The Spanish Grand Prix Weekend Has Begun in Barcelona
One of the oldest races in the world, having celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2013, is the Spanish Grand Prix.
Victoria Liotta
One of the oldest races in the world, having celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2013, is the Spanish Grand Prix. Currently held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the Formula One motor racing event is a staple of the European calendar. The track encompasses high—and low–speed corners along with challenging turns such as the right-hander Turn 3, which allows the opportunity for the driver to evaluate the balance of the car that their team’s designers have given them.
Spectators can watch the formidable sight of Formula 1 cars being pushed to the limit of their downforce capacity in the general admission area around Turn 3. Or, they can watch from the grandstands which overlook the entire track. And with Barcelona already being an easy sell to visit due to its food, culture and beautiful May weather, the Spanish Grand Prix only adds more value.
On Sunday, May 9, 2021 Spanish Grand Prix will take place with 66 laps around the 4.655-kilometre Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Practice one and practice two have both been held today, ending in striking results from Valtteri Bottas, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.
Meet the Drivers
The reserved, diligent and calm Finnish racer, Valtteri Bottas, made his F1 debut in 2013. Acquiring his skill on the ice and snow filled roads of Finland, he was born to be a Grand Prix racer. The Mercedes team driver explained that if you can drive on the frozen roads of his homeland then you can drive anywhere. And although he has yet to secure a world championship win he has showcased his ability as a driver through his accumulation of points and podiums. Bottas’ confidence was heavily challenged in 2018 as he took home zero wins opposed to his teammate, Hamilton’s, 11 wins. But, he managed to pick things up in 2019 and is now going to take on 2021 with the goal to be the fourth Finnish world champion.
Max Verstappen is F1’s youngest ever competitor, arriving at the track at just 17 years old. His intuitive racing style has pushed the limits of not just his car but his rivals and the record books as well. The Red Bull driver is the son of former F1 driver Jos Verstappen and super-quick karting Mum Spohie Kumpen so yea, it’s safe to say that racing runs in his genes. Max has entered 122 Grand Prix races and stood on 45 podiums. Maybe this year will be his turn to take home his first world championship win.
The UK native, Lewis Hamilton, has taken F1 racing by storm. Across the back of his helmet and permanently written across his shoulder is ‘Still I Rise’ and, he has proven time and time again for that to be true. During his rookie year in 2007 Hamilton exceeded expectations with one of the greatest first year F1 racer performances in history. In his career so far he has surpassed Ayrton Senna, his hero,and now [metaphorically] stands alongside the legendary German racer, Michael Schumacher, with seven world championship titles.
Practice Race Results
Earlier today the first and second practice races were held for the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix. Valtteri Bottas proved himself to be the fastest during FP1 finishing at 1m18.504s ahead of his teammate Hamilton who finished with a time of 1m18.627s. Between them, in second place, was Max Verstappen who finished 0.033s behind Bottas.
However, Hamilton managed to get the better of his Mercedes teammate in FP2 finishing 0.139s ahead of him at a benchmark of 1m18.170s. And the practice run took an unfortunate turn for the Red Bull driver Verstappen. After he locked up at Turn 1 he carried too much speed into Turn 10 causing him to run very wide and exceed the track limit. This forced him to abort the run and end in ninth place.
Coming Up
Tomorrow, May 8th, will be FP3 along with the qualifying race. On Sunday, May 9th the race will take place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. You can find the entire weekend schedule here along with details of press conferences, events and more.