Racing At The Speed Of Pirelli: Spanish GP
Formula1 begins each season in Spain. Teams test at the Jerez circuit then move the Circuit de Catalunya-the site of the Spanish Grand Prix. Last February each testing day ended with spent rubber lining the track. The degradation was unlike anything teams and drivers had ever seen, and they all concluded that making the tires last was this season’s greatest challenge.
Teams gleaned much information about the tires over the first 4 rounds of the season, and in the 5th round, Ferrari and Fernando Alonso demonstrated their knowledge of the Pirelli tires and put together a superb and complete Spanish Grand Prix.
Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton lined up one and two on the grid at the start of Sunday’s race. By the first turn Hamilton had already lost a place to the fast starting Sebastian Vettel. At turn 3 he lost another to Alonso who made a heroic pass on the outside line leaving Hamilton behind, grasping to keep the pace.
Moving the wrong way on the grid continued for Hamilton when on the 7th lap a very desperate Kimi Raikkonen made a pass stick under braking at turn 10. Felipe Massa passed the Mercedes a lap later.
Back at the front, Nico Rosberg was doing all he could to keep Vettel and Alonso behind. His tires hadn’t fallen off the operating cliff like Hamilton’s, however the reigning and former world champion were close enough behind the Mercedes of Rosberg that it was easy to see his time at the front of the grid was coming to a close.
Lap 11, Rosberg’s Mercedes and Vettel’s Red Bull dove to the pits for fresh rubber; both stops were flawless. Rosberg exited the pit lane just ahead of Vettel but their time obeying the pit lane speed limit allowed Alonso to make a charge at more than twice their speed on the start finish straight. When all three arrived at the uphill esses of turn one the order was Rosberg, Alonso, Vettel.
The order remained that way for one more lap until the next time on the start finish straight Alonso and his DRS had enough speed to make a move on the outside of Rosberg. The F138 immediately began to pull away from the metallic silver car and Vettel knew he could waste no time behind the slow Mercedes if he wanted to keep pace with Alonso. The tough to pass Rosberg kept Vettel behind for only 5 more turns and when on the 6th, Vettel made a nearly impossible pass on the inside.
Alonso sat in second place because Lotus’ Kimi Raikkonen had stopped two laps prior, but the Lotus was quickly dispatched by Alonso. It was his country. His race. After 2 more pit stops Alonso crossed the checkered flag in first place.
Sebastian Vettel became a bit anonymous at the end the race. The team often appeared on the radio to tell their driver about critical wear on his front left tire. The heavy loading turns 3, 4, and 9 were too much for the soft Pirelli tires on his RB9. The 3 time world champion had to lap at a slower race pace then he would have preferred and was never a threat to catch the top 3 runners.
Felipe Massa raced well for Scuderia on Sunday, making the race a 1-3 for the team.
Kimi Raikkonen split the Ferrari’s making one pit stop less than Alonso and Massa. His teammate Romain Grosjean retired on lap 9 with suspension damage.
Rosberg fell from 1st all the way to 6th and felt immense pressure at the end from Force India’s Paul di Resta.
Hamilton’s free fall down the grid came to a head when he was passed by last year’s winner Pastor Maldonado. After taking the position back the team warned Hamilton about his pace and its consequences on the tires. He responded, “I can’t drive any slower.”
On lap 51 his former teammate at McLaren, Jenson Button, passed him for 9th place. Hamilton’s day finished with him in 12th place.
Alonso’s win on Sunday makes it the 32nd of his career. Vettel still holds the lead in championship points. Kimi Raikkonen is now within 4 points of the lead. Alonso is now 17 points behind Vettel and leapfrogged Hamilton for 3rd place.
For the first time ever at the Spanish Grand Prix at Catalunya, the pole sitter finished outside the top 5.
The next round is in two week’s time at the street circuit of Monaco. As always, make 6speed your home for your F1 coverage.