🚀 Spanish GP: Race review & F1 Lowdown

Hey there, F1 fanatic! 👋 

First of all, welcome to the 325 of you who joined us in the last week. 

It’s time to dive into another edition of our weekly F1 newsletter and get you up to speed with everything that’s happened since the Spanish GP.

Before we start… We’re striving to make this newsletter better for you. Let us know your opinions on the content by replying to this email or using the poll at the end of the newsletter.

🏎 Here’s the global racepace after the Spanish GP

• Mercedes has never been this close to Red Bull this year. Hamilton was 0.31s/lap away from Verstappen’s laptime on average, and he lifted more at the end.

• Ferrari struggled, but Aston's pace was even worse! (but more consistent)

• Just 0.1s between the 6th (STR) and 13th (OCO) fastest!

🔴 Ferrari's new upgrades: all hype, no vroom!

Ferrari thought they had a secret weapon at the Spanish GP with their heavily updated car. Despite starting in a promising position, Carlos Sainz finished a whopping four places and 46 seconds behind the leader, Max Verstappen.

Although the team suffered a very difficult weekend, that’s not necessarily to do with the upgrade.

These changes in aerodynamics boils down to Ferrari rethinking their ‘fat’ sidepod design from last year's F1-75, that sent airflow on a scenic detour around the car before being lured back to the rear 'coke bottle' area.

Meanwhile, Red Bull, with the suave undercut sidepods, preferred the 'stick with me, buddy' approach, where the airflow stays with the car’s surfaces throughout its journey.

In a battle of airflow management, both teams aim for the same finish line – supercharging the airflow over the diffuser's walls to boost the car's underbody suction.

Still, they’ve got different ideas. Ferrari’s recent sidepod slimdown signals their suspicion of 'airflow detachment,' a notorious issue that dissipates the flow’s energy.

If correct, this geometry tweak could be the stability secret sauce they've been craving. Let's hope it's not too late for Ferrari's 'wide-to-svelte' transformation to pay off! - Read more

⚫️ Mercedes' podium win at Barcelona: part flashy upgrades, part strategic pit stop voodoo!

Mercedes kicked Aston Martin off the second step in the constructors' championship at Barcelona, with both drivers on the podium. And let's tip our hats to George Russell, who bolted from P12 to the podium like he found a cheat code.

While everyone's eyes were on the bling of the Mercedes upgrade package, Bernie Collins, ex-Aston Martin strategist, points out that strategy played a big part too.

Russell, who seems to have a knack for tire whispering, realized mid-race that his soft tyres were aging better than fine wine and convinced his crew to delay the pit stop.

This savvy move turned the race into an episode of "Pimp my Pit Stop Strategy" and helped Russell and Mercedes cash in some serious racing dividends.

Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz of Ferrari could've used some of that pit stop magic. His decision to pit early cost him a whopping 8.9 seconds of race time to Russell.

Bottom line? Track position's great, but in the grand scheme of things, it's all about that stop lap and tyre selection mojo! - Read more

❌ Yuki Tsunoda is seeing red over what he calls a "ridiculous" and "really unfair" penalty during the Spanish Grand Prix.

Why? He got a five-second slap on the wrist for supposedly forcing Zhou Guanyu off the track, which sent him skidding from 9th to 12th​​.

Zhou had tried to swoosh past Tsunoda at Turn 1, but Tsunoda was like, "Not on my watch!" This resulted in Zhou taking a detour off the track. Tsunoda's beef? He claims he left room for Zhou, who, according to him, chickened out early and veered off. He's a bit miffed at being penalized, to say the least​.

Adding to Tsunoda, he wasn't even given a chance to defend himself, only learning about the penalty after crossing the finish line. - Read more

✅ Fortunately, this was the only incident on track. We’ve had:

• No yellow flags

• No Safety Cars or VSC

• No red flags

• No retirements

📈 2023 Season Overtakes by Circuit after the SpanishGP

• At the Spanish GP we’ve had a total of 65 overtakes of which 50 were at Turn 1, mostly with DRS assistance.

• 42 of these overtakes were shown on live broadcast

Pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee, and buckle up, because we're about to untangle the key actors involved in F1.

We'll zoom through everything from governing bodies to the Concorde Agreement and the teams themselves. If you’re new to F1 this is exactly what you’ll need to get up to speed.

A fantastic pit crew makes a good F1 car great, and so it is with the motorsport itself.

Let's begin by introducing you to the top brass, the pivotal trio of FIA, FOM, and Liberty Media, each with a crucial role on this high-speed stage.

Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA)

Think of the FIA as the doting parent of the motorsport world. Since its 1904 foundation, the FIA's been keeping an eagle eye on safety, making rules, and meting out justice when drivers misbehave.

From crash testing to race regulation enforcement, the FIA ensures that racing isn't just about speed but also about ensuring everyone gets home safely.

Formula One Management (FOM)

The FOM is like the savvy business manager behind a rock band, turning up the volume on F1's commercial success.

If F1 is a global concert, the FOM sets the tour dates, negotiates contracts, and even manages the Herculean task of moving the entire circus from one venue to another.

In 2021, Stefano Domenicali took over as maestro of this orchestra, succeeding Chase Carey and ushering in a new era after Liberty Media's $4.4bn acquisition of F1.

Liberty Media

Liberty Media is a titan of a media conglomerate, its fingerprints all over our F1 experience. Imagine them as the promoters, ever keen on building the F1 brand.

From launching fan surveys to partnering with AWS and Netflix, they are all about enhancing our engagement with the sport. The Netflix series Drive to Survive is their brainchild, now shooting for its sixth season!

The 'New' Concorde Agreement

The Concorde Agreement is a bit like the peace treaty that keeps all ten teams playing nice. This agreement outlines how the teams race and how the TV revenues and prize money get divvied up.

The latest update in 2020 keeps all teams bound to the world championship for another five years and introduced a budget cap from the 2021 season and changed the prize money distribution.

The new Concorde Agreement seeks to protect the value of the incumbent teams, by requiring new entrants to pay 200 million dollars up front, shared equally among 10 existing teams, in exchange for having the right of revenue share in its first year of competition. Previously, new entries only received the prize money from their second year onwards.

A Pit Lane Tour: F1 Teams

Now, let's shift gears and get up close with the stars of the show - the teams.

Picture F1 as a three-tier cake. At the top, you have the crème de la crème battling for the championship. The next two layers, dubbed 'the midfield', are often the most exciting. Here, unpredictability is the name of the game.

F1's ten teams can be split into two main types: Works Teams and Constructors Teams.

Works Teams create both the body and soul of their F1 cars - the chassis and the engine.

Constructors Teams, on the other hand, build their own car but plug in an engine bought from a supplier.

Williams F1 and Mercedes are a perfect example of this partnership - Williams has been using Mercedes engines since 2014, illustrating that there's more to F1 than just the driver or car.

The teams that currently build and sell engines are Mercedes, Ferrari, and Renault (now called Alpine). There was also Honda, which manufactured engines but didn’t have a team and left the sport last year(only to announce earlier this year that they will return in 2026).

Each year, we witness a thrilling duel between the teams for the coveted Formula One World Constructor Championship. This contest is as fierce and gripping as the one for the driver's title, adding another layer of excitement to each race.

The Evolution of F1 Teams

Since F1's birth in 1950, the grid has seen numerous transformations. Teams evolve, drivers come and go, but the spirit of racing persists.

We've been accustomed to seeing two drivers and 10 teams on the grid for the last nine years, but that hasn't always been the rule. There were times when as many as 13 or 14 teams would line up on the grid.

However, to prevent overcrowding, rules like the 107% rule ensure that only the fastest cars make the cut.

According to FIA regulations, there can be a maximum of 26 cars admitted to the Championship, with each team allowed to enter two cars. So, the maximum grid size can be anywhere between 20 to 26 cars. The last time we had a grid of 26 cars was for the 1995 Monaco Grand Prix.

🚨 RELATED: Stefano Domenicali is pushing to have 12 teams on the F1 grid for 2026. Talks are already underway with potential entrants - the entry fee could be revised to around $1 billion. - Read more(IT)

If fewer than 12 cars are available for a Grand Prix, the FIA reserves the right to cancel the race. This rule was influenced by the 2005 US Grand Prix, where only six cars made it to the start line, creating a rather 'slim' spectacle.

While a team typically fields two main drivers, it's also allowed to have up to four different drivers. This includes reserve drivers, who are the understudies of the F1 world, ready to jump in if one of the main drivers can't race.

Remember George Russell in 2020? Then a Williams driver, he got a golden opportunity to drive for Mercedes during the Sakhir Grand Prix, replacing Lewis Hamilton who had tested positive for Covid-19.

From the boardroom politics to the technical wizardry and heart-stopping competition on track, Formula 1 is a thrilling roller coaster of speed, technology, and human endeavor.

Whether you're an F1 aficionado or just getting your wheels wet, there's always something exciting to discover in this fast-paced world. Make sure you keep following us to learn everything there is to know about the sport.

🔴 Alfa Romeo announce shake-up as James Key takes over Technical Director role - Read more

🛞 Formula 1 tyre supplier Pirelli looks set to face competition for the official FIA tender contract from 2025 amid suggestions that Bridgestone has made a bid. - Read more

😮‍💨 Stefano Domenicali is pushing to have 12 teams on the F1 grid for 2026. Talks are already underway with potential entrants - the entry fee could be revised to around $1 billion. - Read more(IT)

❌ Plans for a return of the South African Grand Prix at Kyalami to F1's calendar in 2024 have been terminated, reportedly for political reasons. - Read more

🔵 Christian Horner almost left Red Bull to replace Mattia Binotto at Ferrari last year.

🟢 Aston Martin will bring an upgrade to the Canadian Grand Prix but remains confident it is not falling behind rivals in Formula 1’s development war. - Read more

⚫️ For the first time this season, the Mick Schumacher was behind the wheel of the Mercedes W14 courtesy of Pirelli, which is conducting a two-day tyre test at the Circuit de Catalunya. - Read more

💸 Mercedes got slapped with a €10,000 fine for their physios taking a joy walk into the parc ferme area after the race. - Read more

🏎 Restoring Barcelona's fast final sector was universally applauded by Formula 1 drivers, but it brought on its fair share of problems for the teams. - Read more

🇨🇦 Scheduled 16 - 18 JUN

Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montréal

TLDR;

1️⃣ Circuit length: 4.361 km
2️⃣ Number of laps: 70
3️⃣ Lap record: 1:13.078 Valteri Bottas (2019)
4️⃣ Corners & DRS: 13 corners with 2 DRS zones