After four rounds, and a three week break, F1 heads to Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the Spanish Grand Prix. Over those four races, Lewis Hamilton has out-qualified and out-raced his team-mate, Nico Rosberg, in all of them. In doing so, he has accumulated a 27 point lead in the championship. With the start of the European season, where Rosberg outscored Hamilton by 22 points last year, can that Nico turn around results, and breathe life back into the championship.
2015 SPANISH GRAND PRIX MERECEDES PREVIEW
No. 6 NICO ROSBERG (DEU)
Form: 3,2,3,2,14
2014: Grid P2, Race P2
Last year’s second place is the only time Rosberg has been on the podium here. He achieved a pole position the year before that, but could only finish in sixth. This was, with 2007, his joint highest placing, up until 2014. With this been his 10th outing here, Rosberg will be hoping for better results than the other nine times. He will be wishing that he can go one better than last year, where he narrowly lost out to his team-mate.
No. 44 LEWIS HAMILTON (GBR)
Form: 1,1,2,1,1
2014: Grid P1, Race P1
Even though Hamilton has enjoyed better results here than his team-mate over the years, last year saw his only classified pole position and victory. He did achieve the fastest lap in qualifying in 2012, but due to a fuel infringement, was disqualified. He started from the back of the grid, where he ended up fighting back to finish eighth in the race. In his eight outings here, he has been on the podium in half of those races. He came second in 2007 and 2011, and third in 2008, to add to his result from last year. He would’ve had a fifth podium here in 2010, when in second, he suffered a tire blowout on the penultimate lap.
Last year’s race saw a comfortable one-two for Mercedes, but with the challenge of the Ferraris increasing, and the other teams bringing big upgrades here, can the team obtain their comfortable dominance for much longer, or will they suffer pain in Spain?
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