19/05/2022
NEWS STORY
Max Verstappen: "We had an incredible week in Miami, I've had some time to rest with my family since and now I'm looking forward to driving in Barcelona again. I have a lot of good memories at the track from my first win in Formula One back in 2016 when I was 18. Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is a track that we all know very well as a Team due to amount of testing we have done there over the years, so unlike Miami, we have a substantial amount of data to use ahead of the race. Hopefully we can keep the momentum going from the last few races with a clean start from Friday onwards."
Sergio Perez: "Miami was a crazy week for us all and, while Max got the win and I collected important points, I didn't leave satisfied. I always want to be on the podium and I knew I had the pace to beat the Ferraris so I was frustrated. If I can have a consistent weekend in the car then I know I can be up there and Max and I will be pushing for a repeat of Imola.
"Since Miami I have had a new baby, Emilio, so it would be amazing to welcome him to the world with a great result. We know the track in Barcelona very well because of pre-season testing so we know what to expect but the car we tested in February is very different from the car we are now driving, in a good way, and it will be interesting to see gains we have made since then.”
Stats & Facts
Max's win at the 2016 Spanish GP is famous as the Dutchman became the youngest driver ever to win a Grand Prix, but at the time he was also the tenth different winner in a run of ten consecutive Spanish Grands Prix. Three of those winners were Red Bull Racing drivers', Mark Webber in 2010 and Sebastian Vettel in 2011.
Checo has been quickest in the qualifying speed trap at every race this year, with Max being second quickest at three of those races.
Max is one of five drivers to have not dropped a position on the first lap of a race in 2022, but he is has had the toughest task in defending as he is the only one of those drivers to reach Q3 at every Grand Prix, the others are Esteban Ocon, Nicholas Latifi, Alex Albon and Mick Schumacher.
The Oracle Red Bull Racing Team have once again been flying when it comes to pitstops this season. Checo received the two fastest pitstops at the Miami GP, with a 2.33s stop eclipsing a 2.37s effort. The Team have made six of the nine fastest stops in 2022.
Max is seeking a hat-trick of consecutive wins for only the second time in his F1 career. The other occurrence was the 2021 French, Austrian and Styrian GPs, but as the latter two were both held at the Red Bull Ring, a win in Spain would mark the first time he has won three consecutive races at three different racetracks.
Oracle Red Bull Racing currently have the longest streak of Q3 appearances for any team in F1. They have been present in every Q3 since the 2018 Russian Grand Prix, a run of 70 consecutive races.