Spanish Grand Prix 2018 — Weekend Preview

Round 5 of the 2018 Formula 1 World Championship takes the field to Barcelona, Spain. Spanish Grand Prix — The Benchmark for Car Performance. Lewis Hamilton leads the championship with 70 points, 4 points ahead of Sebastian Vettel.

Driver Championship (entering R5):
P1: Lewis Hamilton — 70 pts (1W, 3P)
P2: Sebastian Vettel — 66 pts (2W, 2P)
P3: Kimi Räikkönen — 48 pts (0W, 3P)
P4: Valtteri Bottas — 40 pts (0W, 2P)
P5: Daniel Ricciardo — 37 pts (1W, 1P)

Constructor Championship:
P1: Ferrari — 114 pts
P2: Mercedes — 110 pts
P3: Red Bull Racing — 55 pts
P4: McLaren — 36 pts
P5: Renault — 35 pts

Barcelona is one of the fastest circuits on the calendar, technically demanding, steeped in motorsport history.

Recent winners at Barcelona:
- 2026: Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- 2025: Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- 2024: Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
- 2023: Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
- 2022: Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)

Tyre strategy data will be available after practice sessions provide degradation information.

Battles to watch:

Championship battle: Lewis Hamilton vs Sebastian Vettel — 4 points separate them.

P3 vs P4: Kimi Räikkönen (48) vs Valtteri Bottas (40) — just 8 points apart.
P4 vs P5: Valtteri Bottas (40) vs Daniel Ricciardo (37) — just 3 points apart.
P5 vs P6: Daniel Ricciardo (37) vs Fernando Alonso (28) — just 9 points apart.

Understand this race better:

- [Aero Balance](/f1/learning/tactical-intelligence/aero-balance)
- [Downforce](/f1/learning/tactical-intelligence/downforce)