Formula 1 returns this weekend with the Spanish Grand Prix as part of the European triple header, marking the ninth race of the season and bringing the season almost to mid-point. The Spanish Grand Prix takes place over 66 laps of the 4.657-kilometre Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and will start this Friday, May 30, with Free Practice 1 and 2, followed by Qualifying on Saturday, May 31, and concluding with the Grand Prix itself on Sunday, June 1.
The last five Spanish GPs have consistently ranked Max Verstappen (Red Bull) as the absolute winner since 2022, with three consecutive podium finishes. Before that, Lewis Hamilton won the 2021 and 2020 seasons with the Mercedes racing team. Now, the challenge lies with the dutch driver once again to fulfill the expectations he has established for himself, such as the lap record in 2023, but now in a season that McLaren has primarily dominated.
F1 Spanish Grand Prix Analysis: Can McLaren Maintain Their Lead?
This season has been all orange. The McLaren team, led by Australian Oscar Piastri and British driver Lando Norris, has accumulated the most points and podiums in the first eight races of this season, presenting itself as the team to beat and the one to challenge the reigning dutch driver, Max Verstappen, from Red Bull Racing. However, Verstappen is 25 points behind the leader.
That’s the same number of points awarded to the winner of a race. If Red Bull and Max take first place in the Spanish Grand Prix, and depending on the positions of the other drivers, Verstappen could finish very close to the top in the overall standings.
F1 Drivers Championship Standings: Impact of the Spanish Grand Prix
The racing team McLaren Mercedes, along with their two top drivers, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, have dominated the asphalt this season, positioning themselves as the number 1 and number 2, respectively, challenging Verstappen’s championships in recent years. Piastri accumulated 161 points as the number 1 in the list, followed by the British Norris with 158 points.
Max Verstappen is 22 points behind with 136 points, and the top five drivers list is completed with George Russell, who has 99 points, and the Monaco driver Charles Leclerc (79). The season is still young, and many changes could happen over the coming weeks.
F1 Constructors Championship Battle: Spanish Grand Prix Stakes
This could be the most definite standings in a long time. McLaren Mercedes has held the first position since the beginning of the season, and now they have a solid 319 points, followed by Mercedes with 147 points, thanks to a surprising season from the rookie Kimi Antonelli. Red Bull Racing is third with 143 points, aiming to secure second place soon.
The four standing are occupied by the All-Time leader, Ferrari, with 142 points, and in fifth place is Williams-Mercedes with 54 points. If this ended up being McLaren’s season, they could secure second place in the All-Time leaderboards for the constructors’ standings, surpassing Williams with 10 championships.
Our F1 Spanish Grand Prix Score Prediction: Final Verdict
Our final verdict at PayPerHead in this Spanish Grand Prix could be seen as the easy answer. Still, there’s no sign to suggest that McLaren will lose the lead, which means Piastri and Norris are back on the podium once again. Max Verstappen has been the owner of this track and will fight until the end to keep it that way; however, he will probably have to settle for second or third place. Keep an eye on Williams’ racers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, who could earn significant points for the team by finishing in the top five.
