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Telly Talk Supreme
Lewis Hamilton top in Spanish Grand Prix practice with upgraded Mercedes
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/39897407
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Final practice and qualifying is live on the BBC Sport website and 5 live Sports Extra
Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas secured a Mercedes one-two in second practice at the Spanish Grand Prix, comfortably clear of the Ferraris.
Hamilton was 0.09 seconds quicker than his team-mate but 0.310secs clear of the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen, who was 0.118secs ahead of Sebastian Vettel.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo were next, looking as if they have closed the gap to the top cars.
The top six were covered by less than 0.8secs, closer than so far this year.
The Ferraris did seem to be able to lap as quickly as the Mercedes in race trim on occasional laps but could not keep the pace up.
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A brief history of the Spanish Grand Prix
All the teams have brought major aerodynamic upgrades to this race, but the one on the Mercedes is the most visually dramatic, with a new narrower nose and a number of other major changes, and so far it appears to be having a significant effect.
Red Bull hoped that their upgrade for this race would bring them closer to Mercedes and Ferrari and that, too, appears to be the case. Verstappen was just 0.6secs off the pace, with team-mate Ricciardo 0.1secs further adrift.
At the back of the field, it was a dismal day for home hero Fernando Alonso.
His McLaren-Honda broke down with a major engine failure on his first lap out of the pits in the first session, and he returned to his hotel to play some tennis before that session was over.
Fernando Alonso's miserable season continued as he broke down after just three corners in his McLaren...
... And promptly left the circuit to go and play tennis
Alonso was back at the track for the second session, but had to wait for nearly half an hour before he could get out on track while an engine change was completed.
When he did get out, he said the engine still felt down on power and he was slowest of all, 0.5secs slower than the next slowest driver, and 1.4secs off the pace of team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne.
During first practice, Honda blamed the failure on an oil leak. Alonso said later: "The oil was coming out of a hole in the engine."
Alonso has failed to finish a race so far this season because of reliability problems, and he added: "It is not my career, my ability, my image. It is their career, their ability their money and their image, so I try to support the team and drive as fast as I can, but the problem is not entirely mine, it is much bigger for them."
Asked why he had left the track, he said that he was trying to make up for training time lost because of his commuting back and forth to America to prepare for his assault on the Indy 500 after this race.
What they thought
Hamilton said after the session: "First practice was very, very good but in second practice the track changed and shifted quite a lot, so it was slippery and quite a lot slower for everyone - especially with the gusts of wind.
"It was massively challenging, but still fun nonetheless. The team has done an amazing job with the upgrades and the car is working just as we expected. It's been a much better start to the weekend for me than in Sochi, so I'm very happy."
Vettel said: "I'm not happy. Struggling a bit to find the rhythm, with the conditions, probably more myself than the car.
"I didn't get everything together but I can feel the car is quick so that's good. I am not worried. I am just not happy with how the day went. I wasn't always feeling as if I was captain on board.
"Sometimes somebody else was steering my ship but I hope tomorrow whoever that was will disappear."
'What's that? Alonso's broken down again?'
Alonso: Still a legend in the eyes of his Spanish fans, clearly
He's even been faithfully recreated using nothing but Rubik's cubes
Swami
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
- 3 hours ago
- From the section Formula 1
Copy this link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/39897407
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Final practice and qualifying is live on the BBC Sport website and 5 live Sports Extra
Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas secured a Mercedes one-two in second practice at the Spanish Grand Prix, comfortably clear of the Ferraris.
Hamilton was 0.09 seconds quicker than his team-mate but 0.310secs clear of the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen, who was 0.118secs ahead of Sebastian Vettel.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo were next, looking as if they have closed the gap to the top cars.
The top six were covered by less than 0.8secs, closer than so far this year.
- Predict your top three for qualifying
- Hedonism, history and Arnie's neck - F1 heads to Barcelona
- Rain in Spain? Your F1 forecast
The Ferraris did seem to be able to lap as quickly as the Mercedes in race trim on occasional laps but could not keep the pace up.
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Media player help
Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.
A brief history of the Spanish Grand Prix
All the teams have brought major aerodynamic upgrades to this race, but the one on the Mercedes is the most visually dramatic, with a new narrower nose and a number of other major changes, and so far it appears to be having a significant effect.
Red Bull hoped that their upgrade for this race would bring them closer to Mercedes and Ferrari and that, too, appears to be the case. Verstappen was just 0.6secs off the pace, with team-mate Ricciardo 0.1secs further adrift.
At the back of the field, it was a dismal day for home hero Fernando Alonso.
His McLaren-Honda broke down with a major engine failure on his first lap out of the pits in the first session, and he returned to his hotel to play some tennis before that session was over.
Fernando Alonso's miserable season continued as he broke down after just three corners in his McLaren...
... And promptly left the circuit to go and play tennis
Alonso was back at the track for the second session, but had to wait for nearly half an hour before he could get out on track while an engine change was completed.
When he did get out, he said the engine still felt down on power and he was slowest of all, 0.5secs slower than the next slowest driver, and 1.4secs off the pace of team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne.
During first practice, Honda blamed the failure on an oil leak. Alonso said later: "The oil was coming out of a hole in the engine."
Alonso has failed to finish a race so far this season because of reliability problems, and he added: "It is not my career, my ability, my image. It is their career, their ability their money and their image, so I try to support the team and drive as fast as I can, but the problem is not entirely mine, it is much bigger for them."
Asked why he had left the track, he said that he was trying to make up for training time lost because of his commuting back and forth to America to prepare for his assault on the Indy 500 after this race.
What they thought
Hamilton said after the session: "First practice was very, very good but in second practice the track changed and shifted quite a lot, so it was slippery and quite a lot slower for everyone - especially with the gusts of wind.
"It was massively challenging, but still fun nonetheless. The team has done an amazing job with the upgrades and the car is working just as we expected. It's been a much better start to the weekend for me than in Sochi, so I'm very happy."
Vettel said: "I'm not happy. Struggling a bit to find the rhythm, with the conditions, probably more myself than the car.
"I didn't get everything together but I can feel the car is quick so that's good. I am not worried. I am just not happy with how the day went. I wasn't always feeling as if I was captain on board.
"Sometimes somebody else was steering my ship but I hope tomorrow whoever that was will disappear."
'What's that? Alonso's broken down again?'
Alonso: Still a legend in the eyes of his Spanish fans, clearly
He's even been faithfully recreated using nothing but Rubik's cubes
Swami
Swami
Telly Talk Supreme
Lewis Hamilton on pole position in Spain ahead of Sebastian Vettel
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Copy this link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/39908130
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Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton edged out Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel to take pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix.
Hamilton failed to improve on his final run, but his first lap was good enough to beat Vettel by 0.051 seconds.
A mistake by the German in the final corner could have been crucial as Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas took third ahead of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.
Home hero Fernando Alonso produced an exceptional effort at his home race to take seventh place for McLaren-Honda.
More to follow
Race to the title: who has finished where so far
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'First car? The one Mercedes gave me'
The winner takes... a point. F1's connection to Eurovision is stronger than you think. Ex-drummer Slim Borgudd scored a point for ATS at the 1981 British Grand Prix. Source: Forix
Lewis Hamilton's dog Roscoe has been turning heads in the paddock...
...as has random celebrity and Frasier star Kelsey Grammer
Alonso? Or Spain's Eurovision entry? whoever it is he looks sad (so it's probably Alonso)
Swami
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
- 9 minutes ago
- From the section Formula 1
Copy this link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/39908130
Read more about sharing.
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton edged out Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel to take pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix.
Hamilton failed to improve on his final run, but his first lap was good enough to beat Vettel by 0.051 seconds.
A mistake by the German in the final corner could have been crucial as Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas took third ahead of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.
Home hero Fernando Alonso produced an exceptional effort at his home race to take seventh place for McLaren-Honda.
More to follow
- Predict your top 10 race result
- Hedonism, history and Arnie's neck - F1 heads to Barcelona
- Rain in Spain? Your F1 forecast
Race to the title: who has finished where so far
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Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.
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Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue.
'First car? The one Mercedes gave me'
The winner takes... a point. F1's connection to Eurovision is stronger than you think. Ex-drummer Slim Borgudd scored a point for ATS at the 1981 British Grand Prix. Source: Forix
Lewis Hamilton's dog Roscoe has been turning heads in the paddock...
...as has random celebrity and Frasier star Kelsey Grammer
Alonso? Or Spain's Eurovision entry? whoever it is he looks sad (so it's probably Alonso)
Swami
Swami
Telly Talk Supreme
Lewis Hamilton wins spectacular Spanish Grand Prix
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
Copy this link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/39914357
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Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes stole a stunning victory in the Spanish Grand Prix from Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel.
A clever strategic move by the team followed by Hamilton attacking and passing Vettel put the Briton in control and he defended successfully to the end.
Vettel had passed Hamilton off the start line to lead for the first half of the race but ended up out-flanked by their rivals.
Hamilton's second win of the season cut his deficit to Vettel in the championship to six points after five of 20 races.
There was plenty of incident on the first lap, leading to Raikkonen and Verstappen colliding and both retiring
Why was it such a great race?
It was a tense and gripping battle befitting the closeness of the fight between Formula 1's top teams this season.
Vettel took control of the race with a superb start, sweeping around the outside of Hamilton into Turn One and building a 2.2-second lead with a blistering first lap.
When Ferrari beat Mercedes to making the first pit stop, preventing Hamilton passing by stopping earlier and benefiting from fresh tyres, the race appeared to be Vettel's to lose and Mercedes to win.
Mercedes switched strategies, putting Hamilton on a long middle stint on the slower medium tyre, the idea being to attack Vettel at the end of the race, when Hamilton would be on the soft tyre and the Ferrari on the medium.
They then bought themselves some time by delaying the first pit stop of Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas so he could hold up Vettel for a couple of laps.
Who has won what in the 2017 season so far. Next stop: Monaco
Vettel's amazing double dummy overtake
Vettel's delay behind Bottas brought Hamilton's deficit to the Ferrari down by four seconds but the German limited the damage with a stunning passing move on the Finn into Turn One.
Vettel dummied to the inside, then the outside, before diving down the inside, his wheels brushing the grass, to grasp the lead and apparently take another step towards victory.
What went on in Spain...
Vettel's aggressive defensive move
The race turned during a period of the virtual safety car, when cars are forced to lap at controlled speeds while a car is cleared from a dangerous spot.
This was to remove Stoffel Vandoorne's McLaren, which went off at the first corner after a collision with Massa.
The VSC was in play for two laps and Mercedes waited until it was just about to end to pit Hamilton for a set of soft tyres.
The move was an inspired gamble with 30 laps still to go, a tough task on the soft tyre.
Ferrari responded to Mercedes by stopping Vettel for the final time a lap later and he rejoined from the pits as Hamilton pounded down the pit straight.
They went into the first corner side by side and Vettel forced Hamilton off the track at Turn One as he defended his lead.
Vettel pushed Hamilton off track as he came out of the pits. A move Hamilton knows plenty about himself...
Hamilton's amazing overtake
Hamilton now had to pass Vettel on a track where overtaking is notoriously difficult.
He pressured Vettel hard for the next seven laps before getting close enough to try for a pass at the start of lap 44. Hamilton was close enough at the final corner to get the DRS overtaking aid and he swept by Vettel around the outside into Turn One.
Hamilton, who sounded breathless and anxious on the radio throughout the race, tensely asked his team what he needed to do in terms of building a gap while also protecting his tyres, and Ferrari briefly considered switching strategy to make an extra stop.
But he controlled his pace exquisitely to take his 55th win and almost certainly one of his best.
That's Hamilton's second Spanish GP win, equal with Ayrton Senna, above pipping Nigel Mansell to the 1986 win by a millisecond. Source: Forix
Minnows pick up vital points
After helping Hamilton out, Bottas looked set for third place but he broke down with an engine failure on lap 39.
His retirement handed third place to Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, a huge 73 seconds behind Hamilton and Vettel.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen retired on the first lap after a collision at the first corner as they went three-abreast with Bottas.
Force India took fourth and fifth with Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon, with Renault's Nico Hulkenberg seventh.
What happened to Alonso?
Meat and greet: Alonso walks over to the fans before the race - inexplicably carrying a leg of ham
Fernando Alonso had a dispiriting day 24 hours after thrilling his home fans and impressing the paddock with a stunning seventh place on the grid.
The McLaren driver dropped to 10th on the first lap when he was forced wide and off the track at the second corner by Williams' Felipe Massa and had to drive through the gravel to rejoin.
Alonso will fly overnight to America to start his assault on the Indianapolis 500, for which he is missing the next race in Monaco, where Jenson Button will come out of retirement to substitute for him.
Driver of the day
Vettel did little wrong - and his race included that superb pass on Bottas - but it's hard to look past Hamilton. After the decisive strategy move, he did the right thing in avoiding a collision with Vettel as the Ferrari came out of the pits and he tracked Vettel superbly and pulled off his own great pass to take one of his greatest wins.
What happens next?
Monaco, in two week's time. It's impossible to predict what will happen on the claustrophobic streets of Monaco in this see-saw battle between Mercedes and Ferrari.
Hamilton said earlier in the year he thought the shorter Ferrari might be more agile there, but the Mercedes was the fastest car through the tight final sector of Barcelona's lap so another close battle is almost certainly in store.
An artists draws some of the drivers in the paddock. Why, of course that's Alonso pulling Jenson Button out of a hat...
Lewis Hamilton's dog Roscoe turned heads in the paddock...
Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz was a guest of Red Bull...
...as was Frasier star Kelsey Grammer, continuing the slightly random American TV theme
Swami
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
- 3 hours ago
- From the section Formula 1
- 149
Copy this link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/39914357
Read more about sharing.
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes stole a stunning victory in the Spanish Grand Prix from Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel.
A clever strategic move by the team followed by Hamilton attacking and passing Vettel put the Briton in control and he defended successfully to the end.
Vettel had passed Hamilton off the start line to lead for the first half of the race but ended up out-flanked by their rivals.
Hamilton's second win of the season cut his deficit to Vettel in the championship to six points after five of 20 races.
There was plenty of incident on the first lap, leading to Raikkonen and Verstappen colliding and both retiring
Why was it such a great race?
It was a tense and gripping battle befitting the closeness of the fight between Formula 1's top teams this season.
Vettel took control of the race with a superb start, sweeping around the outside of Hamilton into Turn One and building a 2.2-second lead with a blistering first lap.
When Ferrari beat Mercedes to making the first pit stop, preventing Hamilton passing by stopping earlier and benefiting from fresh tyres, the race appeared to be Vettel's to lose and Mercedes to win.
Mercedes switched strategies, putting Hamilton on a long middle stint on the slower medium tyre, the idea being to attack Vettel at the end of the race, when Hamilton would be on the soft tyre and the Ferrari on the medium.
They then bought themselves some time by delaying the first pit stop of Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas so he could hold up Vettel for a couple of laps.
Who has won what in the 2017 season so far. Next stop: Monaco
Vettel's amazing double dummy overtake
Vettel's delay behind Bottas brought Hamilton's deficit to the Ferrari down by four seconds but the German limited the damage with a stunning passing move on the Finn into Turn One.
Vettel dummied to the inside, then the outside, before diving down the inside, his wheels brushing the grass, to grasp the lead and apparently take another step towards victory.
What went on in Spain...
Vettel's aggressive defensive move
The race turned during a period of the virtual safety car, when cars are forced to lap at controlled speeds while a car is cleared from a dangerous spot.
This was to remove Stoffel Vandoorne's McLaren, which went off at the first corner after a collision with Massa.
The VSC was in play for two laps and Mercedes waited until it was just about to end to pit Hamilton for a set of soft tyres.
The move was an inspired gamble with 30 laps still to go, a tough task on the soft tyre.
Ferrari responded to Mercedes by stopping Vettel for the final time a lap later and he rejoined from the pits as Hamilton pounded down the pit straight.
They went into the first corner side by side and Vettel forced Hamilton off the track at Turn One as he defended his lead.
Vettel pushed Hamilton off track as he came out of the pits. A move Hamilton knows plenty about himself...
Hamilton's amazing overtake
Hamilton now had to pass Vettel on a track where overtaking is notoriously difficult.
He pressured Vettel hard for the next seven laps before getting close enough to try for a pass at the start of lap 44. Hamilton was close enough at the final corner to get the DRS overtaking aid and he swept by Vettel around the outside into Turn One.
Hamilton, who sounded breathless and anxious on the radio throughout the race, tensely asked his team what he needed to do in terms of building a gap while also protecting his tyres, and Ferrari briefly considered switching strategy to make an extra stop.
But he controlled his pace exquisitely to take his 55th win and almost certainly one of his best.
That's Hamilton's second Spanish GP win, equal with Ayrton Senna, above pipping Nigel Mansell to the 1986 win by a millisecond. Source: Forix
Minnows pick up vital points
After helping Hamilton out, Bottas looked set for third place but he broke down with an engine failure on lap 39.
His retirement handed third place to Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, a huge 73 seconds behind Hamilton and Vettel.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen retired on the first lap after a collision at the first corner as they went three-abreast with Bottas.
Force India took fourth and fifth with Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon, with Renault's Nico Hulkenberg seventh.
What happened to Alonso?
Meat and greet: Alonso walks over to the fans before the race - inexplicably carrying a leg of ham
Fernando Alonso had a dispiriting day 24 hours after thrilling his home fans and impressing the paddock with a stunning seventh place on the grid.
The McLaren driver dropped to 10th on the first lap when he was forced wide and off the track at the second corner by Williams' Felipe Massa and had to drive through the gravel to rejoin.
Alonso will fly overnight to America to start his assault on the Indianapolis 500, for which he is missing the next race in Monaco, where Jenson Button will come out of retirement to substitute for him.
Driver of the day
Vettel did little wrong - and his race included that superb pass on Bottas - but it's hard to look past Hamilton. After the decisive strategy move, he did the right thing in avoiding a collision with Vettel as the Ferrari came out of the pits and he tracked Vettel superbly and pulled off his own great pass to take one of his greatest wins.
What happens next?
Monaco, in two week's time. It's impossible to predict what will happen on the claustrophobic streets of Monaco in this see-saw battle between Mercedes and Ferrari.
Hamilton said earlier in the year he thought the shorter Ferrari might be more agile there, but the Mercedes was the fastest car through the tight final sector of Barcelona's lap so another close battle is almost certainly in store.
An artists draws some of the drivers in the paddock. Why, of course that's Alonso pulling Jenson Button out of a hat...
Lewis Hamilton's dog Roscoe turned heads in the paddock...
Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz was a guest of Red Bull...
...as was Frasier star Kelsey Grammer, continuing the slightly random American TV theme
Swami