Many of them will be in the stands at the end of the week wearing green, the iconic color of the Aston Martin team.
In front of a crowd won in advance, Fernando Alonso will try to please his thousands of fans at Sunday’s Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix at the Montmeló circuit in the Barcelona suburbs.
If the main prospect is hoping for a win he hasn’t enjoyed in ten years, precisely in Barcelona at the wheel of a Ferrari, he’s being realistic about his expectations.
“We have achieved several third places, one second [la semaine dernière à Monaco] And we just have to wish for the top spot,” said the 41-year-old veteran.
“We’re all here to win,” he continued, knowing full well that the competition will be very strong. But winning is not an obsession for me. »
Verstappen favorite
The Red Bull team and Max Verstappen in particular are the big favorites for this seventh stage of the 2023 season.
The Dutchman’s brilliant performance on the streets of Monte-Carlo, both in qualifying and in the race, clearly showed that he is in a class of his own.
If Alonso wants to be on top of the podium in front of his team, he has to hope for bad luck from the reigning double world champion, whose single-seater is likely to be even more dominant on a traditional track like Montmeló. This track is not known to encourage overtaking.
What can you expect from Mercedes?
If a circuit like Monaco isn’t the ideal place to exploit improvements to the car, Mercedes’ approach in Spain could be more fruitful. The German team has made major changes to their single-seater (new floor, redesigned suspension and redesigned sidepods) that they intend to make more use of this weekend.
As for Lewis Hamilton, his tally still stands at 103 wins since the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in December 2021. He is obviously hoping to end that 29-race shortage without a win on Sunday.
The Brit has made the Montmeló circuit a veritable playground in the past, having climbed to the top step of the podium six times.
The last criticism has been removed
The Montmeló Circuit will go back to basics this year as the final chicane has been removed, which will encourage drivers to go almost full throttle to tackle the two corners leading to the start/finish line.
Drivers such as Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris claim that this setup, which was phased out in 2007, will not only put a physical strain on the tires but also on the drivers themselves.