Grand Prix 2024 Spanish, Austrian, and British Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

This weekend see the start of a "triple header" of F1 races, starting at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, in Spain, then on to the Red Bull Ring, for the Austrian Grand Prix on 30th June, and ending at Silverstone, for the British Grand Prix, on the 7th July. This will test the stamina of the team personnel, especially if we have a repeat of the start to the Austrian GP in 1987, where it took the grid three goes to make it past the first corner.

The third restart was nearly two hours after the race was supposed to start. You can imagine nowadays that the TV companies would be briefing their legal team, ready to sue the drivers for interrupting their schedule.

Spain is not usually too exciting, but let's not put the cart before the horse, it may surprise us. And testing was in Bahrain (wasn't it?), so the teams don't have mountains of data to tell them how to set the car up. McLaren have found some pace, and on the right circuit the Ferrari's look quick. Even Mercedes claim to have found some speed in their car, although none are, as yet, quite as fast the the Red Bull in Max Verstappen's hands. Here are the times for the Spanish race (BST), which for some reason F1.com insist on listing in reverse date order .

Austria has a Sprint race, so only one practice session on Friday

​

There is no Sprint race at Silverstone this year.

If, like me, your significant other is not a great sports fan the next few weeks will be punctuated with comments such as "I can't believe your watching Afghanistan versus India" or "do you really need to watch Georgia versus Ukraine?". Need, no. Want, yes.

So sit back, fill a glass with whatever beverage is your choice, and enjoy numerous multi-millionaires getting aggy because they haven't won.

 

[F1Brits_90]

If, like me, your significant other is not a great sports fan the next few weeks will be punctuated with comments such as "I can't believe your watching Afghanistan versus India" or "do you really need to watch Georgia versus Ukraine?". Need, no. Want, yes.

overheard conversation from 1 of the female colleagues about her husband as i walking up the stairs to clock in on sunday. as i had sympathy & found it hilarious simultaneously

god it wall to football yesterday (Saturday).

3 games he watched

2pm, 5pm & then he said theres a 3rd. i said you must be kidding

i thought good luck with their marriage as it was only day 2 & weve still got a month left

 

[F1Brits_90]

this is huge weekend for F1 because this is window for the whole season if red bull dominate its all over & its back to Verstappen winning every week. but if we get the same as we had in Montreal its game on & we could have a brilliant season

 

[F1Brits_90]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1804456775761994059

 

[Il_leone]

Barcelona is a track that tells you if your car is aerodynamically good or not

I think we can see Red Bull are only just ahead potentially but Mclaren under Norriss are almost there

I have to say I think Piastri is getting a bit anxious now apart from Monaco I get the sense he is trying too hard now he knows he has a race winning car

 

[Johnny Carwash]

The way the circuit is, I thought that Red Bull would be more dominant. Fair play to Lando Norris, he pulled out a belting lap.

 

[Il_leone]

The way the circuit is, I thought that Red Bull would be more dominant. Fair play to Lando Norris, he pulled out a belting lap.

Norris did what is a Senna esque lap

That might have dampened Verstappen (and Horner's ) ego a bit

Verstappen is on the dirty side tomorrow so really Norris needs to nail the start and prepare to defend not cede from the Verstappen shove

Hamilton if he plays it smart might profit unless Verstappen decides to shove him instead then Russell will profit

 

[cider_and_toast]

One swallow does not make a summer but it appears we may have a season on our hands after all.

As I've said before though, it's all well and good getting moist in the trousers department about how close they are from front to back on the grid but until that translates into the lead swapping hands on the track in a genuine battle, it makes no difference.

 

[Il_leone]

One swallow does not make a summer but it appears we may have a season on our hands after all.

As I've said before though, it's all well and good getting moist in the trousers department about how close they are from front to back on the grid but until that translates into the lead swapping hands on the track in a genuine battle, it makes no difference.

last time out Mercedes and Mclaren fumbled Montreal

Surely it can't happen again

That is why Norris needs to be tough at the start and not let Verstappen bully or shove him

the fact that Perez is way down again shows Red Bull's announcement seems to have no impact on his improvement

Ferrari = not sure what happened to them but up to now Sainz seems to want to prove a point

Piastri is showing he is under pressure

 

[cider_and_toast]

the fact that Perez is way down again shows Red Bull's announcement seems to have no impact on his improvement

Maybe however he just so happened to be available to give his teammate a tow on his final run in Q3. Which was nice

 

[Il_leone]

Maybe however he just so happened to be available to give his teammate a tow on his final run in Q3. Which was nice

And he never gets a return back!

 

[cider_and_toast]

And he never gets a return back!

Apart from a two year extension at one of the current top teams on the grid.

 

[F1Brits_90]

I missed it live because I was working, helping someone out who is in Barcelona. However, that performance from Norris was special. I don't know where he pulled that from, simply incredible. Crofty was getting very excited, and i was seeing Max's lap when he was 2 tenths up on himself & when he finished it I thought it was unbeatable, but clearly, it wasn't.

its a rareity i think there only been 4 of them but we might see an entertaining spanish gp & on Daniel Riccardio, can someone get Jaques back on the phone

 

[Il_leone]

Apart from a two year extension at one of the current top teams on the grid.

Just to be a punch bag and pick up the odd crumb. The 2 year extension has performance related clauses in it so its not as safe as it seems

 

[Il_leone]

I missed it live because I was working, helping someone out who is in Barcelona. However, that performance from Norris was special. I don't know where he pulled that from, simply incredible. Crofty was getting very excited, and i was seeing Max's lap when he was 2 tenths up on himself & when he finished it I thought it was unbeatable, but clearly, it wasn't.

its a rareity i think there only been 4 of them but we might see an entertaining spanish gp & on Daniel Riccardio, can someone get Jaques back on the phone

Will Johnny Herbert be sufficient who actually said Ricciardo should quit

 

[Dartman]

I can't remember which famous driver said it but he said when you stop driving the car round the circuit and you drive yourself then you achieve the ultimate, or something like that, and I suspect Lando either achieved that or was very close

 

[Il_leone]

I can't remember which famous driver said it but he said when you stop driving the car round the circuit and you drive yourself then you achieve the ultimate, or something like that, and I suspect Lando either achieved that or was very close

Most likely Senna

 

[Dartman]

I thought it was before Senna, possibly Jim Clark due to extremely extra fast smooth driving, those that drive smoothly with their perfect set up are more likely to drive themselves.

 

[F1Brits_90]

despite the 75% chance according to the forecast. the radar is saying no rain expected & should stay dry.

which im very happy about & shows what an unlikely healthy place F1 is in right now that Rain might ruin a potentially great race. in Barcelona of all places. like having exciting race in abu dhabi. all credit to the teams but also this is proof that budget cap & like NFL draft system is working as everyone has bunched up so much quicker than under previous regulations

like today 2023 - Sainz was 0.45 off verstappen & started 2nd

2024 - Sainz was 0.35 off verstappen & starts 6th

 

[cider_and_toast]

Meh, probably felt a pinch more entertaining than it actually was.

Poor start from Lando, great start from Russell.

Russell then went on to bugger everyone else's race up and that was that.

It does show though that being able to lean on your tyres all the time or having to protect your tyres and then push makes very little difference. The result will still be the same.

There simply isn't a way of creating a pace differential between cars that are only a tenth apart in qually that will allow a race to be long enough for a wheel to wheel battle at the front. With 16 laps to go, Norris needed to find half a second a lap to give him a couple of cracks at Verstappen.

Max controlled the pace at the front and that was that.