MONTMELO, Spain (AP) — Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris have just three points between them at the top of Formula 1 as the McLaren pair aim to break Max Verstappen’s hold on the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend.
Verstappen has driven his Red Bull to victory at the race held north of Barcelona for the last three seasons, using the high-speed track as a stepping stone toward his haul of four straight world championships so far.
But McLaren has put Verstappen's reign in Spain — and overall title hopes — in jeopardy.
Piastri and Norris have won six of the eight races so far, building on McLaren’s constructor championship from last year. Now the question is if — or when — one of them will emerge as the team’s best shot to dethrone Verstappen for the driver’s title.
Verstappen has won two races this year and is the only driver to stop a McLaren sweep so far. Piastri leads the standings with 161 points, with Verstappen third with 136.
“You have got to say that McLaren have to be favorite, they have looked incredibly strong throughout the early races,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said Friday. “We have got to make sure to keep in touch, and to beat them you have to start taking points off them.”
Piastri said that while Red Bull puts all its energies into Verstappen winning — with his new teammate Yuki Tsunoda clearly well behind — he and Norris make each other better even if they do take points off one another.
“Ultimately we want to be fighting for a championship, beating everyone on the grid,” Piastri said in McLaren’s motorhome at the track. “And if you’ve got someone there pushing you, then whilst that gives you some challenges at times as a team and as a driver, it also increases your level, which is ultimately what you want.”
Norris boosted by Monaco win
Norris was McLaren’s top driver until Piastri came along last season and showed he will be a force to reckon with.
Norris started this campaign with a win in Australia from pole. Piastri then took the top spot in China, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Miami.
But just when it looked like the Australian had the upper hand inside McLaren, Norris came back with a masterful performance to win Monaco from pole last weekend.
Verstappen needs his team to deliver
Verstappen etched his name into F1 history in 2016 in Montmelo where he became F1’s youngest race winner at 18.
This year, Verstappen and Red Bull have been in the unfamiliar position of trying to close the gap with their papaya-colored competitors. McLaren's Piastri and Lando have showed they are right up near Verstappen’s talent level, and the Dutch master needs his team to deliver a perfect setup for his car to have a chance at beating them.
After winning at Imola two rounds ago, Verstappen signaled Barcelona as a track known for its high-speed corners, where he hopes to make similar gains. That makes the race a near must-win for Verstappen.
Norris, for one, is not anywhere near to ruling out Verstappen.
“If you think it’s just out of me and Oscar, then I think you’re a bit silly,” the English driver said. “Come on. We’re racing Max every weekend. He’s been on the podium several times. He’s won races. He beat us in Imola fair and square because he was quicker.”
Lewis Hamilton is also in need of a good result at a race he has won a record six times. He has yet to finish above fourth since joining Ferrari.
Stiffer wings may shake race up a bit
F1 started applying stricter tests for cars’ front wings at the Spanish GP.
A flexible wing which bends backward under air resistance at high speed could offer an advantage by reducing the effect of drag on a car.
The rule change set to come into effect in Spain was announced in March. F1 started stricter tests on rear wings for flexibility at the Chinese GP in March. McLaren previously faced scrutiny last season over footage appearing to show its rear wings bending at high speed in the Azerbaijan GP. The cars were considered legal.
While drivers mostly downplayed the impact of the change, Williams' Carlos Sainz said on Thursday it could produce “one-tenth (of a second per lap) swing up or down through the field for each team depending on how much you were flexing or not.”
If that were true, it could shake up the order among the front-runners, and also in the midfield group, which includes Williams.
But any stiffening of front wings didn't appear to make much of a difference during the Friday practices.
Norris topped the first session in front of Verstappen, and Piastri was fastest in the second practice ahead of Mercedes' George Russell.
A good start is crucial
Teams have had less than a week to switch setups and strategies from the sinewy streets of Monaco to the fast 4.6-kilometer (2.9-mile) Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, where a good start usually proves key.
The first corner at the end of the long start-finish straight is the best of relatively few opportunities to overtake. Last year, Verstappen pipped a pole-sitting Norris at the first turn and held him off for the win.
Nearing the end, maybe
The Spanish GP has been hosted at the track outside Barcelona since 1991. It was also a regular site of winter testing until recently, so it is well known to the experienced drivers.
But with the grand prix under contract only through 2026, when Madrid will also get a new race, there are doubts regarding the future of the event in northeastern Catalonia.
So Sunday could be one of the last times Spanish fans will flock to Montmelo to see Sainz and national sports icon Fernando Alonso.
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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Joseph Wilson, The Associated Press
