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F1 teams to show their hands in Spain

Daniel Ricciardo is hoping for an upgraded car in Spain. (Red Bull)
Roar Guru
9th May, 2017
2

The Spanish Grand Prix marks the official start to the European season for Formula One in 2017 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

As well as having the luxury of their colossal motorhomes, being close to their factories allow teams to transport their first round of major upgrades to their respective cars, which appears 2017 crucial in 2017.

In a season that has seen such dramatic changes to the Formula One rulebook resulting in the seesaw battle between powerhouses Mercedes and Ferrari, the freedom of development will determine who will trump who.

Constructors championship leaders Mercedes along with their front-running rivals Ferrari and Red Bull Racing are all confirmed to be bringing significant upgrades to Barcelona, while the remaining outfits are expected to have a smattering of various updates.

While the Silver Arrows hold a slender one-point lead over Ferrari, they have been far from the dominant force they were across the past three seasons, particularly in race trim.

Issues with the balance of the W08 EQ Power+ has been the thorn in the sides of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, with the car’s weight being at its root. That is indeed what the Brackley squad have homed in on, with a weight reduction package set to debut.

An upgrade in aerodynamics looms for both Ferrari and Red Bull, with the onus being on the latter to make drastic inroads following their less than impressive start to the campaign.

Having had three retirements in the past four grand prix across their two cars, Red Bull will sweat on updates to their lacklustre RB13 to bring Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen back to the fore of the field from which they’ve been so distant thus far.

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Many of Red Bull’s issues lie within the car itself, which still carries the deficits of the TAG Heuer-branded Renault power unit when compared to the Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari offerings.

While the energy drinks giant will be pointing the finger towards the engine department, there will be culpability inside the Milton Keynes operation if they fail.

As suggested in last week’s column, it would be unlikely to see Red Bull Racing challenge for the championship in 2017, though if they do come on song, there is opportunity for them to have an impact on the eventual title outcome.

The midfield has been as competitive as ever, with five teams currently involved in the scrap for fourth in the constructors championship, all of which have scored points in the first four races.

Out of the five combatants, Renault, appears to be the outfit that could make the most significant gains, being a manufacturer team amid the privateers of Williams, Haas and Force India.

Though from past seasons, Force India, who are currently occupying fourth place in the constructors championship, have been the team to succeed with radical upgrades while the others tend to fade away.

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Haas are set to maintain their Brembo brakes package after a trial of the Carbone Industrie variety to satisfy Romain Grosjean, who hass felt a great imbalance in braking since joining the American team in their first campaign last year.

Watching the progress of Toro Rosso for the remainder of the season will also be intriguing, as they have an up-to-date power unit on hand, unlike in 2016 wen they used year-old Ferrari power. They may have scored only 13 points to date, but they’ll a formidable force moving into the European races.

Like Toro Rosso last year, Sauber have elected to run a year-old Ferrari power unit for this season, which is going to hamper their development. Unless McLaren absolutely stuff up their own development, it is expected that the Swiss team will finish at the bottom of the table.

Plenty, then, to look forward to at the Spanish Grand Prix, where there will be mass interest as to what cards each of the teams will reveal in this heated 2017 world championship.

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