The F1 juggernaut is set to make a turn to Europe, with Barcelona as its first stop. The 4.675 km (2.9 miles)-long Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona will witness yet another gruesome weekend in the form of the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix from May 20th to 22nd. Surrounded by factories, most teams have given much hype to upgrade speculations, and teams are expected to bring more change and upgrades in their fortune is a common expectation in the coming week.
However, the highly anticipated Spanish Grand Prix will see teams fighting out hard for the pole position and being on Circuit de during pre-season winter testing; drivers are too well versed with driving around in the newer interaction of F1 cars. A highly competitive race is expected between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, as both have got the most of the glory this season.
After Verstappen pipped both Ferrari cars to victory in the 2022 F1 Miami GP, Carloz Sainz and Leclerc both will expect to avenge their defeat in the United States America by performing well in Barcelona. Let's look at the drivers and constructors championship ahead of the Spanish GP.
Driver's standings:
Verstappen's gap to Leclerc now stands to just 19 points. The Monegasque driver held a mammoth 40-point lead over the reigning world champion once, but that gap is slowly decreasing due to the Red Bull driver's impeccable form. Sergio Perez currently stands at the third position in the Driver Standings after showing impressive consistency throughout the season. The Mexican, however, is only seven points behind Mercedes driver George Russell and thirteen points ahead of Carlos Sainz.
Sainz suffered many points after his DNFs in Australia and Imola, which reduced his chances to make it to the top four. Meanwhile, Mercedes driver George Russell has shown a lot of potential despite the dismal state of his W13. The Briton currently stands at fourth place with 59 points in the F1 Driver Standings and has made the cut in the top five in every race. Russel's teammate and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is still struggling to find good pace in his car but managed a decent overall finish of P6 in Miami, putting him in sixth place in the standings behind Carlos Sainz.
Standings:
Charles Leclerc 104
Max Verstappen 85
Sergio Perez 66
George Russell 59
Carlos Sainz 53
Constructors' Standings:
Red Bull and Ferrari are locking heads in the 2022 F1 Constructors' Standings, with Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc going neck-to-neck every race weekend. Ferrari has been especially impressive, considering the rough patch they went through in the 2010s.
However, Red Bull is only six points behind the Maranello-based team after the recently concluded Miami GP, where Max Verstappen took the pole position, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz lagging behind closely on P2 and P3, respectively. Red Bull's comeback has been incredible, as the team has been plagued with reliability issues since Bahrain's season opener.
While Ferrari and Red Bull both have more than 150 points, Mercedes are currently P3 in the standings with 95 points. Given its porpoising issue, the German F1 team has some work to do before it can challenge the top two teams, which has cost the team dearly.
Despite their woes, George Russell has consistently scored points for the Silver Arrows with a top-five finish in every race so far this season. Although Hamilton has been struggling to find performance in 2022, his P6 finish in Miami has been good for the team and helped them to extend the gap to McLaren, who are in fourth place with less than half of the German team's points.
Standings:
Ferrari 157
Red Bull Racing 151
Mercedes 95
McLaren Mercedes 46
Alfa Romeo Ferrari 31
