2018 Spanish Grand Prix

The LX Gran Premio de España Emirates 2018, otherwise known as the 2018 Spanish Grand Prix, was the fifth round of the 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on 13 May 2018. The race was the first of the season to be staged in Europe and, as ever, featured a wide array of upgrades for the field.Adam Cooper, '2018 Formula 1 calendar revised as Chinese and Bahrain GPs swap', autosport.com, (Motorsport Network, 29/09/2017), https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/132087/2018-formula-1-calendar-revised, (Accessed 04/04/2018)
In qualifying, Lewis Hamilton took his second pole position of the season, whilst his teammate Valtteri Bottas qualified alongside him on the front row to score ' first front row lockout of 2018, and Sebastian Vettel qualified third on the grid.
In the race, Hamilton stayed in the lead while Vettel overtook Bottas, before the safety car was called out after Romain Grosjean spun into the paths of Nico Hülkenberg and Pierre Gasly. After the safety car came in at the end of lap 6, the order of the top three did not change aside from the pit stops. When the virtual safety car was later deployed on lap 40 due to Esteban Ocon suffering a mechanical failure on his car and parking it beside the track, Vettel came into the pits for a new set of tyres, but dropped behind Bottas and Max Verstappen. Hamilton continued on to take his second victory of the season, while Bottas scored Mercedes' first one-two finish of the season, enabling them to take the lead of the Constructors' Championship. Verstappen completed the podium despite running with a slightly damaged front wing after trying to lap Lance Stroll at the end of the virtual safety car.
==Background==
Formula One headed to its familiar winter home for the fifth round of the Championship tour, with the highly technical Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya playing host to the 60th Spanish Grand Prix. Likewise the circuit would play host to the FIA Formula 2 Championship, as well as the opening round of the GP3 Series. Otherwise, the circuit and entry list remained unchanged since the teams' visits for the Barcelona Tests, although the new tarmac had been worn in by other series.
However, while the circuit remained unchanged, the tyres Pirelli had brought along to Catalunya were slightly different to those used previously.'Pirelli reduces tread depth for Barcelona, Silverstone & Paul Ricard', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 07/04/2018), https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/headlines/2018/4/pirelli-reduces-tread-depth-for-barcelona--silverstone---paul-ri.html, (Accessed 26/04/2018) Indeed, while the compounds were faithful to the familiar choice of "medium", "soft" and "supersoft", Pirelli had been allowed to reduce the overall tread depth of every tyre by 4mm after overheating issues during the pre-season tests.'New hypersoft tyres to appear in Canada', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 09/03/2018), https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/headlines/2018/3/hypersoft-tyres-to-appear-in-canada.html, (Accessed 30/04/2018) It was thought that the reduction in rubber would allow heat to escape from the tyres quicker than it otherwise would have, an issue that had affected all of the teams during the pre-season tests.
Elsewhere, several teams and drivers were dealing with the fallout from the rather bruising 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with in particular having to deal with their own PR disaster.Adam Cooper, 'Red Bull had discussed clash prospect before the race', motorsport.com, (Motorsport Network, 30/04/2018), https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/red-bull-review-rules-engagement-spain-1032120/, (Accessed 30/04/2018) Their issues came as a result of the collision between Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo towards the end of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix which had seen both retire, after the pair had touched on more than one occasion during the race itself. While both were apologetic about the incident, and accepted they both were at fault to some degree, Red Bull team principle Christian Horner revealed that the team would review their rules of engagement again ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, having already done so on the morning of the Baku brawl.
Horner's comments followed those of Chairman Niki Lauda, who declared that it was Verstappen's weaving ahead of the braking zone that led to the accident, making it '70% Verstappen and 30% Ricciardo'. Glenn Freeman, 'Verstappen 70% to blame for Ricciardo crash - Lauda', motorsport.com, (Motorsport Network, 30/04/2018), https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/verstappen-70-to-blame-for-ricciardo-crash-lauda-1032066/, (Accessed 30/04/2018) The three time World Champion also suggested that, had the accident happened at the Silver Arrows, that both drivers would be fined, although Horner dismissed this idea instantly. Regardless, the future of the Ricciardo-Verstappen partnership remained in doubt, particularly as it was only two years since Daniil Kvyat had been dropped from the senior squad after a series of incidents in .
As if to distract the media pack surrounding their driver clashes, the Red Bull team also revealed that they had had a formal meeting with in Azerbaijan regarding engines for .Scott Mitchell, 'Red Bull and Honda have first formal engine supply meeting', motorsport.com, (Motorsport Network, 30/04/2018), https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/honda-red-bull-engine-supply-meeting-1031628/, (Accessed 30/04/2018) The Austrian squad had already signed their junior team team to the Japanese manufacturer for the 2018 season, and, as expected, were prepared to fully investigate a switch to Honda before the deadline to declare an engine supplier in mid-May. Red Bull's current suppliers were open-minded about the talks, having fallen out with the Austrian backed effort in .
Away from Red Bull and found their drivers under fire for their actions in the grid, with Pierre Gasly labelling Kevin Magnussen as 'the most dangerous driver on the grid'.'VIDEO: Why Gasly branded Magnussen ‘the most dangerous driver on the grid’', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 30/04/2018), https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/headlines/2018/4/video-f1-gasly-magnussen-dangerous-azerbaijan.html, (Accessed 30/04/2018) Magnussen had, according to replays, Gasly, and the stewards, pushed the Frenchman into the wall during the second restart, resulting in the Dane receiving a ten-second penalty at the end of the race. Their clash, which saw pieces of Gasly's front wing dumped onto the start/finish straight, would ultimately cause Valtteri Bottas' retirement a lap later, although Charlie Whiting revealed that there had been no reports of debris on the circuit after the restart.Glenn Freeman, 'FIA didn't know about debris Bottas hit in Baku', motorsport.com, (Motorsport Network, 30/04/2018), https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/fia-didnt-know-about-debris-bottas-hit-1032107/, (Accessed 30/04/2018)
Haas' other driver Romain Grosjean, meanwhile, was receiving flak for his ignominious exit from the race under the second safety car, with the Frenchman sliding into the barriers while warming his tyres.'Grosjean blames accidental 'switch bump' for Safety Car crash', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Ltd., 30/04/2018), https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/headlines/2018/4/hard-to-see-perez-on-the-podium--grosjean-rues-baku-crash.html, (Accessed 30/04/2018) The Frenchman had initially blamed one of the s for the accident, only for replays to show that he had spun into the barriers all on his own. After the race, Grosjean conceded that he was to blame, having accidentally caught a switch that changed his brake balance, catching him out as the rear axle locked.
Elsewhere, Sergey Sirotkin, having caused a collision with Sergio Pérez on the first lap in Azerbaijan, received a three-place grid penalty for Barcelona, although the Russian's employers ultimately made an appeal. Their case revolved around the concept of comparing Sirotkin's clash to every other incident in Azerbaijan that either resulted in time penalties or no further action, although as they lacked any substantial evidence of their own, the appeal was rejected. In an unrelated affair, Williams would also part ways with their lead designer Ed Wood, who had been with the team for twelve years.Andrew Benson, 'Williams: Formula 1 team's chief designer leaves for 'personal reasons', bbc.co.uk/sport, (British Broadcasting Company, 10/05/2018), https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/44071843, (Accessed 10/05/2018) Wood, who had overseen the team's recent switch to a more cornering focused design, was said to have left for 'personal reasons'.
In terms of the Championship, Lewis Hamilton's surprise victory in Baku meant it was the Brit who left the Azerbaijan capital at the head of the Championship, having overhauled Sebastian Vettel by four points. Kimi Räikkönen, meanwhile, had moved back into third ahead of Bottas, while Ricciardo had dropped back to fifth. Fernando Alonso had retained sixth ahead of Nico Hülkenberg, while Pérez, Charles Leclerc, Lance Stroll and Brendon Hartley had all added their names to the board.
Into the Constructors' Championship and had smuggled the lead away from in Baku, although their advantage over the German squad was just four points. Red Bull-TAG Heuer looked to be slipping away in third, while had remained in fourth, just a point ahead of the Renault factory squad. had shot up the table to sixth, while Williams-Mercedes remained at the foot of the table in spite their first points finish of the season.
==Entry list==
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	Model 	Tyre
44 	Lewis Hamilton 	Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport 	 	W09 EQ Power+ 	 	M09 EQ Power+ 	
77 	Valtteri Bottas 	Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport 	 	W09 EQ Power+ 	 	M09 EQ Power+ 	
5 	Sebastian Vettel 	Scuderia Ferrari 	 	SF71H 	 	062 EVO 	
7 	Kimi Räikkönen 	Scuderia Ferrari 	 	SF71H 	 	062 EVO 	
3 	Daniel Ricciardo 	Aston Martin Red Bull Racing 	 	RB14 	 	TAG Heuer 	
33 	Max Verstappen 	Aston Martin Red Bull Racing 	 	RB14 	 	TAG Heuer 	
11 	Sergio Pérez 	Sahara Force India F1 Team 	 	VJM11 	 	M09 EQ Power+ 	
31 	Esteban Ocon 	Sahara Force India F1 Team 	 	VJM11 	 	M09 EQ Power+ 	
18 	Lance Stroll 	Williams Martini Racing 	 	FW41 	 	M09 EQ Power+ 	
35 	Sergey Sirotkin 	Williams Martini Racing 	 	FW41 	 	M09 EQ Power+ 	
27 	Nico Hülkenberg 	Renault Sport Formula One Team 	 	R.S.18 	 	R.E.18 	
55 	Carlos Sainz, Jr. 	Renault Sport Formula One Team 	 	R.S.18 	 	R.E.18 	
28 	Brendon Hartley 	Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda 	 	STR13 	 	RA618H 	
10 	Pierre Gasly 	Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda 	 	STR13 	 	RA618H 	
8 	Romain Grosjean 	Haas F1 Team 	 	VF-18 	 	062 EVO 	
20 	Kevin Magnussen 	Haas F1 Team 	 	VF-18 	 	062 EVO 	
14 	Fernando Alonso 	McLaren F1 Team 	 	MCL33 	 	R.E.18 	
2 	Stoffel Vandoorne 	McLaren F1 Team 	 	MCL33 	 	R.E.18 	
9 	Marcus Ericsson 	Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team 	 	C37 	 	062 EVO 	
16 	Charles Leclerc 	Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team 	 	C37 	 	062 EVO 	
Free Practice 1 only 	Free Practice 1 only 	Free Practice 1 only 	Free Practice 1 only 	Free Practice 1 only 	Free Practice 1 only 	Free Practice 1 only 	Free Practice 1 only
40 	Robert Kubica 	Williams Martini Racing 	 	FW41 	 	M09 EQ Power+ 	
Source:'2018 Spanish Grand Prix: Entry List', fia.com, (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, 10/05/2018), https://www.fia.com/file/68091/download?token=Ml17s3ds, (Accessed 11/05/2018)	Source:'2018 Spanish Grand Prix: Entry List', fia.com, (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, 10/05/2018), https://www.fia.com/file/68091/download?token=Ml17s3ds, (Accessed 11/05/2018)	Source:'2018 Spanish Grand Prix: Entry List', fia.com, (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, 10/05/2018), https://www.fia.com/file/68091/download?token=Ml17s3ds, (Accessed 11/05/2018)	Source:'2018 Spanish Grand Prix: Entry List', fia.com, (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, 10/05/2018), https://www.fia.com/file/68091/download?token=Ml17s3ds, (Accessed 11/05/2018)	Source:'2018 Spanish Grand Prix: Entry List', fia.com, (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, 10/05/2018), https://www.fia.com/file/68091/download?token=Ml17s3ds, (Accessed 11/05/2018)	Source:'2018 Spanish Grand Prix: Entry List', fia.com, (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, 10/05/2018), https://www.fia.com/file/68091/download?token=Ml17s3ds, (Accessed 11/05/2018)	Source:'2018 Spanish Grand Prix: Entry List', fia.com, (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, 10/05/2018), https://www.fia.com/file/68091/download?token=Ml17s3ds, (Accessed 11/05/2018)	Source:'2018 Spanish Grand Prix: Entry List', fia.com, (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, 10/05/2018), https://www.fia.com/file/68091/download?token=Ml17s3ds, (Accessed 11/05/2018)
==Practice Overview==
===FP1===
===FP2===
===FP3===
===Practice Results===
No 	Driver 	Team 	FP1 	 	FP2 	 	FP3 	 	 	 	 	 	
No 	Driver 	Team 	Time 	Pos 	Time 	Pos 	Time 	Pos 	 	 	 	 	
2 	Stoffel Vandoorne	 	1:20.083	9 	1:19.722	9 	1:19.236	14 	 	 	 	 	
3 	Daniel Ricciardo 	 	1:19.871	7 	1:18.392	2 	1:17.981	5 	 	 	 	 	
5 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	1:19.098	3 	1:18.585	4 	1:17.550	3 	 	 	 	 	
7 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	1:19.499	5 	1:18.829	6 	1:17.581	4 	 	 	 	 	
8 	Romain Grosjean 	 	1:19.906	8 	1:19.579	7 	1:18.706	7 	 	 	 	 	
9 	Marcus Ericsson 	 	1:20.984	14 	1:20.501	15 	1:19.744	18 	 	 	 	 	
10 	Pierre Gasly 	 	1:20.508	10 	1:20.373	14 	1:18.886	10 	 	 	 	 	
11 	Sergio Pérez 	 	1:20.924	13 	1:19.962	10 	1:19.376	16 	 	 	 	 	
14 	Fernando Alonso 	 	1:19.858	6 	1:20.035	12 	1:18.847	9 	 	 	 	 	
16 	Charles Leclerc 	 	1:20.665	12 	1:20.514	16 	1:19.292	15 	 	 	 	 	
18 	Lance Stroll 	 	1:22.756	20 	1:21.556	19 	1:19.900	19 	 	 	 	 	
20 	Kevin Magnussen 	 	1:20.637	11 	1:19.643	8 	1:18.357	6 	 	 	 	 	
27 	Nico Hülkenberg 	 	1:21.159	17 	1:20.183	13 	1:18.905	11 	 	 	 	 	
28 	Brendon Hartley 	 	1:21.373	18 	1:21.265	18 	1:19.428	17 	 	 	 	 	
31 	Esteban Ocon 	 	1:21.144	16 	1:20.024	11 	1:19.121	13 	 	 	 	 	
33 	Max Verstappen 	 	1:19.187	4 	1:18.533	3 	1:19.013	12 	 	 	 	 	
35 	Sergey Sirotkin 	 	 	1:22.060	20 	1:19.909	20 	 	 	 	 	 	
40 	Robert Kubica 	 	1:21.510	19 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
44 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	1:18.997	2 	1:18.259	1 	1:17.281	1 	 	 	 	 	
55 	Carlos Sainz, Jr.	 	1:21.053	15 	1:20.672	17 	1:18.783	8 	 	 	 	 	
77 	Valtteri Bottas 	 	1:18.148	1 	1:18.611	5 	1:17.294	2 	 	 	 	 	
Source:	Source: 	Source:	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source:	Source:	Source:	Source:	Source:	Source:
==Qualifying==
===Q1===
===Q2===
===Q3===
===Qualifying Results===
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Q1 	Q1 	 	Q2 	Q2 	 	Q3 	Q3 	Grid
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Pos 	Time 	 	Pos 	Time 	 	Pos 	Time 	Grid
1 	44 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	 	5 	1:17.633 	 	4 	1:17.166 	 	1 	1:16.173 	1
2 	77 	Valtteri Bottas 	 	 	6 	1:17.674 	 	3 	1:17.111 	 	2 	1:16.213 	2
3 	5 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	 	1 	1:17.031 	 	1 	1:16.802 	 	3 	1:16.305 	3
4 	7 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	 	3 	1:17.483 	 	2 	1:17.071 	 	4 	1:16.612 	4
5 	33 	Max Verstappen 	 	 	2 	1:17.411 	 	5 	1:17.266 	 	5 	1:16.816 	5
6 	3 	Daniel Ricciardo 	 	 	4 	1:17.623 	 	7 	1:17.638 	 	6 	1:16.818 	6
7 	20 	Kevin Magnussen 	 	 	7 	1:18.169 	 	6 	1:17.618 	 	7 	1:17.676 	7
8 	14 	Fernando Alonso 	 	 	8 	1:18.276 	 	10 	1:18.100 	 	8 	1:17.721 	8
9 	55 	Carlos Sainz, Jr. 	 	 	10 	1:18.480 	 	9 	1:17.803 	 	9 	1:17.790 	9
10 	8 	Romain Grosjean 	 	 	9 	1:18.305 	 	8 	1:17.699 	 	10 	1:17.835 	10
11 	2 	Stoffel Vandoorne 	 	 	15 	1:18.885 	 	11 	1:18.323 	 	 	 	11
12 	10 	Pierre Gasly 	 	 	11 	1:18.550 	 	12 	1:18.463 	 	 	 	12
13 	31 	Esteban Ocon 	 	 	14 	1:18.813 	 	13 	1:18.696 	 	 	 	13
14 	16 	Charles Leclerc 	 	 	12 	1:18.661 	 	14 	1:18.910 	 	 	 	14
15 	11 	Sergio Pérez 	 	 	13 	1:18.740 	 	15 	1:19.098 	 	 	 	15
16 	27 	Nico Hülkenberg 	 	 	16 	1:18.923 	 	 	 	 	 	 	16
17 	9 	Marcus Ericsson 	 	 	17 	1:19.493 	 	 	 	 	 	 	17
18 	35 	Sergey Sirotkin 	 	 	18 	1:19.695 	 	 	 	 	 	 	19*
19 	18 	Lance Stroll 	 	 	19 	1:20.225 	 	 	 	 	 	 	18
107% time: 1:22.423	107% time: 1:22.423	107% time: 1:22.423	107% time: 1:22.423	107% time: 1:22.423	107% time: 1:22.423	107% time: 1:22.423	107% time: 1:22.423	107% time: 1:22.423	107% time: 1:22.423	107% time: 1:22.423	107% time: 1:22.423	107% time: 1:22.423	107% time: 1:22.423
NC 	28 	Brendon Hartley 	 	 	20 	no time 	 	 	 	 	 	 	20†
Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source: 	Source:
** Sirotkin was given a three-place grid penalty for causing a collision with Pérez at the previous race in Azerbaijan.
*† Hartley failed to set a time within the 107% rule due to his car being under repair following a crash in FP3. However, he was given permission from the stewards to participate in the race.
===Grid===
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	44 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	66 	1h 35m 29.972s 	1 	25
2 	77 	Valtteri Bottas 	 	66 	+20.593s 	2 	18
3 	33 	Max Verstappen 	 	66 	+26.873s 	5 	15
4 	5 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	66 	+27.584s 	3 	12
5 	3 	Daniel Ricciardo 	 	66 	+50.058s 	6 	10
6 	20 	Kevin Magnussen 	 	65 	+1 Lap 	7 	8
7 	55 	Carlos Sainz, Jr.	 	65 	+1 Lap 	9 	6
8 	14 	Fernando Alonso 	 	65 	+1 Lap 	8 	4
9 	11 	Sergio Pérez 	 	64 	+2 Laps 	15 	2
10 	16 	Charles Leclerc 	 	64 	+2 Laps 	14 	1
11 	18 	Lance Stroll 	 	64 	+2 Laps 	18 	
12 	28 	Brendon Hartley 	 	64 	+2 Laps 	20 	
13 	9 	Marcus Ericsson 	 	64 	+2 Laps 	17 	
14 	35 	Sergey Sirotkin 	 	63 	+3 Laps 	19 	
Ret 	2 	Stoffel Vandoorne	 	45 	Electrical 	11 	
Ret 	31 	Esteban Ocon 	 	38 	Engine Sensor 	13 	
Ret 	7 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	25 	Gear Selection 	4 	
Ret 	8 	Romain Grosjean 	 	0 	Spun off/Accident	10 	
Ret 	10 	Pierre Gasly 	 	0 	Brakes/Accident 	12 	
Ret 	27 	Nico Hülkenberg 	 	0 	Spun off/Accident	16 	
Source:	Source:	Source: 	Source: 	Source:	Source: 	Source:	Source:
==Milestones==
*Sixtieth Spanish Grand Prix to be staged.
*Stoffel Vandoorne's 25th start (26th entry).
*Lance Stroll's 25th entry and start.
*Pierre Gasly's 10th entry and start.
*Valtteri Bottas' 25th podium.
==Standings==
The dominant victory for Lewis Hamilton would see the Brit establish a seventeen-point lead atop the World Championship standings, with Sebastian Vettel remaining in second. Behind the two Finns Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Räikkönen swapped places, while Daniel Ricciardo completed the top five. Elsewhere, Max Verstappen climbed into sixth, while Kevin Magnussen moved into the top ten after finishing the day as best of the rest.
In the Constructors' Championship it was now advantage , with their one-two finish moving the German squad back ahead of . Their tally of 153 was some 27 clear of the Italian firm's although with their cars evenly matched that advantage was not a significant one. Behind them and in a solid third, were , while moved past for fourth.
 
Drivers' World Championship	Drivers' World Championship	Drivers' World Championship	Drivers' World Championship
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Lewis Hamilton 	95 	
2 	Sebastian Vettel 	78 	
3 	Valtteri Bottas 	58 	1
4 	Kimi Räikkönen 	48 	1
5 	Daniel Ricciardo 	47 	
6 	Max Verstappen 	33 	2
7 	Fernando Alonso 	32 	1
8 	Nico Hülkenberg 	22 	1
9 	Kevin Magnussen 	19 	3
10 	Carlos Sainz, Jr. 	19 	
11 	Sergio Pérez 	17 	2
12 	Pierre Gasly 	12 	1
13 	Charles Leclerc 	9 	
14 	Stoffel Vandoorne 	8 	
15 	Lance Stroll 	4 	
16 	Marcus Ericsson 	2 	
17 	Esteban Ocon 	1 	
18 	Brendon Hartley 	1 	
Constructors World Championship	Constructors World Championship	Constructors World Championship	Constructors World Championship
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	153 	1
2 	 	126 	1
3 	 	80 	
4 	 	41 	1
5 	 	40 	1
6 	 	19 	2
7 	 	18 	1
8 	 	13 	1
9 	 	11 	
10 	 	4 	
Only point scoring drivers are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
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References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:2018 Grands Prix
Category:Spanish Grand Prix
Category:Formula One races in Spain