George Russell believes Formula 1’s first race at the Madring could swing one of two extreme ways, while Lewis Hamilton admits he does not know what exactly to expect, heading into Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix.
The wall-lined circuit in Madrid has proved a big challenge for drivers so far on its inaugural weekend, while Friday’s practice running showed up tyre degradation difficulties on long heavier-fuel runs.
The grid’s leading drivers are braced for those challenges to continue into a 57-lap race for which McLaren’s Lando Norris starts on pole position ahead of Mercedes’ championship-leading Kimi Antonelli.
Mercedes’ Russell, who qualified sixth after a disappointing Q3, told Sky Sports F1: “I think tyre degradation will define it one way or another.
“There will either be no degradation and it will be a procession, or really high degradation and it will be pretty chaotic.”
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, who qualified fourth having initially held provisional pole after the first flying laps of Q3, is also expecting tyre management to play a central role.
“We all came into the weekend thinking there would not be much degradation and the tyres would last long but it turns out there was a lot of degradation [on Friday],” said Hamilton.
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“I’m sure that will improve as the car gets grippier, but I have no idea what to expect.”
And championship leader Antonelli, who was pipped to pole position by a sensational final lap by Norris, predicted: “Probably it’s going to be grandmother driving in the first 10 laps, but let’s see.
“We saw in the long run how steep the degradation can be, especially if you push too early. We will try to see in the moment.
“Maybe we go into the race and the degradation is going to be much lower.”
Kimi Antonelli, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen after qualifying in the top three for the Spanish GP
Why Norris is on the ‘backfoot’ despite pole
It seems track position could be critical, so, in theory, Norris is in the best position as he starts on pole ahead of Antonelli, Verstappen and Hamilton.
But, the McLaren driver missed almost all of second practice on Friday due to a gearbox issue and has not completed any meaningful long running as a consequence.
“I have to do my homework tonight. I’m on the backfoot from a high fuel perspective. I’ve not done any,” Norris told Sky Sports F1.
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“I need to use the data we have from Oscar and see what uses I can have, looking at onboard videos and data from everyone.
“Not an ideal situation but I gave myself the best chance and we will prepare the best way possible. Luckily it’s not the best track to overtake on, so we will focus on a good start, good lap one and see what we can do.”
In Friday’s practice sessions, the tyre degradation was extremely high due to the successive high-speed corners, including the big banked ‘La Monumental’ Turn 12 where the tyres experience high loads.
“Everyone found out there was a lot of graining on the tyres,” said McLaren team principal Andrea Stella.
“I’m not sure everyone has clear ideas as to what strategies we have ahead of us, so it will be entertaining.”
How much overtaking will there be?
The pace between the front-runners should be close, so the race is likely going to come down to tyre degradation, which will dictate how much overtaking there is.
Norris is in the best position, as he can control the pace, but if overtaking is possible, he cannot afford to drive too slowly to save his tyres. But that’s the big question mark, is there enough room to overtake?
“The only thing you can do is try to put pressure on the car in front, trying to make them make a mistake or make them deg a bit more, and then you try to play with strategy,” said Antonelli.
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“But, especially when you have a very similar pace, it is difficult to make a move.”
The awkward turn five chicane is expected to be the best overtaking spot, but Verstappen feels the curvature of the track means it will even be difficult to attack into that particular corner.
“In some places, in the braking zones, they need to learn that you should never have to steer while braking. You need to be able to combine under braking because otherwise it doesn’t allow any kind of overtaking,” said the Red Bull driver.
“For sure, in terms of track design, I think it can be better. I also think driver input on track design in the future could help a lot. I know they’ll always come back to you and say, ‘Yeah, but the space,’ but that’s BS. There’s always a way to create an overtaking opportunity around a track.”
Sky Sports F1’s Spanish GP live schedule
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Sunday September 13
8.40am: F3 Feature Race 2
10.20am: F2 Feature Race
12.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Spanish GP build-up
2pm: THE SPANISH GRAND PRIX
4pm: Chequered Flag: Spanish GP reaction
5pm: Ted’s Notebook
*also on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 is in Madrid for the Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madring circuit with Sunday’s race at 2pm (build-up from 12.30pm), live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime