3 Things We Learnt After the Spanish Grand Prix

There was a lot going on at the Spanish Grand Prix. We had upgrades, surprise returns and battles for the win. So, here are my main three takeaways from an eventful weekend.

1. Ferrari and VCARB's Upgrades Did Not Make An Impact

These were the two teams that had the biggest upgrade packages coming into the Spanish Grand Prix weekend but they didn't seem to make an impact. Ferrari ended up looking like the fourth-fastest car this weekend. They were unable to challenge for pole position and couldn't battle Mercedes on Sunday. It was a poor showing from the Scuderia who had pushed to get these upgrades two races early.

VCARB had both of their drivers knocked out in Q1 and neither of them could make an impact in the race. Tsunoda and Ricciardo finished in 19th and 15th. The team have said that they were using the Spanish Grand Prix as a race to understand their upgrades ready for the rest of the triple-header but I can't help but think that they were hoping for a slightly better result than this. I'm going to be interested to see how well their upgrade package does in Austria.

2. Mercedes Has Figured Out How to Unlock Performance

Mercedes seemed to fight closer to the front this weekend. James Allison had said the team had a moment where they could see the path forward and said that they should have seen it sooner. It all sounds positive from the Silver Arrows at the moment and they've had back-to-back podiums from their drivers. They're still not competing at the level of McLaren or Red Bull and we'll have to wait and see what any potential upgrades do to the car. For now, though it seems like a much more dialled-in car that's showing potential.

3. Competitors Will Pull Together In Time of Need

On Saturday, fire engines were called to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. A fire had broken out at the McLaren hospitality unit with people being evacuated from the building. The fire was eventually put out and McLaren thanked the emergency services, as well as their competitors for offering help. It was a great reminder that there are things much bigger than the sport and even though the teams will battle on track, there is a great deal of respect between them all.