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2022 Spanish Grand Prix Preview

Who will win the upcoming Spanish F1 Grand Prix?

Mike Goodpaster

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Publish Date: 05/16/2022

Fact checked by: Simon Briffa

Carlos Sainz at pre-season testing, Barcelona 2022

We’re heading from what seemed like a physically demanding track that the drivers had to learn over the course of a weekend, to one which the drivers know all too well, the Formula 1 Pirelli Gran Premio De España 2022. The show in Miami (I call it a show because that’s what it felt like rather than a race) had us snoozing for a little while. Not because of the late European race time, but because the race seemed to have settled pretty quickly after the first couple of laps, even after the first lap itself! If It wasn’t for the safety car, thanks to the Norris and Gasly incident, I probably would have passed out and woken up by police sirens for the unsurprising, all American podium. Whilst we had some notable drives from Albon and Vettel as they charged through the field, I wouldn’t get too excited, as Barcelona doesn’t really offer that much of an action packed race weekend either. Regardless, if you still want to make some money off this betting guide, make sure check out the best sportsbooks we’ve reviewed before placing any bets!

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What’s the deal with the Circuit De Catalunya?

The circuit has been around for over 30 years, hosting the Spanish Grand Prix over the previously featured Estoril circuit. The 4.675 KM circuit hosted its first Grand Prix in 1991, which saw Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansel going literally wheel-to-wheel, drag racing down the straight with Mansel eventually winning the race. As the cars grew bigger, overtaking became harder but not due to the size of the cars. Most of the cars seem to have equal pace throughout the course of the race so they end up following each other with no overtaking. DRS has given us a lunge style overtaking opportunity going into turn one, being the only place where an overtake is most likely to take place. The drivers know the circuit all too well, as Barcelona has been hosting pre-season testing for the past 6 years so technically speaking, pretty much all of the drivers have ‘equal’ experience here. The circuit itself features a mix of fast and slow corners, with turn three in particular being a right-hand turn which seems to last forever, which greatly tests the cars’ balance and agility.

Is there a clear winner?

Probably, arguably & maybe. We hate to admit that Formula 1 sometimes can be a little predictable at times, especially with circuits such as Barcelona, Monaco and I guess we now have Miami to add to the list. Jeez three boring race weekends in a row. However, we have the new regulations which should spice things up slightly and if pre-season testing is anything to go by, then we know that Mercedes has got this one in the bag, right? They had the best average result in terms of positions and number of laps put in. Then again Ferrari also performed well, as did McLaren, and Red Bull. So far in 2022 it’s been a two horse race between Ferrari and Red Bull with Red Bull ramping up the pace. Though, so has Mercedes as they managed to secure their best result as a team in Miami. Looking at onboard footage, the Mercedes still looks somewhat unpredictable at times and seems so difficult to drive. I’m not going to lie though, I don’t want to take them out of the equation for this weekend. Though if my heart is anything to go by, it’s going to be the Spaniards. We know that Carlos Sainz is a decent driver and he’s got one of the best cars on the grid and we know he can perform. So much so, he’s finished Top 10 and collected points at his home race here in Barcelona for every team he’s raced with, though 6th was his best finishing position and whilst he’s still hunting for his first win in Formula 1, one might just want to be a little hopeful for him. Fernando Alonso might also want to be hopeful to replicate the two wins he has here. Let’s not forget that Alonso actually has a very good car underneath him, both Alpines have been performing relatively well, with Ocon finishing in the points in five races out of six. Fernando hasn’t been so lucky due to some reliability issues, though his driving talents are still on display for the world to see and I’m sure he’ll want to bounce back and get a decent result here at his home Grand Prix. Check out all the best odds on these great drivers!

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What about the Red Bulls?

Well, as we’ve come to learn, the Red Bull is the fastest car in a straight line, and with a very long straight heading into turn 1, it’s without a doubt that the sportsbooks have placed Max Verstappen as the favorite to win the race. As true as that might be, we still have to keep in mind the warm weather which did have an effect on Sergio Perez’s car in Miami and I would also like to bring Ferrari’s team principal, Mattia Binotto’s comments after Miami. Binotto said that Red Bull are aggressively developing their car which is eating out of their budget cap that’s been placed on every team by the FIA. Ferrari in the meantime, have not even bothered to develop their car because it’s been performing so well. We’re still yet to see some major developments to Ferrari which just might swing both championships in their favor come later on this year, that is unless Mercedes have anything to say about that.

So what’s the conclusion?

Basically whoever is on Pole will most likely win this race. In the last few races within this hybrid v6 era, there’s hardly been any changes in the finishing order. Keep an eye on the practice sessions as this will give you the best idea as to who has the greatest advantage here. Make sure to watch qualifying as I have a feeling it will be quite interesting so make sure you watch it and check if your sportsbook offers markets on qualifying, and if it does Max, Charles and Carlos are your picks. The thing with Grand Prix racing is that it’s more like a marathon. Long distance runners will keep up their pace for pretty much the duration of the race, until the last mile or so, when they start picking up the pace to gain as many positions as they can. I do believe that this analogy suits Ferrari’s 2022 plans perfectly. Should you wish to bet on the Constructors or Drivers Championship, make sure you check out the Best F1 Betting sites according to us!