Another Formula 1 race, another dominating performance from Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes.
Here’s some of what you may have missed from round 6 of the championship from Barcelona:
Hamilton Dialed in at Barcelona
The F1 Spanish Grand Prix was no problem for six-time series champion Lewis Hamilton on Sunday in Barcelona.
Hamilton led from start to finish and managed a clean two-stop pit strategy to an easy 24.1-second victory over Red Bull challenger Max Verstappen. Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas was third, 44.7 seconds back.
The win was the 88th of Hamilton’s F1 career, just three shy of the all-time record held by Michael Schumacher.
One record that did fall in Spain was Schumacher’s all-time record of most career podium finishes. Hamilton’s win on Sunday was his 156th podium to break a tie with Schumacher.
It’s worth noting that Hamilton reached 156 in 256 starts. Schumacher started 306 races in his F1 career.
The Racing Point haters were back out in force on Sunday in Barcelona after Lance Stoll and Sergio Perez finished 4-5 to lift the team to third place in the F1 Constructors’ Standings, one point ahead of McLaren and two points up on Ferrari.
Despite last week’s ruling and subsequent penalty levied on the Racing Point Formula 1 team, at least two teams say that the FIA didn’t go far enough.
Renault and Ferrari continue to be critical of the of the ruling, which handed Racing Point a one-time 15-point penalty (7.5 points per car) and a monetary fine of £200.000 per car (about $500,000 in total). The one-time penalty is key, as the ruling states that Racing Point is allowed to continue racing with what Renault and Ferrari believe are F1 cars that have already been deemed illegal by the FIA.
Rivals alleged in the original protests that brake ducts on this year’s Racing Point cars of Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez directly copy those of the 2019 Mercedes championship-winning F1 car. Racing Point officials say they got the idea for their brake ducts from photos, but that all the designing and fabricating were done in house.
In reality, the teams lodging the protest could protest other parts on the car as well. While the parts are legal, it is against F1’s Sporting Regulations to directly copy a rival’s car.
It was another race without a point for the American-based Haas F1 Team, as Kevin Magnussen finished 15th and Romain Grosjean 19th. Magnussen was a lap down, and Grosjean was two laps back of winner Hamilton.
For Grosjean, it marked the 16th consecutive race out of the top-10 and out of the points, dating back to a seventh-place finish at Hockenheim, Germany, last year.
“From lap one to the last lap, it wasn’t good,” Grosjean said. “The car was a handful. I just can’t understand what has happened since Friday. Our long runs, short runs, everything was fast and competitive on Friday—everything was under control. I can’t explain why it was so good then, and not the rest of the weekend. It was just not fun today. It was a tough day at the office.”
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was the only retirement in Barcelona. According to the team, electrical problems caused Leclerc to lose power and spin at turn 13 of lap 37. He managed to restart the car, but by then he had disconnected his seatbelts and had to pit to have them retightend.
Due to the length of the pit stop, the team called it a day and retired the No. 16.
“It’s a shame that we couldn’t finish the race today,” Leclerc said. “I think we had a good chance to finish around P6 or even higher. We were very competitive on the softs and were also quick on the mediums, which we couldn’t fully show because of traffic. The plan was for me to do a one-stop and it was going quite well.
“Unfortunately, we had an issue around midrace. Suddenly my screen and engine switched off and the rear wheels locked. We are not yet sure what happened and are investigating the cause. The car eventually started up again, but it was already too late to continue because I had undone my seat belts and had to return to the pits. Although this year is a little bit tougher than last, we are all motivated to bring home the best results possible for the team and we will keep working hard to achieve this.”
Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, who struggled with finishes of 10th and 12th that last two times out at Silverstone, rode a one-stop strategy to seventh at Barcelona.
“Today we tried something different and it paid off,” Vettel said. “I was struggling in the first stint, even on medium tires, while in the second one I felt a lot better, despite having the soft tire for many laps.
“There was some rain forecast at some stage so we extended our stint on softs. In the end we were in a position in which we had nothing to lose, so we took the risk and decided to try and make it to the end. Luckily it worked and this result reflects the maximum we could do today with the car.”
Lewis Hamilton extended his points lead to 37 over Max Verstappen, as Hamilton continues his march to a record-tying seven championships.
Driver Standings Through 6 Races
1, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 132
2, Max Verstappen, Red Bull, 95
3, Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, 89
4, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, 45
5, Lance Stroll, Racing Point, 40
6, Alex Albon, Red Bull
7, Lando Norris, McLaren, 39
8, Sergio Perez, Racing Point, 32
9, Carlos Sainz Jr., McLaren, 23
10, Daniel Ricciardo, Renault, 20
On the F1 Constructors’ Championship side, Mercedes’ 1-3 finish with Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas helped Mercedes extend its points lead to 86 points over Red Bull.
Formula 1 fans might be having a good time lately but the people involved in F1 have been working hard in the last six weeks. This week’s Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya was the sixth race of the season and sixth race in seven weekends, and while there has been staff rotation on some teams, the majority of people have been the same at all the races.
Two triple-headers with one weekend off between them is unprecedented in F1 history and we are about to go into a third tripleheader, starting August 30 in Belgium.
Officially, the Formula 1 website lists six more races this season. Expect as many as four more races to be announced as early as this week.
With six races over the past seven weeks now in the books, Formula 1 takes a week off before returning to the track Aug. 28-30 for the F1 Rolex Belgian Grand Prix at Spa.
That race kicks off a third tripleheader with races on three consecutive weekends. The grueling stretch includes races at Monza, Italy on Sept. 6 and an inaugural race at Mugello, Italy on Sept. 13.
As for Spa, it’s a track that Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes have not won at since 2017. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc won there last year, and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel took the top spot in 2018.
Gallery: Gallery: NASCAR Doubleheader on the Daytona Road Course (Autoweek)
In the first race of NASCAR’s doubleheader Sunday, Sheldon Creed made history by winning the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series inaugural Sunoco 159 race on the Daytona International Speedway Road Course, taking home a cool $50,000 along with it in NASCAR Overtime.
The No. 2 GMS Racing Chevrolet driver won the final two stages, holding off teammate and Stage 1 winner Brett Moffit and leading a race-high 19 laps for his second career series victory and first as part of the Gander Trucks’ “Triple Truck Challenge” program.
Like last year, drivers will compete for cash prizes as part of the initiative as follows: a $50,000 bonus for the race winner of any of the three events; win two of the three events and they are awarded an extra $50K, totaling $150,000; win all three events and take home an additional $300,000 for a total of $500,000 in prize money.
This year’s Triple Truck Challenge nicknamed “The Trip,” was originally scheduled to take place on April 18 at Richmond Raceway, May 1 at Dover and May 15 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but was rescheduled because of the COVID-19 outbreak. The second and third races this year will take place at Dover International Speedway and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.
The caution came out with two laps remaining after Carson Hocevar was forced to stop on the track, setting up OT. The pair instantly found themselves battling upon the restart, with Creed prevailing over his elder teammate.
Right behind the duo was Raphael Lessard, Matt Crafton and series points leader Austin Hill to round out the top five.
In the Cup finale, Chase Elliott led a race-high 34 of the 65 laps in the inaugural Go Bowling 235 on the 3.61-mile road circuit. He drove the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevolet to his second win of the season and the eighth of his Cup Series career.
Denny Hamlin clinched second place in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, just a car-length behind at the checkered flag. Martin Truex Jr. took third with Jimmie Johnson fourth and Chris Buescher completing the top five.
Elliott won Stage 1, and Hamlin the second stage.
Points leader and pole-starter Kevin Harvick spun from fifth place after the start of Stage 3 when his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford was bumped from behind by the No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Toyota of rookie Christopher Bell. Harvick slid to a stop in Turn 3 and continued on, but in 37th place — last on the lead lap.
He spun again on Lap 43, continuing after looping the No. 4 car in Turn 6. Harvick rallied to finish 17th, ending a streak of 10 straight top-10 results.
Kyle Busch had an adventurous day, even before a brake issue sent his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota behind the wall for lengthy repairs. He locked up the brakes entering the frontstretch chicane on Lap 2, forcing an unscheduled pit stop to change tires. He also spun in Turn 6, and the brief off-course excursion knocked him back to 13th on Lap 25. When his brakes gave out with 17 laps to go, Busch steered the No. 18 to the Cup Series garage, where he lost six laps to the front-runners while his crew worked. His return to the track was a brief one, and he retired after blowouts of both rear tires forced him to crash with five laps left in regulation. Busch placed 37th, his fifth finish outside the top 30 this year.
Kaz Grala finished an impressive seventh in his Cup Series debut, leading three laps during a pit-stop cycle in the final stage. He was picked by Richard Childress Racing as a late replacement in the No. 3 Chevrolet for Austin Dillon, who was sidelined after reporting a positive COVID-19 test Saturday.
The race was halted by a roughly 30-minute delay for a late-afternoon lightning strike in the vicinity of the speedway.
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Sunoco 159
Sheldon Creed, driver of the #2 Chevy Accessories Chevrolet, drives during the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Sunoco 159 at Daytona International Speedway on August 16, 2020 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Sunoco 159
Todd Gilliland, driver of the #38 Frontline Enterprises Inc Ford, drives during the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Sunoco 159 at Daytona International Speedway on August 16, 2020 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Sunoco 159
Sheldon Creed, driver of the #2 Chevy Accessories Chevrolet, drives as Christian Eckes, driver of the #18 Safelite AutoGlass Toyota, and Zane Smith, driver of the #21 LaPaz Chevrolet, spin into the grass during the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Sunoco 159 at Daytona International Speedway on August 16, 2020 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Sunoco 159
Matt Crafton, driver of the #88 Ideal Door/Menards Ford, races Mike Skeen, driver of the #8 D.A.B. Constructors Inc Ford, during the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Sunoco 159 at Daytona International Speedway on August 16, 2020 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Sunoco 159
Spencer Davis, driver of the #11 Toyota, spins into the grass during the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Sunoco 159 at Daytona International Speedway on August 16, 2020 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Sunoco 159
Johnny Sauter, driver of the #13 Vivitar Ford, drives during the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Sunoco 159 at Daytona International Speedway on August 16, 2020 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Sunoco 159
Cory Roper, driver of the #04 PIC Ford F150 Ford, races Alex Tagliani, driver of the #51 RONA/VIAGRA Toyota, during the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Sunoco 159 at Daytona International Speedway on August 16, 2020 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Sunoco 159
Sheldon Creed, driver of the #2 Chevy Accessories Chevrolet, races Parker Kligerman, driver of the #75 Food Country USA Chevrolet, and Matt Crafton, driver of the #88 Ideal Door/Menards Ford, during the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Sunoco 159 at Daytona International Speedway on August 16, 2020 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Sunoco 159
Sheldon Creed, driver of the #2 Chevy Accessories Chevrolet, drives during the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Sunoco 159 at Daytona International Speedway on August 16, 2020 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Sunoco 159
Sheldon Creed, driver of the #2 Chevy Accessories Chevrolet, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Sunoco 159 at Daytona International Speedway on August 16, 2020 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling 235
(L-R) Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota, Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Freight Toyota, Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Snickers Toyota, and Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Beer National Forest Foundation Ford, talks on the grid prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling 235 at Daytona International Speedway on August 16, 2020 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling 235
Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Freight Toyota, and Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota, lead the field on a pace lap prior to ASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling 235 at Daytona International Speedway on August 16, 2020 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling 235
Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Beer National Forest Foundation Ford, and Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Freight Toyota, lead the field on a pace lap prior to ASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling 235 at Daytona International Speedway on August 16, 2020 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling 235
Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling 235 at Daytona International Speedway on August 16, 2020 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling 235
Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Ally Chevrolet, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling 235 at Daytona International Speedway on August 16, 2020 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling 235
Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Snickers Toyota, races Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Wabash Ford, and Clint Bowyer, driver of the #14 Mobil 1 Ford, during the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling 235 at Daytona International Speedway on August 16, 2020 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling 235
Erik Jones, driver of the #20 Toyota TrueStart Toyota, races Ty Dillon, driver of the #13 GEICO For Your Boat Chevrolet, Chris Buescher, driver of the #17 Fastenal Ford, during the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling 235 at Daytona International Speedway on August 16, 2020 in Daytona Beach, Florida
NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling 235
Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Wabash Ford, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling 235 at Daytona International Speedway on August 16, 2020 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling 235
Kyle Busch driver of the #18 Snickers Toyota, drives on a damaged tire during the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling 235 at Daytona International Speedway on August 16, 2020 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling 235
Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, leads Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Freight Toyota, to win the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling 235 at Daytona International Speedway on August 16, 2020 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling 235
Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling 235 at Daytona International Speedway on August 16, 2020 in Daytona Beach, Florida.