Formula 1 lands in Barcelona with the tension of a title fight, the drama of a technical shake-up, and the emotion of two home heroes looking to rise.
Thursday’s media day at the Spanish Grand Prix gave fans a taste of what’s to come: Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso both buoyed by home support, Lando Norris riding high after Monaco, and a grid still adjusting to the FIAâs new flexi-wing directive. With teams bringing upgrades and the season reaching a critical juncture, the weekend promises to be anything but routine.
đ Sainz: Emotional Homecoming and Measured Expectations
Carlos Sainz returns to Barcelona not in scarlet, but in Williams blueâyet the home crowd’s adoration clearly hasnât faded. He arrived breathless but smiling:
“Good afternoon, everyone. I’m a bit tired because I was almost late and I didn’t want a fine, so I ran and I’m a bit tired now. But I’m happy to be here. Good vibes yesterday in the fan forum, getting a lot of support from the home crowd here. I don’t know, it just always gives me good vibes. It puts you in a good mood, and the whole weekend makes you keep a smile on your face everywhere you go. Just hearing people cheer for you is the best feeling.”
That warmth wonât mask the challenge:
“Probably, if I had to design a track for the FW47, it wouldn’t look like Barcelona. We don’t tend to like medium-speed, long-duration corners. But I’m hopeful. It’s a track where we can also show the progress that we’ve made over the last few years. Apparently, the team was P19 and P20 here last year. We haven’t reached Q3 since 2020, Q2 since 2021. That kind of speaks to the kind of track we’re facing this weekend. But I’m confident that this year’s car is a step better in all these corners.”
On TD018âs impact:
“I don’t think it’s going to affect teams and people as much as people think or as much as is being made about this change of regulation. It’s still a front wing and still will be, just obviously run a bit stiffer and it will not flex as much as it did. I wouldn’t expect more than one-tenth swing up or down through the field.”
And on whether it would make the car harder to drive:
“Yeah, but I also think nowadays we have a lot of toolsâmechanically and aerodynamicallyâto tune these cars. So even if it’s going to be more of a challenge, we still have three practice sessions to see where the car is at in FP1 and take steps to fine-tune it and get it back to a decent place.”
Monaco, however, left its mark:
“That Sunday was painful. It was not a good Sunday for all the midfield guys behind me or in front of me doing the train. I’ve never jumped out of a car so disappointed, almost, with the whole thing because it was really, really, really bad. It was very slowâlike the slowest I’ve ever gone in a Formula 1 car.”
He urged collaboration:
“We get to be in the car and realise how easy it is to manipulate the race or to defend, and go three or four seconds off the pace and still finish in the same position. For the benefit of the sport, sit down and see what is not the best solution, but the most easy to apply or the common-sense kind of solution.”
For Sainz, Barcelona is about performance and pride. And both will be under scrutiny this weekend.
𧥠Norris: Reflective, Confident, and Still Chasing More
Fresh from his emotional triumph in Monaco, Lando Norris faced the press with a sense of satisfactionâtinged with perspective. While celebrations followed his breakthrough win, including a seat at the Princeâs Ball, Norris quickly pivoted to the challenges ahead:
“Yeah, it was a lovely dinner. Really nice. Obviously, I was sat at the big table. And, I mean, it felt great because it’s an honour to be thereâyou only really get to go as a driver if you win. So, it’s a good thought. You get to chat with their highnesses and have a nice time. So, a nice dinner, all in the moment of celebrating the weekend, celebrating the win, have a little chat, and that’s all. Some nice food.”
On his Monaco win:
“Was it probably the hardest-fought race? Probably not, but that’s Monaco. Is it the one that means the most? The one with the most pressure on a Saturday? The one everyone wants to win? Then yes.”
“Itâs more just the meaning behind itâthe history behind the week itself, the racetrack, the people who have won there. The prestigiousness of where it is and what kind of event it is. So is it the one I’m probably most proud of? I would say so. One that Iâll remember forever.”
On Monaco qualifying:
“In the car, no! Especially in qualifying. I donât think I felt anything close to calm. Qualifying in Monaco is the best laps of the year. I think it’s the best in Formula 1âor just motorsport in general.”
On his 2025 form:
“My Sundaysâ95% of the races this seasonâIâve been pretty happy with. Saturdays have had a lot more ups and downs. Like I said before, Monaco is the area Iâve been working on the most. Itâs the one that allows me to win races or not.”
On the new front wing directive:
“Nope. Not at all.”
On whether the championship is just between him and Oscar:
“No. If you think it’s just out of me and Oscar, then I think you’re a bit silly. Max can still win. I think Ferrariâ they’re Ferrari, I expect them to get better through the season.”
On the future of Monaco:
“It’s never been a race that’s been good on Sunday. Never has. Yet it’s the race everyone wants to win. I think there are things that can be done, but it’s more from a car point of view… Maybe you should make a more special event of a Saturday. One-lap shootoutsâa more exciting Saturday. I don’t think you can really change the raceâunless you make the cars half the size of what they are now. Just my opinion. I don’t think it needs to change that much. I’m pretty happy.”
đ Alonso: Still Chasing, Still Believing
Fernando Alonsoâs home Grand Prix was charged with emotion. Two wins and seven podiums here anchor his history in Barcelona, and he remains fiercely proud:
“You want to deliver something always extra at your home place. We know Barcelona very well. Itâs a circuit where we all push the limits from FP1 to the race.”
Aston Martinâs recent upgrades have shown promise, but Alonso is reserving judgment:
“Barcelona will tell us a little more about the new package. Everyone will bring upgrades. Letâs see how they stack up with the new front wing rules.”
And working with Adrian Newey in Monaco? A transformative moment:
“Even in the garage, statically, he spots things. His presence raised the level of everyone. People in meetings were sharper, more exactâbecause you knew Adrian would call it out if something didnât add up.”
Still, the long-term project is clear:
“To be strong in 2026, you must build trust in 2025. New parts now help test our tools and our people. The hopes are all for ’26âbut ’25 still matters.”
On the Madrid circuit deal and Barcelona’s future:
“We cannot lose Barcelona. Formula 1 and this track are linked. Itâs where we test. Where we know the limits. Where every team comes when they need answers. New venues come and go. This one must stay.”
And on retirement:
“The stopwatch will tell me. Not the media, not even results. If I stop jumping in the car with joy, or the pace fades, Iâll know. But for now? Iâm still pushing. Still motivated.”
He also paid tribute to Alex Palou:
“Heâs a legend in IndyCarâand heâs not missing Formula 1. Heâs maximised everything there. We should all be proud of him.”
Alonso may be looking to 2026âbut his eyes are locked on every apex this weekend.
On retirement, his view remains honest:
“I donât feel it yet. Iâm motivated. The stopwatch will tell me when itâs timeânot the results, not the pain.”
đ Bearman: Learning Fast, Flying Under the Radar
Ollie Bearman returns to the scene of one of his finest junior career performances â his dominant 2024 Formula 2 Feature Race win in Barcelona. That victory, part of a PREMA Racing sweep that weekend, remains a standout highlight of his rapid rise to Formula 1.
“Yeah, it’s a really cool track. It’s one that we’ve done, I think, as drivers the most laps on because there’s so much testing here. Always pre-season or winter testing ends up in Barcelona. So it’s returning to a track that we’ve done a lot of laps on for most of us. But it’s a fun track. Now with the new Sector 3, it’s a bit better to drive compared to the previous one with the chicane. I had a good race here in Formula 2 a few years ago. I don’t think we’ll replicate that, but hopefully it’s a good weekend.”
Bearman acknowledged the challenge of predicting the VF-24’s behaviour:
“Honestly, I’m at a bit of a loss because the weekends where we expected to struggle, we’ve actually done really wellâand vice versa. So, it’s tough to really build predictions for this car. What we’ve done is bring the new upgrade in Imola, and we need to see how that works now in high-speed corners, because Imola isn’t as high-speed as Barcelona. If we can get that under control and have good performance there, then I think it can be another solid weekend for car performance.”
The young Brit is still adapting to the nuances of Formula 1. Barcelona, with its familiar layout and technical demands, provides an ideal place to benchmark progress.
âď¸ Russell, Tsunoda and the Rest: Building Back and Pushing Forward
George Russell is seeking a reset after a pair of tough weekends, particularly in Monaco:
“Ultimately, our weekend was over from Saturday. We know Monaco is a qualifying race, and I think there were hopes or expectations that with the two-stop, things would be spiced up a little bit. And I think we’re all grateful for the trial of the two-stop, but clearly, it didn’t change things as people predicted.”
He explained how close Mercedes had come to unlocking more performance:
“We lost our way slightly during the weekend in Monaco, but we went back to a known set-up in Q1 and we were right back in the groove, right back inside the top four, which is where we’ve been always on Saturday afternoons this year. So that was a real shame.”
His cheeky chicane cut didnât go unnoticed:
“I was just getting tired of staring at the back of a Williams rear wing for 50 laps, to be honest. I finished higher up the order by doing that move than I would have done if I just stuck behind Alex. I pulled a whole pit stop in the space of three laps, and then I was free to do my own race.”
On expectations for Spain:
“I don’t see any reason why not. As I said, up until Imola, we’ve been inside the top five every single quali and race. Of course, Imola was a bad race, and then in Monaco things were slightly outside of our control. But we do know our race pace, especially in hot races, is a step behind McLaren, and this weekend is going to be very hot. The only difference being here is we’re on the hardest compound of tyres.”
Yuki Tsunoda, six races into his Red Bull promotion, continues his learning curve:
“Yeah. I’m still building the progress in terms of confidence and everything. I mean, understanding about the car is getting there. Just, you know, the last few tenths, few milliseconds… when you sometimes change set-up, you want to know what kind of balance you’re going to get. Obviously, with a new car, it’s just hard to know exactly how the car is going to behave.”
He acknowledged that adaptation takes time:
“Obviously, last four years with VCARB, I knew exactly what’s going to happen, so I didn’t really have to even think about those things. I would naturally react and drive fast. So I think those things will come.”
Tsunoda is confident about the direction of travel:
“Barcelona â yeah, I mean, I didn’t see much history about the Red Bull winning here, but you said four times he’s won, that’s good news. But I just keep focusing on myself rather than Max.”
Both drivers are looking to Barcelona to reset the narrativeâand their momentum.
đ§ Technical Directive 018: Fuss or Fundamental?
This weekend marks the first enforcement of Technical Directive 018, aimed at tightening regulations around front wing flexibility. The directive reduces allowable flex to improve fairness and limit grey-area aerodynamic gains.
Carlos Sainz downplayed the expected effect:
“I don’t think it’s going to affect teams and people as much as people think or as much as is being made about this change of regulation. It’s still a front wing and still will be, just obviously run a bit stiffer and it will not flex as much as it did. I wouldn’t expect more than one-tenth swing up or down through the field.”
He added:
“That is true, actually. Especially in our little midfield area.”
When asked if the directive might make the car harder to balance, he replied:
“Yeah, but I also think nowadays we have a lot of toolsâmechanically and aerodynamicallyâto tune these cars. So even if it’s going to be more of a challenge, we still have three practice sessions to see where the car is at in FP1 and take steps to fine-tune it and get it back to a decent place.”
Lando Norris was brief but clear:
“Nope. Not at all.”
And when asked if the car would be harder to drive:
“Like Carlos said, there are little tweaks here and there. But no, nothing that will change how we have to do anything.”
Fernando Alonso offered a broader view:
“Let’s see. I think Barcelona will tell us a little bit more about the new package. Imola was a step forward for sure… Barcelona, with a more normal weekend, we will discover where we are in terms of performance. But, yeah, I think everyone will bring also some upgrades here, especially with the new regulation with the front wing, and let’s see how much it affects everyone on the grid.”
With minimal fuss from drivers, TD018 might quietly influence the pecking order. But in a season defined by close margins, even a tenth matters.
For more on TD018, see our explainer: đŠ FIA clamps down on flexi-wings in Spain
đ Final Thought: Pressure Builds, But So Does Confidence
Spain marks a return to a traditional racing circuit with little margin for error â a weekend where upgrades are tested, driver confidence is revealed, and the seasonâs second act begins.
Sainz wants to deliver for his crowd. Norris wants to stay at the top. Alonso wants to show he still has it. And Bearman wants to prove he belongs.
This isnât just another race.
Itâs Barcelona.