Hamilton on lap 1 forced him to pit early, taking him to the bottom of the running order. He was unable to recover from that early incident, finishing the race in 17th.

Number 3: George Russell vs Lewis Hamilton

Since George Russell joined Mercedes it has seemed like he is challenging his teammate Lewis Hamilton. The team’s only win in 2022 was George Russell’s maiden win in Brazil. Russell even finished the 2022 season ahead of Hamilton.

In 2023, it seems the two drivers have been fighting each other as much as they fight the other teams. This week, the two collided during Qualifying. Russell was preparing to start his last flying lap when Hamilton got too close and the two collided. The incident seems like Hamilton’s fault but if anything it was the engineers’ fault for not communicating with their drivers about the location of the other cars on track.

Ultimately, Russell didn’t make it out of Q2 and Hamilton finished Q3 in fifth place. This was eventually upgraded to 4th after Pierre Gasly’s penalty for impeding.

Number 4: Max Verstappen Sweeps the Weekend

Max Verstappen came into the Spanish Grand Prix ready to extend his Championship lead. Not only did he do that but he made sure everyone watching knows that this is his Championship to lose.

Verstappen swept the weekend. He was top of the times in all three practice sessions. Earned pole position in Qualifying. He led every lap, finished first, and completed the fastest lap of the race. After crossing the finish line he was over 20 seconds ahead of his competitors.

I know that there are people in the F1 world that don’t like him because of how far ahead of everyone else he is but you can’t deny that he has talent.

Number 5: Snoozing in Spain

Red Bull's dominance this season has been a hot topic since the first race. With six races completed, it is looking like Red Bull and Verstappen will take home both Championships at the end of the year. It also looks like every race will have a predictable outcome.

The Spanish Grand Prix was a 20-car finish meaning there was very little on-track action. This has been the case all season. While every race hasn’t been a 20-car finish, there is still very little on-track action. Every weekend fans tune in to watch Verstappen take pole and ultimately win the race. For many, F1 is becoming boring.

The only real excitement during the Grand Prix was the threat of rain. It never actually rained though despite George Russell saying he felt drops (he later said it was just sweat).

I won’t lie, there have been weekends that I have been more excited for the IndyCar race taking place the same day as F1 because I know there will be on-track action. I still love F1 but the action and excitement just aren’t there right now. I like the drivers too much to stop watching but I hope the rest of the grid is able to catch up to Red Bull and the races become more exciting.

Formula 1 takes a week off and then returns on June 18 for the Canadian Grand Prix. The race will be on ABC with lights outs scheduled for 2 pm Eastern with pre-race coverage starting at 12:30. An alternate telecast will air on ESPN2 featuring former driver Daniel Ricciardo and actor Will Arnett.