F1 returned to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as the European part of the 2016 season properly got underway in Spain.
It marked the first race since the Max Verstappen and Daniil Kvyat seat swap, with the former being promoted to Red Bull Racing for the rest of the year.
FP1
Sebastian Vettel set the pace in first practice for the Spanish Grand Prix, leading Kimi Raikkonen to make it a one-two for Ferrari.
The German put in a 1m23.951 mid-way through the session on the soft tyre to put in the quickest time in FP1, one and a half tenths clear of Raikkonen.
Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were half a second shy of Vettel in third and fourth, with Daniel Ricciardo fifth and Max Verstappen sixth in his first run for Red Bull Racing.
Valtteri Bottas, Carlos Sainz Jr and Felipe Massa were next up. Fernando Alonso rounded out the top 10 for McLaren.
Kevin Magnussen and Daniil Kvyat on his return to Toro Rosso 11th and 12th respectively. Esteban Ocon replaced Jolyon Palmer for the session but he failed to set a timed lap.
FP2
Mercedes moved to the front of the field in second practice but Ferrari remained in close contact. Rosberg ended the session fastest with a 1:23.922, two and a half tenths clear of Raikkonen.
Hamilton was seven tenths behind in third, with Vettel and Sainz next up. Ricciardo, Alonso, Verstappen and the Force India duo of Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg completed the top 10.
Conditions remained warm and dry, despite a few spots of rain in the final minutes. Bottas was 11th while despite suffering a reliability problem, Button was 12th. Palmer suffered a puncture and lost track time but ended FP2 in 17th.
He stopped his Renault on track mid-way through the session and brought out the red flag. It was a busy 90 minutes of running as teams tried out upgrades and focused on race runs. Esteban Gutierrez's Haas car picked up problems and he was 21st after just nine laps.
FP3
Rosberg remained at the top of the timesheets in third and final practice for the Spanish Grand Prix despite a small reliability issue.
The German slowed as he exited the pits for a qualifying run in the final part of the session but he was soon able to head back out on track. He ended FP3 quickest with a 1m23.078. Hamilton was one tenth further back in second, with Vettel just behind in third.
Verstappen and Ricciardo were next up for Red Bull, ahead of Raikkonen, Bottas and Perez. Kvyat was ninth for Toro Rosso as he continued to settle back in with the team, while Alonso completed the top 10.
Grosjean and Magnussen got a bit close at Turn 5, much to the frustration of the former, while several drivers took to the run-off areas, including Hamilton.
Qualifying
Hamilton stormed to pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix, bouncing back after finishing behind team-mate Rosberg earlier in qualifying.
The British driver’s first Q3 run was some way off the pace of the second Mercedes, but he put in a stunning final lap to take pole with a 1m22.000.
Ricciardo beat new Red Bull team-mate Verstappen to third, but the Dutch youngster put his RB12 fourth to lock out the second row for the team.
Raikkonen and Vettel were fifth and sixth in Q3, with Bottas seventh for Williams. Sainz, Perez and Alonso completed the top 10. It was the first Q3 appearance for a McLaren with Honda power.
Hulkenberg and Button just missed out on a spot in Q3 and were 11th and 12th, with Kvyat next up for Toro Rosso. Grosjean, Magnussen and Gutierrez rounded out the results in Q2.
Palmer dropped down to 16th in the final moments of Q1 and was the first driver to be eliminated, ahead of Massa’s Williams. He was a surprise addition to the drop-zone after falling down the order as others improved.
The Saubers of Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr were next up, dropping out alongside the Manor pair of Pascal Wehrlein and Rio Haryanto.
The Race
Hamilton started on pole position for the Spanish GP, could he bounce back from a tough start to 2016 and claim his first win of the year?
The revs rose, the lights went out and in Barcelona, the fifth round of the season got underway. Off the line, Rosberg had a strong start and went around the outside of Hamilton into Turn 1.
The two went side-by-side on the run to Turn 4 but Hamilton went onto the grass, spinning and taking out Rosberg as he returned to the circuit facing the wrong way. The safety car was deployed.
Ricciardo moved into the lead from Verstappen, Sainz and Vettel. The race resumed on lap four, with the Red Bulls getting a good jump on the field. Vettel used DRS to help pass Sainz for third.
Raikkonen followed him through soon after. Massa was the first driver to pit on lap nine, with Perez and Kvyat following suit. The latter was forced to give back places to Hulkenberg and Magnussen after passing them under the safety car.
Ricciardo pitted at the end of lap 12, while Verstappen stopped on the following tour, preventing him from becoming the youngest F1 driver to lead a lap. Vettel moved to the front briefly before stopping for tyres on the 16th tour.
After the first pit phase, Ricciardo had a two second gap over Verstappen, with Vettel a similar gap behind the second Red Bull. However, the Ferrari appeared to be more comfortable on the medium tyre and Vettel started to close in on the leading duo.
Hulkenberg retired in dramatic fashion on lap 21 when flames and smoke started to emerge from the back of his Force India. Ricciardo pitted for the second time at the end of lap 28, emerging in fourth place as the Ferrari drivers started to close in on Red Bull.
Verstappen finally claimed the record for the youngest ever F1 race leader as he stayed out. Vettel stopped on lap 30 for new tyres but he lost time to the race leader. Red Bull and Ferrari went for split strategies.
There were some strong battles in the midfield, with Gutierrez moving ahead of Grosjean and Palmer in quick succession. Verstappen stopped on lap 35 on the medium tyre. Ferrari reacted and stopped Raikkonen on the next lap.
Unusually Vettel pitted for a third time just eight laps after his second trip to the pits, going for the mediums. The rest of the leaders stayed out, as Ricciardo extended his stint and Verstappen and Raikkonen tried to go to the end.
Ricciardo pitted for mediums on lap 44 and emerged behind Verstappen, Raikkonen and - most importantly - Vettel, after struggling towards the end of the previous stint. Alonso's encouraging race came to an abrupt end when he lost power and pulled off on lap 47.
Raikkonen closed to within half a second of Verstappen by lap 52, while Vettel and Ricciardo gradually cut the gap to the leading duo. But despite the added help of DRS, he couldn't get close enough to make a move. Meanwhile further back Ricciardo and Vettel battled over third.
The scrap over the final podium spot heated up when Ricciardo dived up the inside of Vettel at Turn 1. He ran wide and dropped behind the German driver again, but the fight was far from over. Grosjean retired from the race with an issue in the closing stages, after struggling in the Haas.
Button and Kvyat quickly passed Gutierrez to move up to ninth and 10th. Ricciardo remained glued to Vettel's gearbox but couldn't find a gap. Kvyat then unlapped himself from the Red Bull as Ricciardo picked up a left-rear puncture, dropping to fifth.
Verstappen crossed the line six tenths clear of Raikkonen to win an incredible first F1 race. He broke numerous records as he claimed victory in his debut round for Red Bull Racing. Raikkonen and Vettel completed the podium.
Ricciardo recovered to fourth, with Bottas finishing a quiet fifth. Sainz was a strong sixth in front of his home race, ahead of Perez and Massa. Button made late progress to finish ninth and Kvyat was 10th on his return to Toro Rosso.
Gutierrez, Ericsson, Palmer, Magnussen, Nasr, Wehrlein and Haryanto completed the results. Grosjean, Alonso, Hulkenberg, Hamilton and Rosberg were the only retirements.
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| © Octane Photographic |
FP1
Sebastian Vettel set the pace in first practice for the Spanish Grand Prix, leading Kimi Raikkonen to make it a one-two for Ferrari.
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| © Octane Photographic |
The German put in a 1m23.951 mid-way through the session on the soft tyre to put in the quickest time in FP1, one and a half tenths clear of Raikkonen.
Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were half a second shy of Vettel in third and fourth, with Daniel Ricciardo fifth and Max Verstappen sixth in his first run for Red Bull Racing.
Valtteri Bottas, Carlos Sainz Jr and Felipe Massa were next up. Fernando Alonso rounded out the top 10 for McLaren.
Kevin Magnussen and Daniil Kvyat on his return to Toro Rosso 11th and 12th respectively. Esteban Ocon replaced Jolyon Palmer for the session but he failed to set a timed lap.
FP2
Mercedes moved to the front of the field in second practice but Ferrari remained in close contact. Rosberg ended the session fastest with a 1:23.922, two and a half tenths clear of Raikkonen.
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| © Octane Photographic |
Hamilton was seven tenths behind in third, with Vettel and Sainz next up. Ricciardo, Alonso, Verstappen and the Force India duo of Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg completed the top 10.
Conditions remained warm and dry, despite a few spots of rain in the final minutes. Bottas was 11th while despite suffering a reliability problem, Button was 12th. Palmer suffered a puncture and lost track time but ended FP2 in 17th.
He stopped his Renault on track mid-way through the session and brought out the red flag. It was a busy 90 minutes of running as teams tried out upgrades and focused on race runs. Esteban Gutierrez's Haas car picked up problems and he was 21st after just nine laps.
FP3
Rosberg remained at the top of the timesheets in third and final practice for the Spanish Grand Prix despite a small reliability issue.
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| © Octane Photographic |
The German slowed as he exited the pits for a qualifying run in the final part of the session but he was soon able to head back out on track. He ended FP3 quickest with a 1m23.078. Hamilton was one tenth further back in second, with Vettel just behind in third.
Verstappen and Ricciardo were next up for Red Bull, ahead of Raikkonen, Bottas and Perez. Kvyat was ninth for Toro Rosso as he continued to settle back in with the team, while Alonso completed the top 10.
Grosjean and Magnussen got a bit close at Turn 5, much to the frustration of the former, while several drivers took to the run-off areas, including Hamilton.
Qualifying
Hamilton stormed to pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix, bouncing back after finishing behind team-mate Rosberg earlier in qualifying.
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| © Octane Photographic |
The British driver’s first Q3 run was some way off the pace of the second Mercedes, but he put in a stunning final lap to take pole with a 1m22.000.
Ricciardo beat new Red Bull team-mate Verstappen to third, but the Dutch youngster put his RB12 fourth to lock out the second row for the team.
Raikkonen and Vettel were fifth and sixth in Q3, with Bottas seventh for Williams. Sainz, Perez and Alonso completed the top 10. It was the first Q3 appearance for a McLaren with Honda power.
Hulkenberg and Button just missed out on a spot in Q3 and were 11th and 12th, with Kvyat next up for Toro Rosso. Grosjean, Magnussen and Gutierrez rounded out the results in Q2.
Palmer dropped down to 16th in the final moments of Q1 and was the first driver to be eliminated, ahead of Massa’s Williams. He was a surprise addition to the drop-zone after falling down the order as others improved.
The Saubers of Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr were next up, dropping out alongside the Manor pair of Pascal Wehrlein and Rio Haryanto.
The Race
Hamilton started on pole position for the Spanish GP, could he bounce back from a tough start to 2016 and claim his first win of the year?
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| © Octane Photographic |
The revs rose, the lights went out and in Barcelona, the fifth round of the season got underway. Off the line, Rosberg had a strong start and went around the outside of Hamilton into Turn 1.
The two went side-by-side on the run to Turn 4 but Hamilton went onto the grass, spinning and taking out Rosberg as he returned to the circuit facing the wrong way. The safety car was deployed.
Ricciardo moved into the lead from Verstappen, Sainz and Vettel. The race resumed on lap four, with the Red Bulls getting a good jump on the field. Vettel used DRS to help pass Sainz for third.
Raikkonen followed him through soon after. Massa was the first driver to pit on lap nine, with Perez and Kvyat following suit. The latter was forced to give back places to Hulkenberg and Magnussen after passing them under the safety car.
Ricciardo pitted at the end of lap 12, while Verstappen stopped on the following tour, preventing him from becoming the youngest F1 driver to lead a lap. Vettel moved to the front briefly before stopping for tyres on the 16th tour.
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| © Octane Photographic |
After the first pit phase, Ricciardo had a two second gap over Verstappen, with Vettel a similar gap behind the second Red Bull. However, the Ferrari appeared to be more comfortable on the medium tyre and Vettel started to close in on the leading duo.
Hulkenberg retired in dramatic fashion on lap 21 when flames and smoke started to emerge from the back of his Force India. Ricciardo pitted for the second time at the end of lap 28, emerging in fourth place as the Ferrari drivers started to close in on Red Bull.
Verstappen finally claimed the record for the youngest ever F1 race leader as he stayed out. Vettel stopped on lap 30 for new tyres but he lost time to the race leader. Red Bull and Ferrari went for split strategies.
There were some strong battles in the midfield, with Gutierrez moving ahead of Grosjean and Palmer in quick succession. Verstappen stopped on lap 35 on the medium tyre. Ferrari reacted and stopped Raikkonen on the next lap.
Unusually Vettel pitted for a third time just eight laps after his second trip to the pits, going for the mediums. The rest of the leaders stayed out, as Ricciardo extended his stint and Verstappen and Raikkonen tried to go to the end.
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| © Octane Photographic |
Ricciardo pitted for mediums on lap 44 and emerged behind Verstappen, Raikkonen and - most importantly - Vettel, after struggling towards the end of the previous stint. Alonso's encouraging race came to an abrupt end when he lost power and pulled off on lap 47.
Raikkonen closed to within half a second of Verstappen by lap 52, while Vettel and Ricciardo gradually cut the gap to the leading duo. But despite the added help of DRS, he couldn't get close enough to make a move. Meanwhile further back Ricciardo and Vettel battled over third.
The scrap over the final podium spot heated up when Ricciardo dived up the inside of Vettel at Turn 1. He ran wide and dropped behind the German driver again, but the fight was far from over. Grosjean retired from the race with an issue in the closing stages, after struggling in the Haas.
Button and Kvyat quickly passed Gutierrez to move up to ninth and 10th. Ricciardo remained glued to Vettel's gearbox but couldn't find a gap. Kvyat then unlapped himself from the Red Bull as Ricciardo picked up a left-rear puncture, dropping to fifth.
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| © Octane Photographic |
Verstappen crossed the line six tenths clear of Raikkonen to win an incredible first F1 race. He broke numerous records as he claimed victory in his debut round for Red Bull Racing. Raikkonen and Vettel completed the podium.
Ricciardo recovered to fourth, with Bottas finishing a quiet fifth. Sainz was a strong sixth in front of his home race, ahead of Perez and Massa. Button made late progress to finish ninth and Kvyat was 10th on his return to Toro Rosso.
Gutierrez, Ericsson, Palmer, Magnussen, Nasr, Wehrlein and Haryanto completed the results. Grosjean, Alonso, Hulkenberg, Hamilton and Rosberg were the only retirements.
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