2022 Spanish Grand Prix

2022 Spanish Grand Prix
Race 6 of 22 in the 2022 Formula One World Championship
← Previous raceNext race →
Layout of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Layout of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Race details
Date 22 May 2022
Official name Formula 1 Pirelli Gran Premio de España 2022
Location Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Montmeló, Catalonia, Spain
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 4.675 km (2.905 miles)
Distance 66 laps, 308.550 km (191.646 miles)
Weather Sunny
Attendance 277,836[1]
Pole position
Driver Ferrari
Time 1:18.750
Fastest lap
Driver Mexico Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing-RBPT
Time 1:24.108 on lap 55
Podium
First Red Bull Racing-RBPT
Second Red Bull Racing-RBPT
Third Mercedes
Lap leaders

The 2022 Spanish Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Pirelli Gran Premio de España 2022) was a Formula One motor race held on 22 May 2022 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Montmeló, Spain. It was the 62nd edition of the Spanish Grand Prix and the sixth round of the 2022 Formula One World Championship.[2]

Max Verstappen won the race ahead of teammate Sergio Pérez, while George Russell completed the podium. Charles Leclerc, the pole-sitter and championship leader, was forced to retire due to engine issues.[3][4] Leclerc's teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. recovered from 11th, after suffering a spin, to finish fourth,[5] ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who also made a come back from 19th,[6] after suffering a puncture at the start.[7] With the win, Red Bull led Ferrari in the Constructors' Championship, while the Drivers' Championship standings switched from a 19-point Leclerc lead to a 6-point advantage for Verstappen.[8]

Background

[edit]

Championship standings before the race

[edit]

Charles Leclerc was the Drivers' Championship leader after the fifth round, the Miami Grand Prix, with 104 points, 19 ahead of Max Verstappen in second, with Sergio Pérez in third, 19 points behind Verstappen. In the Constructors' Championship, Ferrari leads Red Bull Racing by 6 points and Mercedes by 62.[9]

Entrants

[edit]

The drivers and teams were the same as the season entry list with no additional stand-in drivers for the race.[10] Nyck de Vries drove for Williams in place of Alexander Albon and Jüri Vips for Red Bull Racing in place of Sergio Pérez during the first practice session, making their Formula One practice debuts.[11][12] Robert Kubica took part in the same session for Alfa Romeo in place of Zhou Guanyu.[12]

Tyre choices

[edit]

Tyre supplier Pirelli brought the C1, C2, and C3 tyre compounds (designated hard, medium, and soft, respectively) for teams to use at the event.[13]

Practice

[edit]

There were three practice sessions, each lasting one hour. The first two practice sessions took place on Friday 20 May at 14:00 and 17:00 local time (UTC+02:00) and the third practice session took place at 13:00 on 21 May.[2] Charles Leclerc led each practice session, the first ahead of Carlos Sainz Jr. and Max Verstappen,[14] the second ahead of George Russell, and Lewis Hamilton,[15] and the third ahead of Verstappen and Russell.[16]

Qualifying

[edit]

Qualifying took place on 21 May at 16:00 local time and lasted one hour.[2]

Qualifying report

[edit]

In the first part of qualifying, Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll, Alexander Albon, and Nicholas Latifi were eliminated.[17] In the second part of qualifying, Lando Norris, who had his time deleted for track limits at turn 9,[18] Esteban Ocon, Yuki Tsunoda, Pierre Gasly, and Zhou Guanyu were eliminated.[19] In the third part of qualifying, Charles Leclerc spun in the chicane at turns 14–15 of his first run but was able to later take the pole position,[20][21] ahead of Max Verstappen,[22] who had DRS issues and had to abort his final lap,[23] and Carlos Sainz Jr. George Russell, Sergio Pérez, Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas, Kevin Magnussen, Daniel Ricciardo, and Mick Schumacher completed the top ten.[24]

Qualifying classification

[edit]
Pos. No. Driver Constructor Qualifying times Final
grid
Q1 Q2 Q3
1 16 Monaco Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:19.861 1:19.969 1:18.750 1
2 1 Netherlands Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing-RBPT 1:20.091 1:19.219 1:19.073 2
3 55 Spain Carlos Sainz Jr. Ferrari 1:19.892 1:19.453 1:19.166 3
4 63 United Kingdom George Russell Mercedes 1:20.218 1:19.470 1:19.393 4
5 11 Mexico Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing-RBPT 1:20.447 1:19.830 1:19.420 5
6 44 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:20.252 1:19.794 1:19.512 6
7 77 Finland Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo-Ferrari 1:20.355 1:20.053 1:19.608 7
8 20 Denmark Kevin Magnussen Haas-Ferrari 1:20.227 1:19.810 1:19.682 8
9 3 Australia Daniel Ricciardo McLaren-Mercedes 1:20.549 1:20.287 1:20.297 9
10 47 Germany Mick Schumacher Haas-Ferrari 1:20.683 1:20.436 1:20.638 10
11 4 United Kingdom Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes 1:20.838 1:20.471 N/A 11
12 31 France Esteban Ocon Alpine-Renault 1:20.880 1:20.638 N/A 12
13 22 Japan Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri-RBPT 1:20.707 1:20.639 N/A 13
14 10 France Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri-RBPT 1:20.719 1:20.861 N/A 14
15 24 China Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo-Ferrari 1:20.476 1:21.094 N/A 15
16 5 Germany Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes 1:20.954 N/A N/A 16
17 14 Spain Fernando Alonso Alpine-Renault 1:21.043 N/A N/A 201
18 18 Canada Lance Stroll Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes 1:21.418 N/A N/A 17
19 23 Thailand Alexander Albon Williams-Mercedes 1:21.645 N/A N/A 18
20 6 Canada Nicholas Latifi Williams-Mercedes 1:21.915 N/A N/A 19
107% time: 1:25.451
Source:[25][26]
Notes
  • ^1Fernando Alonso was required to start the race from the back of the grid for exceeding his quota of power unit elements.[27]

Race

[edit]

The race started at 15:00 local time,[2] with Lewis Hamilton starting with the medium compound, and the rest of the field starting on the soft compound.[28]

Race report

[edit]

Charles Leclerc kept the lead ahead of Max Verstappen,[5] while Carlos Sainz Jr. had a bad start and was overtaken by George Russell and Sergio Pérez.[5] Going into turn 4, Hamilton and Kevin Magnussen had contact, with Magnussen driving through the gravel,[5] leaving the drivers running in 19th and 20th respectively. Hamilton, who had suffered a front-left tyre puncture,[29] suggested retiring the car but was motivated to race by the team.[8] Sainz Jr. spun at turn 4 on lap 7, dropping to 11th, and Verstappen at the same spot two laps later,[5] both of them blamed it on a wind gust,[30] and Sainz said the car suffered damage that hampered his comeback,[31] and that he was "not driving naturally".[32] By lap 12, Verstappen was let through by Pèrez but was suffering from recurring DRS issues,[5][33] despite parts of DRS being replaced before the race.[34] On lap 13, Russell and Verstappen were the first of the top four drivers to pit for the medium-compound tyres, followed on lap 18 by Pèrez, who came out behind Russell and Verstappen.[5] As Verstappen was not able to pass Russell,[35] Pèrez asked to be given back the position on lap 26 but was denied,[36] although he was promised a position swap later in the race.[37][38]

On lap 27, Leclerc, who pitted later than the other top four driver and had built a significant lead,[39] retired from the race with a turbo and MGU-H failure,[40] Zhou Guanyu retired a few laps later.[5] Russell inherited the lead of the race, with Pérez in second, while Verstappen had an early second pit stop on lap 30.[5] On lap 31, Perez managed to overtake Russell for the lead.[5] On lap 36, Russell pitted, followed by Pérez a lap later; both went for the medium compound.[5] On lap 44, Verstappen pitted for a third time, back onto the medium-compound tyre, with Pèrez now leading the race.[5] Pérez was instructed to let Verstappen through as they were on different strategies,[41] handing Verstappen the lead of the race on lap 49;[5] Pérez described this as "unfair",[8] and Verstappen would remain unchallenged for the rest of the race.[5] Hamilton, running in 5th, overtook Sainz for 4th on lap 60, Sainz retook the position on lap 64, with Hamilton being told to lift and coast,[5] and his teammate Russell also having to slow down due to overheating issues.[42] Despite the issues, Russell and Hamilton were able to finish third and fifth, respectively.[5] On lap 55, Pérez set the fastest lap of the race.[28]

Verstappen won the race ahead of Pérez,[5] producing the Red Bull team's second 1–2 finish of the season.[43] Valtteri Bottas, Esteban Ocon, Lando Norris, Fernando Alonso, the latter of whom started 20th because he took a grid penalty for exceeding his quota of power unit elements,[5][44] and Yuki Tsunoda completed the top-ten finishers.[45] For the first time in the season, Verstappen and Red Bull took the lead in the Drivers' and Constructors' standings.[8] After the race, Pérez said he wanted answers from the team.[46][47][48] Pérez later said he was satisfied after internal talks.[49] Despite his retirement, Leclerc said he "[felt] better" with Ferrari improving race pace and tyre management, two issues that held the team back in the last two races at the Emilia Romagna and Miami Grands Prix.[50] At the same time, Leclerc said: "We can't afford [for] this to happen too many times."[51] Hamilton said that his comeback felt "better than a win".[52][53]

Race classification

[edit]
Pos. No. Driver Constructor Laps Time/Retired Grid Points
1 1 Netherlands Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing-RBPT 66 1:37:20.475 2 25
2 11 Mexico Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing-RBPT 66 +13.072 5 191
3 63 United Kingdom George Russell Mercedes 66 +32.927 4 15
4 55 Spain Carlos Sainz Jr. Ferrari 66 +45.208 3 12
5 44 United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 66 +54.534 6 10
6 77 Finland Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo-Ferrari 66 +59.976 7 8
7 31 France Esteban Ocon Alpine-Renault 66 +1:15.397 12 6
8 4 United Kingdom Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes 66 +1:23.235 11 4
9 14 Spain Fernando Alonso Alpine-Renault 65 +1 lap 20 2
10 22 Japan Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri-RBPT 65 +1 lap 13 1
11 5 Germany Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes 65 +1 lap 16
12 3 Australia Daniel Ricciardo McLaren-Mercedes 65 +1 lap 9
13 10 France Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri-RBPT 65 +1 lap 14
14 47 Germany Mick Schumacher Haas-Ferrari 65 +1 lap 10
15 18 Canada Lance Stroll Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes 65 +1 lap 17
16 6 Canada Nicholas Latifi Williams-Mercedes 64 +2 laps 19
17 20 Denmark Kevin Magnussen Haas-Ferrari 64 +2 laps 8
18 23 Thailand Alexander Albon Williams-Mercedes 64 +2 laps2 18
Ret 24 China Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo-Ferrari 28 Power loss 15
Ret 16 Monaco Charles Leclerc Ferrari 27 Turbo 1
Fastest lap: Mexico Sergio Pérez (Red Bull Racing-RBPT) – 1:24.108 (lap 55)
Source:[26][54][55][failed verification]

Notes

  • ^1 – Includes one point for fastest lap.[55]
  • ^2Alexander Albon received a five-second time penalty for leaving the track multiple times. His final position was not affected by the penalty.[54]

Championship standings after the race

[edit]
  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Sell-out Spanish Grand Prix encounters organisational issues". f1destinations.com. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d "Formula 1 Pirelli Gran Premio de España 2022 – Race Schedule". 16 December 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  3. ^ "Leclerc concentrates on positives despite Spain retirement". France 24. Agence France-Presse. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  4. ^ Netherton, Alexander (22 May 2022). "Charles Leclerc retirement gifts champion Max Verstappen Spanish Grand Prix Win, Lewis Hamilton fifth". Eurosport. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Hess, Alex (22 May 2022). "F1: Max Verstappen wins Spanish GP after Leclerc is forced to retire – as it happened!". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  6. ^ Latham-Coyle, Harry (23 May 2022). "Lewis Hamilton reveals inspiration behind Spanish Grand Prix comeback". The Independent. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  7. ^ Duncan, Philip (22 May 2022). "'Like the olden days!' Lewis Hamilton full of confidence after Spanish Grand Prix comeback". The Independent. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d Richards, Giles (22 May 2022). "Max Verstappen wins dramatic Spanish F1 GP after Charles Leclerc retires". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Miami 2022 – Championship". Stats F1. 8 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  10. ^ "2022 Spanish Grand Prix – Entry List" (PDF). FIA. 20 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  11. ^ "Williams to run Mercedes reserve De Vries in FP1 in Spain". Formula 1. 16 May 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  12. ^ a b "Red Bull to run junior driver Vips in FP1 in Barcelona". Formula 1. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  13. ^ "What tyres will the teams and drivers have for the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix?". Formula 1. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  14. ^ "Formula 1 Pirelli Grand Prix de España 2022 – Practice 1". Formula 1. 20 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  15. ^ "Formula 1 Pirelli Grand Prix de España 2022 – Practice 2". Formula 1. 20 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  16. ^ "Formula 1 Pirelli Grand Prix de España 2022 – Practice 3". Formula 1. 21 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  17. ^ Rivera, Joe (21 May 2022). "Formula 1 qualifying results: Starting grid for 2022 Spanish Grand Prix". Sporting News. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  18. ^ Khorounzhiy, Valentin (21 May 2022). "Frustrated Norris didn't expect 'silly', 'weird' lap deletion". The Race. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  19. ^ Bradley, Charles (21 May 2022). "F1 Grand Prix qualifying results: Leclerc takes Spanish GP pole". Motorsport. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  20. ^ "Leclerc takes pole in Spain after Verstappen loses power". France 24. Agence France-Press. 21 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  21. ^ Morlidge, Matt (21 May 2022). "Spanish GP Qualifying: Charles Leclerc salvages epic pole after spin as Max Verstappen suffers late issues". Sky Sports. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  22. ^ "Red Bull curse strikes again as Max concerns grow; Ricciardo fires amid ominous Merc threat". Agence France-Press. 21 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022 – via Fox Sports.
  23. ^ Cleeren, Filip (21 May 2022). "DRS fault caused Verstappen's Spanish GP Q3 slowdown". Autorsport. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  24. ^ Hart, Becky (21 May 2022). "As it happened: Follow all the action from qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix". Formula 1. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  25. ^ "Formula 1 Pirelli Gran Premio de España 2022 – Qualifying". Formula 1. 21 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  26. ^ a b "Formula 1 Pirelli Gran Premio de España 2022 – Starting Grid". Formula 1. 21 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  27. ^ "Alonso set for back of the grid start in home race after engine change". Formula 1. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  28. ^ a b Collantine, Keith (22 May 2022). "2022 Spanish Grand Prix interactive data: lap charts, times and tyres". Race Fans. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  29. ^ Bradley, Charles (22 May 2022). "F1 Grand Prix race results: Verstappen wins Spanish GP". Motorsport. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  30. ^ Southwell, Hazel (22 May 2022). "Verstappen and Sainz blame gusts of wind for turn four errors". Race Fans. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  31. ^ Murphy, Luke (22 May 2022). "Sainz reveals what held him back in Spanish GP recovery drive". RacingNews365. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  32. ^ Cottingham, Claire; Southwell, Hazel (24 May 2022). "Sainz admits he's 'not driving naturally' in 2022 Ferrari yet after latest error". Race Fans. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  33. ^ Rencken, Dieter (22 May 2022). "Marko explains Verstappen's recurring DRS problems". RacingNews365. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  34. ^ "Red Bull replaces parts of DRS Verstappen after problems in qualifying". GP Blog. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  35. ^ Beer, Matt; Mitchell, Scott (24 May 2022). "What Russell proved in his first F1 fight with Verstappen". The Race. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  36. ^ Gale, Evan (23 May 2022). "Perez reveals broken Red Bull promise". GP Fans. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  37. ^ Collantine, Keith; Cottingham, Claire (22 May 2022). "Perez: Red Bull said they would reverse first position swap with Verstappen". Race Fans. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  38. ^ Cooper, Sam (22 May 2022). "Perez was told he would get the place back from Verstappen". Planet F1. Retrieved 28 May 2022 – via Yahoo! Sports.
  39. ^ "Disaster for Leclerc as he retires from a commanding lead". RacingNews365. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022 – via Yahoo! Sports.
  40. ^ Noble, Jonathn (23 May 2022). "Leclerc's Spanish GP F1 exit caused by MGU-H, turbo failure". Motorsport. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  41. ^ Cleeren, Filip (22 May 2022). "Verstappen: DRS issues made Red Bull change strategy to win Spanish GP". Motorsport. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  42. ^ "Russell: Spanish F1 GP 'a survival race' for Mercedes". Motorsport. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  43. ^ "2022 Spanish Grand Prix report and highlights: Verstappen leads Red Bull 1–2 after Leclerc retires from rollercoaster Spanish Grand Prix". Formula 1. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  44. ^ Collantine, Keith (22 May 2022). "Alonso becomes first driver to take power unit change penalty in 2022". Race Fans. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  45. ^ "F1 2022 Spanish GP – Race results". RacingNews365. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  46. ^ Wright, Joe (22 May 2022). "Spanish Grand Prix result: Verstappen takes championship lead with Barcelona victory as Leclerc retires". Sporting News. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  47. ^ Noble, Jonathan (22 May 2022). "Perez calls for Red Bull discussions over Spanish GP team orders". Autosport. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  48. ^ Beer, Matt (23 May 2022). "Diplomatic but disgruntled Perez sent Red Bull a warning". The Race. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  49. ^ "Perez now satisfied after Red Bull internal talks". Planet F1. 27 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  50. ^ Collantine, Keith; Cottingham, Keith (23 May 2022). "Leclerc "feels better" despite retirement thanks to Ferrari's improved pace". Race Fans. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  51. ^ Collantine, Keith (22 May 2022). "'We can't afford this to happen too many times' says Leclerc after retiring from lead". Race Fans. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  52. ^ Morlidge, Matt (23 May 2022). "Lewis Hamilton says Spanish GP comeback felt 'better than a win' as Mercedes talk up F1 title chances". Sky Sports. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  53. ^ Mason, Lewis (23 May 2022). "Lewis Hamilton calls fifth placed finish 'better than a win' after Spanish Grand Prix comeback". Eurosports. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  54. ^ a b "Formula 1 Pirelli Gran Premio de España 2022 – Race Result". Formula 1. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  55. ^ a b "Formula 1 Pirelli Gran Premio de España 2022 – Fastest Laps". Formula 1. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  56. ^ a b "Spain 2022 – Championship". Stats F1. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
[edit]
Previous race:
2022 Miami Grand Prix
FIA Formula One World Championship
2022 season
Next race:
2022 Monaco Grand Prix
Previous race:
2021 Spanish Grand Prix
Spanish Grand Prix Next race:
2023 Spanish Grand Prix