Embedded Files
Opening lap of the 2025 Spanish Grand-Prix
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is 4.657 km long with 14 corners, featuring a mix of fast, flowing curves and heavy braking zones. Turn 3 is a long, high-speed right-hander that punishes understeer, while the reprofiled final two corners have restored the quick, sweeping finish that rewards aerodynamic balance. The track has two DRS zones—one on the main straight and another between Turns 9 and 10. The surface is medium-abrasion asphalt with high lateral loads, making tyre degradation a key factor over a race stint. Average speeds are around 215 km/h, with top speeds nearing 325 km/h. The fastest qualifying lap is a 1:16.741 by Lewis Hamilton (2021), and Max Verstappen holds the race lap record at 1:16.330 from 2023.
Lewis Hamilton fan art for the 2025 Spanish Grand-Prix
2025 Spanish Grand Prix
Charles Leclerc on the podium at the 2025 Spanish Grand-Prix
The 2025 Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya proved to be a challenging yet rewarding weekend for Scuderia Ferrari. Both Charles and Lewis showed flashes of promise during the FP sessions but continued to downplay the car’s overall performance—and rightly so.
Qualifying was tough. Lewis managed to secure P5, while Charles made a strategic decision to compromise slightly on his qualifying performance to preserve an extra set of new medium tyres for the race—something none of the other front-runners had done. He qualified P7.
In the race, Lewis struggled more than expected, but Charles delivered an impressive performance. His strong pace in the first two stints, combined with the strategic advantage of fresh mediums, allowed him to close in on the leaders. A late safety car—triggered by Antonelli’s mechanical failure—played into Charles’s hands. He made a decisive move on Verstappen after the restart to clinch a well-earned podium for the team. Lewis gave it everything but was overtaken by Hülkenberg in the end and crossed the line in P6.
Hopefully we can carry the good momentum from Monaco and Spain onto the Canadian Grand-Prix in two weeks.
2025 Monaco Grand-Prix
This weekend, Formula 1 returned to the iconic streets of Monte Carlo — a special venue for us Tifosi, as it marks Charles Leclerc’s home Grand Prix. The atmosphere was electric, with hopes that the newly introduced two pit-stop mandate would finally bring some excitement to a race that has often been criticised for its lack of overtaking and processional nature.
However, as the race unfolded, it quickly became apparent that the revised regulations had little to no effect. Despite the strategic intrigue, overtaking on track remained virtually non-existent, and the outcome was once again dictated entirely by pit stop timing and track position.
Leclerc’s performance throughout the weekend was nothing short of exemplary. He qualified in second place with a calm, precise drive and carried that momentum into the race, managing his pace and tyres flawlessly to secure a well-earned P2 finish in front of his home crowd.
Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, continued to struggle with the inconsistencies of the SF-25. He initially qualified fourth, but a three-place grid penalty for impeding Max Verstappen during Q3 dropped him to seventh on the starting grid. Despite that setback, he executed a clean and controlled race to finish fifth — a modest recovery, but still reflective of the car’s ongoing limitations.
In the end, while Monaco delivered its usual glamour, the race reaffirmed its reputation for being more about strategy and precision (on track and in the pits) rather than on-track battles.
Hopefully the FIA can further revise the regulations or reduce the size of these Formula 1 cars so that we can regain the true essence of this historical street circuit.
Google Sites
Report abuse