F1 LIVE | Verstappen leads after Perez lets him past
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In three free practice sessions and during qualifying Charles Leclerc was the fastest. Will he also win the Spanish Grand Prix? Or will Max Verstappen prove to be the master of tyre management again and beat the man from Monaco while starting second on the grid? It will undoubtedly be an exciting and hot day in Barcelona!
Live F1 - The Spanish Grand Prix 2022
Excitement and thrills
During the long runs on Friday, Verstappen had the best average pace. It suggested that Red Bull has the upper hand in race conditions. But during Saturday practice, Leclerc suddenly did very well. On the soft tyre he not only set strong, consistent times, Leclerc additionally managed to keep those softs in a good state.
The key in the race is probably going to be tyre management: the driver who can deal with the heat and the very rough asphalt best has the greatest chance of winning. The biggest contenders for victory are undoubtedly Leclerc and Verstappen but don't discount Carlos Sainz either. Starting from third place on the grid, the Ferrari driver hopes to move forward and finally take his first-ever victory in front of his home crowd.
A big question mark is the Mercedes team. George Russell starts from fourth and teammate Lewis Hamilton from six. Nothing special is perhaps what you might think. But in terms of speed, the Mercedes team has been okay in recent days. If something happens upfront with the title contenders, perhaps a reborn Mercedes could get the main prize?