Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur is optimistic about the team’s performance in Barcelona after their disappointing results in Canada. Charles Leclerc’s win in Monaco had raised expectations, but the team failed to deliver in the subsequent race.
“We should be competitive again at the Spanish Grand Prix, with the same level of performance we’ve shown throughout the season before Canada,” Vasseur emphasized.
The team has learned valuable lessons from the Montreal race, according to Vasseur. He explained, “We need to work calmly and stay focused on ourselves.”
In other words, one bad weekend should not derail the team’s efforts. Vasseur is confident, saying, “We need to ensure that we do everything right in Spain, down to the smallest detail.”
Ferrari’s last victory in Barcelona was eleven years ago, with Fernando Alonso clinching the win in 2013. It seems it might be time for another triumph.
Williams’ Struggles in Barcelona
Williams has historically struggled at the Barcelona circuit. Despite having six wins at the track, only Mercedes (seven wins) and Ferrari (eight wins) have been more successful. However, since 2016, Williams has failed to score points there.
Sporting director Sven Smeets commented ahead of this year’s race, “We are curious to see how the FW46 will perform with its different characteristics, as the FW45 struggled on this track last year.”
The struggle extends beyond just the FW45. Previous models FW44, FW43B, FW43, FW42, FW41, and FW40 also failed to score points in Spain. The last time Williams scored points at this track was eight years ago, thanks to Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa.
To put this into perspective: when Williams last scored in Barcelona, there were still eleven teams in Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton had just three world titles, and Max Verstappen was driving his first race for Red Bull.