Spanish GP (Circuit of the Americas) – May 15, 2016

northerncobra31 said:Well, you could also compare the total points earned since Max joined Red Bull Racing, so we'll just have to wait and see.

For instance, Kvyat had a rough start to the 2015 F1 Season, but he ended up outperforming Ricciardo by the end; it just took some time for things to click into place.

northerncobra31 said:He was definitely better, though by how much doesn't really matter. We won't know where he ends up this year, but this start to the season isn't telling us much—it felt just like this at the beginning of last year.

Last season, Kvyat had only 4 points after 4 races, while Ricciardo had 19.

Fernando Alonso: "The goal of having the best chassis on the grid is getting closer. In Barcelona we will basically have a new car”

northerncobra31 said:It doesn't really matter whether Ricciardo beats Verstappen in this race or by the end of the season. Verstappen is driving a completely new car he's never handled before, so we won't see the true situation until next season.

Marcione expects wins at the Spanish GP

Sergio Marcione is convinced Ferrari is about to start hitting the top step of the podium—he thinks nothing but bad luck has kept them from winning so far, but that’s all about to change.

Even though Ferrari showed some real progress early this season, reliability issues and a few unlucky incidents have been the big roadblocks keeping them from really trading blows with Mercedes-AMG.

Sebastian Vettel is sitting 67 points behind the championship leader Lewis Hamilton, while Kimi Räikkönen is trailing by 57.

But Marcione isn't sweating it—he believes once that streak of bad luck finally snaps, Ferrari will be back to beating Mercedes.

"Sunday is going to be a huge day. We've had our fair share of bad luck, but the season is still young. I expect us to be winning again very soon, starting with the Spanish GP," he said.

Despite the fact that the crew from Maranello hasn't snagged a win yet, the Ferrari boss says he's actually pretty happy with how Vettel and Räikkönen are performing.

"I'm very happy with both of them. The only thing that's been an issue is just not having any luck."

neonfox65 said:Real talent adapts fast to everything. I reckon that’s exactly how it’ll go with Verstappen...

darkmarlin16 said:VERSTAPPEN!

darkmarlin16 said:VERSTAPPEN!

steelmaker83 said:And what's the deal with Honda? When are they actually planning to make use of those leftover tokens?

northerncobra31 said:I’m not sure if it’s just me, but I always get the feeling that the "real" season doesn't actually kick off until the Spanish GP. I can't quite put my finger on why, especially since the previous tracks have been solid—I mean, Russia was pretty decent too.

jadeseal7 said:What are everyone's predictions for tomorrow?

Personally, I suspect Verstappen won't be able to pull anything off in qualifying—unless, of course, someone at Mercedes-AMG makes a massive blunder. That performance we saw in Free Practice 2 feels like a total illusion, much like every other time lately.

And what about the race itself?