2024 Spanish Grand Prix Preview

Heading into the 11th round of the 2024 season, here is everything you need to know as F1 goes to Circuit de Catalunya.

The Big Stories

The nature of the Spanish Grand Prix means that teams often find this track to be an ideal candidate to bring new additions onto the car, with its mix of slow, medium and high speed corners. The most major package from this weekend’s running appears to come from RB, with the second Red Bull owned team bringing updates to their floor, bodywork and both wings in an attempt to close the gap to Aston Martin.

One driver has opted to move to an older spec of car though, with Zhou Guanyu having lost confidence in the car following floor updates for the car back at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The driver market has been a significant talking point in the time since the Canadian Grand Prix. Rumours circulated that the decision regarding Carlos Sainz’s future would be announced this weekend at his home Grand Prix, but at the time of writing nothing has been released as of yet.

One driver whose future appears to be on the chopping bloack is Logan Sargeant, who has been put under even more pressure after regulation changes made last week allowed for drivers under the age of 18 who’ve demonstrated exceptional ability to be granted a Super License, which has fuelled rumours that F2 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli could be in line for Sargeant’s seat sooner rather than later. Sargeant was quick to nip such rumours in the bud though, responding: ““That one’s definitely just a rumour. People know how to push media. That’s for sure.”

What can we expect from the Spanish Grand Prix?

The circuit’s sweeping nature can be very tough on tyres, especially when paired with the heat of the area, which will be higher this year due to the race being held later in the year than usual.

This means that strategy will play a very big part in the race, with two stops being almost guaranteed. This is even with Pirelli bringing the hardest tyres in their range for this race, and have even reccomended that some teams run three stop strategies.

Strategy will be vital for teams to get right, as it can be very difficult to overtake here, even after modifications were made last season to remove the chicane at the end of Sector 3. There are two DRS zones at this circuit, but it will be the one leading down into turn 1 that will most likely see the most effective overtaking assist of the weekend.

Circuit de Catalunya has been used as a testing circuit for F1 in the past, and the mix in the style of corners might help highlight a more true representation of the running order at this point of the season, and better expose the weaknesses and strengths each car has.

Safety cars don’t often play a factor in these races, with only 4 full course safety cars being deployed since 2016. Weather is also somewhat unlikely to impact the race in the same way it did in Canada, with the race having a 40% chance of falling at this time, though it is more likely to stay overcast throughout.

Last time out Max Verstappen was joined by both Mercedes drivers on the podium, and whilst Verstappen will likely remain at the sharp end of the grid for this weekend’s race, it is unclear if Mercedes will be able to continue over their form from the Canadian Grand Prix.

Practice starts on Friday with FP1 taking place at 1:30pm local time, and FP2 taking a few hours later at 5pm. Saturday kicks off with FP3 at 12:30pm local time, and qualifying getting underway at 4pm, whilst Sunday’s race will start at 3pm.

Driver’s Standings

1. Max Verstappen – 194 points
2. Charles Leclerc – 138 points
3. Lando Norris – 131 points
4. Carlos Sainz – 108 points
5. Sergio Perez – 107 points
6. Oscar Piastri – 81 points
7. George Russell – 69 points
8. Lewis Hamilton – 55 points
9. Fernando Alonso – 41 points
10. Yuki Tsunoda – 19 points
11. Lance Stroll – 17 points
12. Daniel Ricciardo – 9 points
13. Oliver Bearman – 6 points
14. Nico Hulkenberg – 6 points
15. Pierre Gasly – 3 points
16. Alex Albon – 2 points
17. Esteban Ocon – 2 points
18. Kevin Magnussen – 1 point
19. Zhou Guanyu – 0 points
20. Valtteri Bottas – 0 points
21. Logan Sargeant – 0 points

Constructor’s Standings

1. Red Bull – 301 points
2. Ferrari – 252 points
3. McLaren – 212 points
4. Mercedes – 124 points
5. Aston Martin – 58 points
6. RB – 28 points
7. Haas – 7 points
8. Alpine – 2 points
9. Williams – 2 points
10. Kick Sauber – 0 points