The fifth race of the 2017 Formula One season, the Spanish Grand Prix, is set to take place this weekend at the Circuit De Catalunya. But before that, the race teams will be given time for three practice sessions as they look to fine-tune their cars and get their tactics right before the qualifying on Saturday followed by the race on Sunday.
The previous race, which was held in Russia, had a surprising winner in Valtteri Bottas as the Finn claimed his first win in Formula One and that certainly changed the complexion of the championship. Sebastian Vettel tops the table with 83 points, followed by Lewis Hamilton who trails him by 13 points. The Brit's teammate is in third place with 63 points, and if Bottas can win another race after a strong showing in Russia he will certainly make the title a three-way battle.
Also read: Niki Lauda: Too early to judge if Valtteri Bottas can challenge Lewis Hamilton for title
The Spanish Grand Prix marks the first European race of the 2017 Formula One season and at this point teams usually make a lot of upgrades to their cars. In pre-season testing at the Circuit De Catalunya before the season started, this track proved to suit the Ferrari car. The Italy-based team have made mostly aerodynamic upgrades while their fierce rivals, Mercedes, have focused on improving their W08 engine.
"The prevailing feeling is that there is lots of homework to do to come back stronger with a car that can perform on a consistent level every weekend. I have the feeling that we are moving in the right direction but we need 24/7 shifts to achieve our ultimate target," Formula1.com quoted Mercedes boss Toto Wolff as saying.
"Barcelona will be interesting as our pre-season was not spectacular in Spain. It's a very different track to Sochi and we'll be running with harder tyres. We are taking this season one race at a time. If we deliver the best possible work from Friday onwards, then we'll be ready to win and fight with Ferrari."
Red Bull have not got the kind of start they would have hoped for but they can be optimistic ahead of this race, as Max Verstappen claimed his first ever win here last season. The Dutchman finished fifth twice and third so far this season and Red Bull will be hoping the upgrades they made for this race will be beneficial.
"We have to wait and see what the updates will bring. I hope we can be a bit closer to the top teams or that we can at least follow them. That would already be a good step forward," Verstappen said.
"Going back to Spain will always mean a lot to me. Last year was such a special race to me and in the end we managed to pull it off. It was an incredible feeling once I passed the finish line, especially in your first race with a new team."
Hamilton, who finished fourth at the Russian Grand Prix, was expected to dominate this season and reclaim the world championship title but things have not gone so smoothly for the Brit so far. He said he learnt from his difficult weekend at the Russian Grand Prix and hopes Sunday's race in Spain will be better.
"You digest the pain of a tough weekend, which you deal with internally, and then you try to put it into a positive. It's just making sure you take the right steps moving forwards. I hope this weekend is a lot better," Hamilton said.
"I'm always looking forwards. It is a continuation. Second in the championship, still fighting, have another 16 races to go. The last race, there were just a lot of small things that led to it, no one thing bigger than another that just led us in the wrong direction."
Where to watch
The practice session 1 for the Spanish Grand Prix is set to start at 10:00am local time, 1:30pm IST and 4:00am EST.
Practice session 2 – 2:00pm local time, 5:30pm IST and 8:00am EST
Practice session 3 (Saturday) – 11:00am local time, 2:30pm IST and 5:00am EST
TV and live streaming information
Spain: TV: Movistar
Australia: TV: Ten HD. Live Streaming: Ten Play.
India: TV: Star Sports SelectHD2. Live Streaming: Hotstar.
UK: TV: Sky Sports F1. Live Streaming: Watch Sky Sports.
USA: TV: NBCSN. Live Streaming: NBC Sports Live.
Asia: TV: Fox Sports. Live Streaming: Fox Sports Play.
