Formula 1 AWS Grand Prix of Spain
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Course: Circuit de Catalunya
Course Length: 4.66 km
Laps: 66
Spanish Grand Prix Race Preview
Max Verstappen survived Monaco's late rain and won his fourth race of the season and extend his lead over teammate Sergio Perez in the championship standings. The weekend was especially painful for Perez after crashing in qualifying, starting 18th, and finishing 16th. The only driver to put up any kind of fight against Verstappen in the race was Fernando Alonso. The Aston Martin driver qualified on the front row and attempted to gain track position through more aggressive tire choices when the rain came. Ultimately, Red Bull Racing's strategy proved to be too much to overcome and Verstappen picked up his second Monaco victory.
With no time to recover from the hectic Monaco weekend teams immediately head to Spain and Circuit de Catalunya for the Formula1 AWS Grand Prix of Spain. This track in Barcelona is very familiar to the teams. Thirty-two championship races have been held at the track stretching back 1991. The teams also spend a lot of time testing at the facility in the winter. Rules established with the new generation of cars have limited that testing time to just three days across Barcelona and Bahrain, though. Still, the circuit is not unfamiliar and is one where fans can see the current specification of car at its full potential. Max Verstappen won last year's Spanish Grand Prix, but Lewis Hamilton won five straight prior to that. Fernando Alonso is also a winner at the circuit with his most recent home country win coming back in 2013.
Key Stats at the Circuit de Catalunya
- Races: 32
- Winners from pole: 23
- Winners from top-5 starters: 32
- Winners from top-10 starters: 32
- Fastest Race: 214.605 kph
Previous 10 Catalunya Winners
2022- Max Verstappen
2021 - Lewis Hamilton
2020 - Lewis Hamilton
2019 - Lewis Hamilton
2018 - Lewis Hamilton
2017 - Lewis Hamilton
2016 - Max Verstappen
2015 - Nico Rosberg
2014 - Lewis Hamilton
2013 - Fernando Alonso
Circuit de Catalunya is a traditional natural terrain road course. The mix of fast and slow corners coupled with its long front straight make it an ideal place to truly test the limits of the machines. In particular, the long right-hand turn 3 stresses a cars balance with drivers trying to get as much power down as early as possible. The circuit has two DRS zones with the main one being down the track's long front straight. That long straight sets up passing opportunities as cars head into turn 1, a tight right-hander, and that is the place where most overtaking can be expected. Only one of the last three races have had a safety car, and the track's runoff areas are plenty wide enough for cars to exit without having to put out a full-course caution flag. This race is also one where the winner typically separates themselves from the rest of the field. None of the last three races at the track were won by less than 10 seconds. Unlike Monaco, the preferred strategy is usually a two-stop race, too. Drivers will need to manage their tire wear throughout the race, and the left-side tires take most of the beating. Drivers that are able to best manage that grip while getting the maximum out of the cars will be in the best position to climb the running order at the finish.
DraftKings Value Picks
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Max Verstappen - $14,600
Sergio Perez - $11,400
Fernando Alonso - $10,000
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Lewis Hamilton - $9,600
Charles Leclerc - $9,000
George Russell - $8,200
Carlos Sainz Jr. - $7,400
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Esteban Ocon - $6,200
Pierre Gasly - $5,600
Yuki Tsunoda - $5,200
Nico Hulkenberg - $4,600
DraftKings Constructor Values
Red Bull Racing - $13,500
Aston Martin F1 - $9,700
Ferrari - $9,300
Mercedes AMG Motorsport - $8,900
Formula 1 DFS Picks for the Spanish Grand Prix
Captain - Max Verstappen - $21,900
Fernando Alonso - $10,000
Yuki Tsunoda - $5,200
Kevin Magnussen - $4,000
Zhou Guanyu- $3,400
Constructor - Alpine F1 Team - $5,500
There seems to be no stopping Max Verstappen and Red Bull. Barring any major surprise, Red Bull is likely to win. Therefore, fantasy players could either opt for Red Bull as their choice of Constructor or with Verstappen as the team captain. This lineup goes with the latter option. Verstappen has won four of the first six races of the season and appears to have superior race pace to teammate Sergio Perez under most circumstances as well. Outside of Red Bull, the driver closest to Verstappen has been Fernando Alonso. He and Aston Martin gave it their best shot under variable weather conditions last week at Monaco, but the tire call they made as the rain started to fall just didn't pan out in their favor. Alonso remains a podium stalwart each week, which makes him a logical lineup choice in his home race this week.
Choosing the heavy hitters at the top of the lineup means rosters will have to be very frugal with the remaining selections. Yuki Tsunoda, Kevin Magnussen, and Zhou Guanyu have two points each from the first six races. Only Zhou scored his two from one nonth-place finish. Both Magnussen and Tsunoda have a pair of 10th-place finishes for their tallies. Tsunoda finished 10th in this race last year. Magnussen has an average Catalunya finish of 12.7 with sixth- and seventh-place finishes with Haas F1 Team in 2018 and 2019, too. Zhou only has one start at this track last season when he retired due to an engine issue. The short story is that each of these three drivers have top-10 potential. Fantasy players may want to shift these names around pending the outcome of Saturday's qualifying, though.
Alpine F1 Team's success at Monaco coupled with their consistency through the start of the season make them a good choice to round out this lineup. The Alpine teammates both started and finished in the top 10 last week, and Esteban Ocon joined Verstappen and Alonso on the podium. The pair sit ninth and 10th in the championship standings. While Ocon stood on the podium at Monaco it is Pierre Gasly who has one more points paying finish than his teammate. This team has been consistent from the start and could be on an upward trajectory with recent developments.
Formula 1 Betting Picks for the Spanish Grand Prix
Race Winner – Max Verstappen (-250), Sergio Perez (+330), Fernando Alonso (+1100)
Winning Margin - Over 10 seconds (+105)
Winning Constructor – Aston Martin (+1000), Ferrari (+1200)
Safety Car – No (+100)
Max Verstappen again is the early favorite to win this week. That makes complete sense considering he has won four of six races so far this season and is the defending winner of this race. Verstappen and Red Bull have been the class of the field, but Aston Martin and Fernando Alonso seem closest. Those looking for better odds should consider Alonso or Sergio Perez to win this week. Choosing a specific driver to win gives better odds than going for Red Bull to win as the constructor. However, anything can happen in motor racing and a Red Bull win is not a certainty. If they encounter any trouble Aston Martin is laying in wait. Their odds to win this week are not terribly different than Ferrari's, and they seem like the better choice given Ferrari's race pace struggles. When choosing the winner players should also keep in mind that the last three Spanish Grands Prix have been won by more than 10 seconds. That has also been the trend so far in the six 2023 races, too.
Lastly, Circuit de Catalunya is a natural terrain road course with significantly more run off area than many of the recent tracks we've visited. The last three races at the track have produced just one safety car, which means this could be another week to go with the "No" option for a safety car appearance.
