F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Barcelona Speed Trap: who is the fastest of them all?

Two things stand out when looking at Barcelona's speed trap readings from Saturday's qualifying session.

The first is that - as is often the case - Force India's VJM11 continues to nicely cut through the air, although Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon's top speed wasn't enough to elevate the duo's position on the grid as both will start the race outside of the top ten.

The other outstanding observation, perhaps more worrying, is that McLaren, despite the significant aero upgrade implemented on its Renault-powered MCL33, still lingers at the bottom of the speed trap readings.

Part of the purpose of the striking nose job conducted on the Woking-based outfit's car was to help reduce the MCL33's heavy drag.

One will note however that Red Bull's heavily upgraded RB14, also powered by Renault's unit, is only slightly faster than the McLaren down the Circuit de Catalunya's main straight.

It's all about having the best compromise as Mercedes and Ferrari repeatedly demonstrate.

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Michael Delaney

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